The National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) recently embarks on disbursing $10 million funds to 83 households which seeks to help mitigate the impact of coronavirus pandemic on poor and vulnerable families in rural Gambia.
The initiative dubbed ‘Nafa Quick’ Cash Transfer’ is part of the World Bank’s support to Gambia government, and each household will receive D3,000.
Malang N. Fofana, Program Manager, NaNA, disclosed that Nafa Quick cash transfer “is aim to help the poor and vulnerable living in rural parts of the country.” He added that each household which received the government relief food package will benefit from this cash disbursement.
He called on family heads to be present at the various payment centres with their vouchers given to them during government food distribution. Recipients, he said, must also produce valid Identity Cards to be able to benefit from the distribution.
He described the cash distribution process as hinge free since it started, noting that most of the households that were left behind have also been captured in a supplementary register that help solve some of the challenges NaNA goes through during the process.
“Our main problem is that lots people comes to payment centres and claims of been genuine household. To avert this challenge, a supplementary list has already been prepared with support of the village Alkalos (village heads) which enables us to know who is who,” he disclosed.
He therefore urged beneficiaries to make best use of the money, it is meant to mitigate the impact of the corona virus pandemic on them and their families. “We will be back here in September for the second round of payment where households will be given D3000 again, so I want to appeal to all the beneficiaries to take care of their payment Vouchers if they are to benefit,” he advised.
Ramatoulie Jawo, a beneficiary from Felengkono Village, Jarra East District described the gesture as timely, noting that it came at a time when many farmers in the rural country needed help the most.
She said: “I want to thank the World Bank, Gambian Government and NaNA as we feel very happy today. This money will help me a lot because I will be able to buy enough food for my family and the balance, I can use it for medicaments and other emergency situation that may come.”
Another beneficiary, Mariatou Barrow, a native of Darsilami in Jarra east district, commended the donors and the project implementing body NaNA for the gesture.
She said the donation will go a long way to ease the difficulties rural households are facing during this period of the pandemic.