Social intervention programmes will move Ghana beyond aid

Madam Freda Prempeh, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection has reiterated government's resolve to pay special attention to social intervention programmes to move Ghana Beyond Aid.

Speaking at the maiden Volta Regional Town Hall Meeting organised by the Ministry of Information in Ho, Madam Prempeh said the Ministry had numerous intervention programmes intended to promote an integrated and inclusive society with equal opportunity for all, "leaving no one behind".

She said through the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme targeted at providing cash and health insurance to extremely poor households across the country, about 328,510 households made up of 1,781,877 people were gradually having their status enhanced.

Madam Prempeh said the number represented 977,012 females with about 60 percent of them enjoying three square meals a day.

She said the programme had also ensured that children of beneficiaries aged between five and 13 were in school and 73 percent of beneficiaries registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Madam Prempeh said the school feeding programme designed to provide one hot meal to beneficiary primary school pupils to help reduce hunger and increase enrolment was also yielding positive results.

She said there were 2,589,618 beneficiary pupils nationwide in 8,081 primary schools providing employment for 8,351 caterers and cooks, 98 percent of whom were females.

The Minister said her outfit was training 34,028 caterers on food safety and building their capacities on the nutritional needs of the pupils.

She noted that because the Ministry was a multi-faceted one, a "helpline of hope" had been established to receive complaints on toll-free number to help citizens access social protection services.

Madam Prempeh said the developmental needs of the girl child and gender mainstreaming had also been integrated into the Ministry's agenda through mentorship clinics, scholarships, sensitisation and other numerous programmes.

She called on queenmothers to help end child marriage and said the Ministry was working towards a ten-year strategic plan to eradicate the canker.