Government launches expanded Cash Transfers Program for vulnerable Households

This is an intervention at the heart of government’s efforts to reduce strains of daily consumption on poor families in a number of regions in Liberia, expected to spread across the country, as more funding become available.

The current unconditional Cash Transfer initiative is the third under the watch of the government of Liberia and partners since Ebola struck the post war West African Nation in 2014. A number of partners including UNICEF, the Japanese Government and the World Bank funded the first through a joint effort.  That effort was expanded under the Liberia Social Safety Nets Project (LSSN) funded by the World Bank, and later expanded with funding from the United Kingdom, when COVID-19 hit the World in 2020.

Leveraging lessons from the previous two, the World Bank and the government of Liberia agreed to fund the REALISE Project (Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberia Informal Sector Employment) to provide income support to 16,000 vulnerable households through the SCT component of the project.

Speaking during the launch of the Cash Transfer Program in Grand Bassa County, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Gbeme Horace-Kollie said, “We acknowledge that these transfers alone won’t eradicate the hardships faced by our people. However, they undeniably help address critical needs of daily consumption”.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the funding for the benefit of their respective families. “our emphasis on responsible financial management, a soft condition for the Cash Transfer Program, empowers families to strengthen themselves over time”.

The Liberian Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister emphasized, “Like you all here today, I do not take this intervention lightly. I understand the struggles of living in rural community, the grip of poverty, and the desperation of living without a stable income. I know the anguish of families waiting until night falls for their only meal of the day. These harsh conditions have plagued our country for far too long”.

Also speaking on behalf of the French Development Agency (AFD) which is also funding the REALISE Project, Maximin Wion thanked the government of Liberia, and acknowledged his organization’s commitment to the partnership between it and Liberia, and the French government at large. 

Mr. Wion noted, “we have made available 8.8 million Euro grant to the Government of Liberia because we believe that it is crucial to facilitate the improvement of livelihood in Liberia, specifically in rural areas”.

The World Bank’s Senior Social Protection Specialist and the Task Team Leader of the REALISE Project Mack C. Mulbah, specifically spoke to the beneficiaries, urging them to see the transfers as a channel to lift them. “If you use this money to buy food for your children to eat and go to school, that’s good. On the other hand, if you use this money to send your kids to school, it is also good. We want you to use it for your own good”. Mr. Mulbah said.

The current Cash Transfer Program under the REALISE Project is expected to deliver unconditional cash to 16,000 beneficiaries in Grand Kru, River Gee, Rivercess and Grand Bassa Counties..