Earlier this week we told you that government would be distributing $2 million in food subsidies. It will be distributed through the existing welfare programme at the Ministry of Human Development. CEO of that Ministry Judith Alpuche explains how it will work.
Judith Alpuche, CEO – Ministry of Human Development
“The social assistance program really looks at a cash transfer for very very poor families, very very poor persons. So on a weekly basis they’re paid a sum of money and as I said this is really targetted at the poorest of the poor, people who either ‘di ketch and kill’ or have no employment of all and that sort of thing. The immediate assistance program is intended to help families through emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. So you’re doing well by and large but maybe because of illness of the main income earner or because of death, medical expenses you are unable to cope and so there is an immediate assistance program that provides you with a one time assistance in rent or food or proper burial or medical education, that sort of thing. So the $2 million is intended to scale up and expand these two programs.”
Presently there are 1,539 persons on the roll of the welfare programme, that will be increased to 3,500. The Ministry will use an established vetting process to determine who qualifies.
In other free money news, the Ministry of Agriculture will receive a $4 million grant from Venezuela under the Petrocaribe arrangement. The funds will be used for equipment that will assist in farm mechanization. And today in Belmopan, the Taiwanese government represented by Ambassador Joseph Shih presented $25.8 million in grant funds to the Prime Minister. The $25 million is a budgetary support grant promised to the new Prime Minister when he was elected. The second amount for $833,000 is to enhance Belize’s Foreign Ministry.
