By Ndey Sowe
As part of its mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and alleviate human suffering at all times, Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) has launched a Covd-19 cash support for 2000 vulnerable families worth D6.4 million dalasi (D6, 400, 000.00).
The humanitarian body, with funding from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), conducted the identification and registration of benefiting families across all regions in The Gambia.
Each benefiting family will be supported with 3,200 dalasi, while AfriMoney will be the service provider for the initiative.
The launch ceremony took place on Monday, 21st December, 2020, at the agency’s Headquarters in Kanifing.
Alasan Senghore, Secretary General for Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS), said the identification and registration of beneficiaries was done using various criteria.
The criteria include; families that have their business affected by the state of emergency restriction measures; persons depending on daily labor as the only source of livelihood; women heading households with limited income; refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, and stateless persons; differently abled households heads, that depend on daily charities from other people; households head with chronic illnesses; households affected by floods and windstorms during Covid-19 period; households affected by fire outbreak during Covid-19; and households heads living with HIV/AIDS.
Senghore added that: “The GRCS response strategy to the Covid-19 also incorporates the risk related to flash floods, windstorms and their impacts on families which has further affected their livelihood, thus, rendering them more vulnerable to the impact of the Covid-19.”
Jamal Bensouda, AfriMoney Operations Manager, said his Managing Director thanked GRCS for considering Afrimoney and Africell to partner with GRCS on her project.
“The reasons why we see cases so low and very containable are because of your actions, great leadership and courage that you have for people and for this country” he said.
Bensouda assured the humanitarian body that they already have the logistics needed to execute this project.
“We will make sure that the funds are executed effectively and efficiently and as we speak, we are ready to disburse the payments to the beneficiaries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) was established in The Gambia through an Act of Parliament in 1966 to work as an auxiliary to the Government in humanitarian and development fields. Over the years, the GRCS provided humanitarian services to vulnerable communities in The Gambia.
As part of its mandate, the GRCS complements the efforts of the Government in the provision of health services, disaster, risk reduction, preparedness and response, youth and children empowerment, promotion of humanitarian values and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), livelihood support, resorting family links, and First Aid Services
