By: Umaru Damon Samai and George Nyambe Willams
Introduction
The Government of Sierra Leone through the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) with funding from the World Bank; is currently implementing the Social Safety Nets Project; which has been locally termed as ‘’Covid-19 Ep Fet Po.’’ The Covid-19 Ep Fet Po is premised on establishing the key building blocks of a basic national safety net system and provides income support to 72,000 (Seventy-Two Thousand) extremely poor households across the country.
Launched in 2019 by the President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the project has been strategically designed to follow all protocols from targeting, enrolment and payment; having the Anti-Corruption Commission and Statistics Sierra Leone as implementing partners. With the news of the outbreak of Covid-19 in neighboring countries, the funding agency, the government, implementing agency and partners unanimously agreed to allocate the sum of $4m contingency funding. The contingency funding was activated as the country recorded its first Covid-19 case to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic on informal sector workers, petty traders, workers from the tourism and service industries. The Covid-19 Emergency Cash Transfers as it is called, targeted twenty-nine thousand beneficiaries.
In addition to these efforts, the Government of Sierra Leone, during the first and second ‘lockdowns’ charged NaCSA to reach ten thousand Persons with Disability, Persons Living with Disability and other vulnerable groups with SLL 250,000 each and other condiment. This was to respond rapidly amidst impending measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 including ‘lock down’.
On 17th June 2020, NaCSA announced the commencement of verification of the second phase of the Covid-19 Emergency Cash Transfer with 4.6m Euro support from the European Union. This phrase targeted thirty-nine thousand beneficiaries within Freetown.
The Strategy
In the Case ECT I and II, At the initial stage of implementation, market chairpersons submitted lists of potential beneficiaries from across all markets and street settlements. Secondly, a Light Proxy Means Test (LPMT) will be applied to the lists of validated and verified beneficiaries. Stats SL will conduct LPMT to ensure that the financial support is provided to the most vulnerable groups with the available resources. Also, LPMT is applied to identify the most vulnerable or low-income workers provided by different organizations.
NaCSA enrolled beneficiaries that met the minimum standard score and beneficiaries will be independently paid by Rokel Commercial Bank. At the Covid-19 Ep Fet Po/SSN level, we used national statistics data to select locations where poverty is highest, second is going to those selected locations to consult on who the communities believe to be the poorest households and finally, an interview using objective questions and formula to check the level of poverty of the household identified by the community, this is called the proxy-means testing (PMT). The Beneficiaries having crossed the PMT level will be issued a certificate of enrollment and paid by Rokel Commercial Bank.
The Impact what the beneficiaries said?
Combining the two phases of the ECT and the beneficiaries of the Covid-19 Ep Fet Po/SSN, a total of thirteen billion, four hundred, eighty-two million and seven hundred thousand leones (13,482,700,000) has been injected into Sierra Leone’s local economy.
In Kenema city, a 35-year-old Mohamed Kallon tells his story;
“I lost my parents during the civil war, in my presence, they were slaughtered by the Rambo squad in Daru. That sad incident was the beginning of my suffering and as a child; schooling was not my primary agenda but means of surviving on daily basis. I had to move from Daru to Kenema where I joined a friend who sells cassava leaf and grain it using manual grinder. For more than ten years in this business, I have never received a cent from any individual or government but recently, I received a sum of SLL 1,309,000 from the Government of Sierra Leone through NaCSA. This money has transformed my life as I have completed the payment of my grinders and part of the money was used to strengthen and roof the broken wooden shop where I do my business. Honestly, my daily earnings have been increased because the burden of paying ‘master money’ has been cut off’’
At 20 Mohamed Karim Koroma sat to his West Africa Senior Secondary School but couldn’t make it to the University because his mother (a window of seven children) cannot afford the sum to buy university admission form.
‘’ I had to start selling voucher top up not to raise money for my schooling but to feed the home and take care of six siblings. My start u capital has always been SLL 300,000 because the profit does not go back to the business, I used it to provide food and meet the other family needs. Fortune smile on me when I received SLL 1,309,000 from NaCSA. I now do voucher money transfer, I have increased my capital and most importantly, I can now realize more profit which means I will be able to take care of my family’’
Zainab Mansaray is a twenty-eight-year-old street beggar with four children including a two-month-old baby boy.
