The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme is a National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) which will provide direct cash transfer to support the extreme poor or people described as the poorest of the poor, vulnerable and excluded sections of the population.
As part of the numerous social protection interventions government has already put in place, like the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the public school’s Capitation Grant, School Feeding and National Youth Employment Programme, Micro-Credit Scheme and Small Loan Centre (MASLOC) show a remarkable progress in Ghana’s poverty reduction programme.
LEAP will not only provide a “spring board” to life or assist beneficiaries to break back of their current socio-economic status by improving their livelihoods but will assist them to access existing government and social services that will provide them with buffer against various risks and shocks.
Ghana’s Living Standard Survey (GLSS) shows that poverty trends indicated an estimated 40 percent of Ghanaians are poor. These sections of the people have the capacity to meet their basic nutritional needs but cannot cater for additional needs such as health, shelter, clothing and education.
Besides, its also indicates about 14.7 percent of the population are afflicted by extreme poverty and are unable to cater for basic human needs including their nutritional requirements and in addition suffer from inter-generational poverty.
This social intervention is one of the pre-requisite to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), NEPAD and Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) to reduce poverty to the bearest minimum by the year 2015. And to also attain a middle status of $ 1000 per capital income in the same year.
The GPRS II mandates the Ministry of Manpower Youth and Employment and its technical department like the Social Welfare to introduce a social protection strategy to include conditional and unconditional cash transfers to support the poorest of the poor, vulnerable and excluded sections of the population.
This strategy will guide stakeholders and implementing agencies in the administration of social protection strategy programmes with a view to bring meaningful change in the lives of Ghanaians.
The NSPS will create a society in which the citizenry are duly empowered with the capacity to realize their rights and responsibilities to manage social, economic, political and cultural shocks.
It has to be emphasised that this programme will provide safeguards for, and empower individuals and households living under extreme conditions of poverty to become responsible managers of their livelihoods. It will also calm their societal rights and entitlements.
The initial payments of these grants are scheduled to take place from the 17th to 20th of March, 2008.
The Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) estimates in the GLSS, 2007 that there are 880,000 extremely poor households in Ghana representing about 18.2 percent. Out of this, the Department of Social Welfare is pre-testing the LEAP in 21 districts with about 2000 people. These 21 districts are, Bawku and Cape Coast Municipals, Lawra, Bole, Techiman, Obuasi, Ketu, Ga West, Damgbe West, Nzema East, Assin North and Agorna Swedu districts.
The rest were Kwahu West, Asuogyaman, Fanteakwa, New Juabeng, Akuapim south, Yilo Krobo, Manya Krobo districts and the Kumasi Metropolis.
The exercise is eventually targeted at 50 districts, 29 of the rest of the districts will be added on in May this year.
The development of this programme started in 2004 with the sureties to have a good design before its implementation. A pilot cash grant was given for the payment of NHIS premiums for the guardians or care givers of orphaned children in 2006 and 2007, LEAP is an expansion of this programme.
Households in these districts who cannot meet their minimum nutritional requirements, even if they use their entire income on food alone, would qualify for LEAP.
Beneficiaries and Conditions
Beneficiaries will be assisted for a period of time between one and three years, depending on whether their situation, is improving and they are meeting household responsibilities. These households will be required to comply with certain condition while they remain on the scheme.
These conditions are; to enroll and retain all school going age children in the household in public basic schools, all members of the household must be registered with NHIS and be able to produce a receipt in the absence of a card, new born babies from eight to 18 months must be registered with the Birth and Deaths Registry, attend required post-natal clinics and complete the expanded programme on Immunisation. Lastly, to ensure that no child in the household is trafficked or engaged in any activities constituting the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL).
The beneficiaries are orphaned and vulnerable children in society. This will be done through a guidance or a care giver who, extremely poor above 65 years and persons with severe disabilities without productive capacity.
Financing LEAP
Beneficiaries who could not received by their grants during the three day period due to reasons beyond their control will be given additional one week grace period for collection or be added to the next batch.
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme is targeted at 15,000 households in 50 districts, in 2009; 35000 households are targeted in also 50 districts, 2010; households in 70 districts, 2011; 115,000 households in 100 districts and in 2012; 164,370 households in 138 districts.