A total of 58,534 old age pensioners and more than 47,000 households have benefited from key interventions implemented under Component One of the Support for Safety Nets for Vulnerable Populations Affected by COVID-19 programme.
The programme, which was financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was launched in December 2020 and implemented by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
It was designed to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations.
This was according to Coordinator of the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Shawn Coojah, during a Project Closure Workshop held on Wednesday at the Cara Lodge Hotel.
In addition to the one-off cash transfers provided to pensioners, the initiative reached 16,183 public assistance beneficiaries and delivered cash grants to 4,971 children living with disabilities.
The electricity credit transfer programme, however, significantly surpassed its original target of 15,000 households, benefiting 47,059 households across the country.
The initiative also established the Survivor Advocate Programme, aimed at supporting victims and survivors of gender-based violence by helping them navigate the criminal justice system and access essential services, benefiting a total of 30 survivors.
Institutional strengthening was another major achievement under the initiative, with the establishment of the Ministry’s first Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and the implementation of a modernised Management Information System Unit.
The digital platform integrates several social services administered by the ministry and supports improved data collection, policy development and service delivery.
Minister Persaud, said the initiative represented far more than statistics, noting that every beneficiary represented a life impacted by the government’s intervention.
“Every number tells a story, and the stories behind these numbers are incredible. Because every person that we have assisted, every person that we have helped, we want to make sure that they can be seen and heard, and they can inspire other people as we move forward on this road,” the minister stated.
Minister Persaud noted that the programme demonstrated the importance of strong partnerships among the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, the Ministry of Finance and the IDB, while laying the foundation for a more modern and efficient social services sector.