Ho Lepers starve as LEAP allowance delay for nine months

Living conditions at the Ho Lepers village is taking a serious turn to the worse as the allowance of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the major means of survival for the inmates, has been in arrears for nine months.

Donations are said to be in short supply and the inmates, who already are physically and emotionally afflicted, appear to have an additional war of hunger and poverty to fight.

Supervisor at the village Mrs Joycelyn Othlich told Joy News the inmates are suffering.

She said the LEAP allowance, even though small, contributes immensely towards alleviating the poverty in the village.

Each inmate receives 24 cedis per month per the LEAP programme but that too is in arrears for nine month.

Already these are people who feel discriminated upon by the society and abandoned by their families. And for them to be starving in addition in the village is a trauma too difficult to bear, Othlich stated.

Municipal Director at the Ho Social Welfare Department, Mr Atsu Havor confirmed to Joy News that the LEAP allowance has been in arrears for nine months.

According to him, the allowance for November and December 2012 were paid in August 2013.

He explained that the delay in the payment of the arrears is as a result of a major national financial crisis neither limited to the Ho Municipality nor to the Ho Lepers Village.

“It is not the department that gives them the money. The money comes from the central government. So if the money is released we will also pass it on to them.

“You know things are not moving on well financially. Financial commitment by the government [and] everything is not moving on well,” he explained away the reason for the nine months delay in the payment of the allowance.

He hinted the Department is likely to receive payment of four months arrears early next week.

Whilst the news of payment of part of the arrears is welcomed by the Supervisor of the Ho Lepers Village, she called for more support from Philanthropists and other Civil Society groups.

She was hugely thankful to Rev Father Campbell who recently donated bags of rice as well as the Centre for National Affairs for their contributions and support of the inmates.

Joycelyn Otlich hinted the village is planning to embark on a project dubbed a walk for food to raise funds for the inmates.