”…I received the sum of One Million, Three Hundred and Nine Thousand Leones (1,309,000) from NaCSA. I initially wanted to use the money to buy good wears but with the orientation I received, I am now going to start a small business and keep some for an emergency. I am hopeful that this will keep me off from begging in the street.’ She said. ‘I am going to get some baby wears for me son because it is needed badly.”
Abu Bakar Kamara dream of becoming a community businessman became a reality with the One Million Three Hundred and Nine Thousand Leones (1,309,000) he received from the Government of Sierra Leone through NaCSA. Abu came from one of the slums in Urban Freetown with great potential for businesses like ‘voucher top up’ and other domestics goods to grow. Abu noted that though he is physically disabled he has been able to manage the money he initially received from the government. with this additional sum, Abu is certain that his ‘pan body kiosk’ will be the bus stop for his community.
” I own a very tiny pan house where I sell Orange, Africell and Sachet water but the business has been very slow because of low capital. I only invested One hundred and Fifty Thousand Leones but I am certain that things will change because this money has added value to my business; I intend doing orange and Africell money.” He ended.
Mohamed Conteh was born in a very small village to a family of eleven; though with some medical completions, Mohamed have lived his twenty years existence in the street begging for survival and medical supports.
‘’I would have loved to go to school, become an engineer and contribute to the development of this country. I attempted going to school but my medical condition and lack of financial supports cannot let me. How I wish there was a Free Education, by now, I should have taken my mother and family away from the street. I firmly believe that one day, just one day, my dream of becoming an Engineer will be a reality.’’
The twenty-year old Mohamed further explains his journey from the village to Sierra Leone’s capital. He had a dream of becoming an Engineer but he was forced by situation to join others in street begging. ‘’… no one want to be in the street begging for survival; we all want to live a decent life; a life where one can afford the basic human needs: food, clothing, shelter and at least affordable health care. I wish I could sit with family watching the evening news from the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) or other news channels. We want to go out for a family picnic, playing with family members, laughing and tell stories together. We have dreams, big dreams and visible potentials but it seems poverty has swallowed the very reason why we live. Begging has never been an option. Unfortunately, I have spent my entire childhood begging for food and place to sleep, I have no alternative than to do so. Though it takes away our human dignity, render us vulnerable to sickness and other women and men who thinks our situation is as a result of laziness, it has been our means of survival.’’
Mohamed noted. Mohamed Conteh is one of the beneficiaries of the Covid-19 Ep Fet Po Program. In mid-February 2021, thousands of Sierra Leoneans including Mohamed received the sum of One Million, Three Hundred and Nine Thousand (1,309,000) and Behavioral Change Messages from the National Commission for Social Action – NaCSA (Project implementing agency). In an exclusive interview, Mohamed said;
‘’… this is not the first support I have received from NaCSA but this is certainly the biggest supports. This is my first time to own money to an amount of One Million, Three Hundred and Nine Thousand Leones (SLL 1,309,000). As I was told by NaCSA to do business, I invested One Million Leones (SLL 1,000,000) in business, just in two weeks, I have made Three Hundred Thousand Leones (SLL 300,000) Profits. I have used the three Hundred Thousand Leones (SLL 300,000) from the benefits to buy some medicines. I have decided to stay off street begging and pay attention to my business. This is a life changing opportunity and I have committed to be an example and make it known to the world that the Ep Fet Po program transforms my Life from a Beggar to a Petty Trader.’’
Mohamed believes that his dignity has been restored and the hope of becoming an engineer has resurrected. Devoid of his age and prevailing situation, he has demonstrated willingness to go to school and to be the person he had always wanted to be. Mohamed’s story is just one of thousands of testimonies on the impact of the Covid-19 Ep Fet Po/Social Safety Net Program. In tears and jubilation, Mamie Conteh extended a special thanks and appreciation to the government and partners. Mamie is certain that with the One Million, Three Hundred and nine thousand (1,309,000), she will stop street begging and pay attention to doing business. ”…this is the first time I have received such money in bulk, I will forever cherish it.