There have been 12,000 applications for COVID-19 relief assistance and those who are approved will receive vouchers for between $25,000 and $32,000.
The Ministry of Finance is footing the bill to support government’s aid programme as the country navigates the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Director of Operations of the COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat, Mark Archer said.
Archer, made the disclosure while responding to a question from Stabroek News on the source of funding for the programme. Archer was speaking at a virtual press conference on Saturday morning.
“The funding was provided through the Ministry of Finance…The assistance was funded by central government to the Ministry of Finance’s budget, and the provision of hampers, the supplies for the hampers is from the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) budget,” Archer responded to the question.
He had first advised that this newspaper make contact with the Ministry of Finance’s Budget Director Sonya Roopnauth for answers to the question. How-ever, during the course of the virtual press conference, Archer was able to provide the answer.
In May, the caretaker APNU+AFC government announced that it would provide COVID-19 assistance for vulnerable persons. But at the time neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) which is the leading agency in the assistance programme could provide an answer as to where the finances were coming from.
It is still unclear how the funds are being accessed as there is no budget in place for the year due to the country’s post-elections dilemma and the Contingencies Fund has limits on it.
The Director of Operations said that the programme was birthed by a Cabinet decision in April for assistance to be given to persons affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The NCTF was given the responsibility to oversee this initiative, he added.
According to Archer, food security has grown overnight to be a principal concern for many Guyanese families since the rise of COVID-19. This conclusion was arrived at following the assessment of applications for food vouchers from the programme.
Archer stated that 64% of the persons who applied for government’s assistance hailed from Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four). The majority of applicants said that their primary need was food assistance.
The form asked applicants what their main need was and allowed them to choose between groceries and utilities.
“Many of the newly hungry are from the urban working class. A number of these persons have lost their jobs and find themselves scrambling to put food on the table. The potential impact on food-insecure people in urban and rural areas is hugely concerning, especially, with daily wage earners and those who work in the informal and service sectors suddenly becoming vulnerable to poverty and hunger,” he related.
He noted that most of the affected citizens are dependent on public markets for food and are more vulnerable to price fluctuations and potential availability problems. “The sudden and sharp decrease in their purchasing power has placed many of these families in a very vulnerable position,” he pointed out.
On the breadline
It was on this note, he said government rolled out the programme to offer assistance to families who are on the breadline.
Giving an overview of the programme, Archer on Saturday explained that at present they are handling over 12,000 applications from persons residing along the coast.
He noted that a decision was taken for hampers to be prepared to by the CDC to distribute to indigenous communities. To date they have prepared 5101 packages to be distributed to households across the indigenous communities.
Apart from the 12,000 applications, the Director of Operations added they have already processed and distributed vouchers in regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 via the post office. Another set was scheduled to be mailed to the other regions last Monday.
“The vouchers were sent via ‘Registered Mail’. For accountability purposes, reports will be sent to the Ministry of Social Protection and the CDC from the Post Office Corporation; also, the suppliers are required to return the redeemed vouchers to the MoSP,” he explained.
Once an application is made, Archer said, there is a verification process after which they will shortlist persons to receive the assistance.
The application forms, Archer said were designed to identify most vulnerable populations based on established criteria and only individuals/households who meet the identified criteria will qualify for consideration.
Those criteria are an Individual/Household currently benefiting from Public Assistance provided by the MoSP, an Individual/Household who applied for Public Assistance and is awaiting a response from MoSP, an Individual/Household who suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19 or a House-hold headed by senior citizens or persons with disabilities.
Recipients of the voucher are able to redeem between $25,000 to $32,000 worth of foodstuff and cleaning supplies from identified groceries and supermarkets from their communities.
“As a Task Force, when we think about this pandemic, it’s not just the direct effects that we worry about, but also the secondary effects. In other words, while the coronavirus is a serious medical problem, we are paying close attention to other related issues that urgently require our attention,” Archer stated.
Persons can make an application online or by calling any of the eight toll free numbers listed by the MoSP.
The application forms can be downloaded or accessed from the Ministry of Social Protection’s website at https://mosp.gov.gy/ or directly https://government.gy/eform/241 or persons can call 615-9507, 615-9495, 615-9990, 615-7839, 665-2271, 615-9507, 615-9727, and 615-7829.
