Officials of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) have expressed their resolve to reducing urban poverty through the bi-monthly Nafa Cash transfer project.
In a recent interview with reporters, Mr. Alagie Mbye, communications officer at the National Nutrition Agency, acknowledged that poverty still exists in urban centres, which is why the Nafa project deemed significant to also reach out to via the Nafa cash transfer initiative.
Further, the Nafa project has over the years registered huge impacts in the rural part of The Gambia by reducing the poverty rate through its bi-monthly cash disbursement initiative alongside Social and Behavioral Change Communications Strategic (SBCC) communication sessions for its long-term sustainability.
Mr Mbaye recalled that during the last payment cycle disbursed to eighty-six household beneficiaries at Leba Hamat Jallow village in Central River Region- North, the project targeted over 36,000 households even though they know urban poverty exists.
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In light of this, he said, right now they have about 31,000 households that are already enrolled into the scheme, adding that the rest of the target will also be implemented most likely this year by expanding the project to urban centres, targeting Kanifing Municipal, the Banjul City Council and some parts of the West Coast Region, particularly in the Kombos.
He revealed that the first Nafa project pilot targeted Nianija, Wuli West and Foni Bintang which was later expanded to seventeen districts which included Leba Hamat Jallow village in CRR-North.
Implemented by the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), the Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW), the Nafa project is jointly funded by the World Bank and the Gambia Government (GoG).
The project is poised to provide a foundation for sustainable livelihoods to the poor and vulnerable. The project has five components with various stakeholders from different institutions.
The program is a sub-component of the RISE project, which is being implemented in the 20 poorest districts in The Gambia. However, three of those districts have already graduated.
The program has now expanded to an additional sixteen rural districts across the country with over 15,000 beneficiary households who are already receiving their bi-monthly cash transfer and SBCC sessions.
On the significance of the Nafa project, Mr. Mbye said Nafa is a project designed to strengthen household resilience against poverty, to improve Nutrition and effectively reduce vulnerability.
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He acknowledged that the household vulnerability was determined by the Gambia Social Registry (GSR), where beneficiaries were selected as the most vulnerable.
Elsewhere, Speaking at Leba Hamat Jallow, CRR-North with 86 household beneficiaries derived mainly from seven communities within the Central River Region-North, Mr Mbye encouraged beneficiaries to invest their funds into meaningful initiatives, such as gardening, animal husbandry as taught during the SBCC communication sessions.
