Speaking at the roll-out in Jareng village, Baboucar Joof, the director of Planning, Research and Resource Mobilisation at NaNA, explained that they have been rolling the Nafa programme since September last year and that they piloted it in Nianija, Wulli West and Foni Bintang.
“The pilot has been very successful and we are now in Niamina East, which is part of the 17 districts we refer to as the expansion districts. That means we have now enrolled in the 20 poorest districts in the Nafa programme. This is significant because we have over 15, 000 beneficiaries from the 17 districts.”
He said the objective of the Nafa is to make sure that extremely poor households are given cash support with Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) for them to live a decent life.
Dwelling on why women become the principal recipients, Director Joof said the project encourages household heads but they also explained to men that they prefer women to receive the cash on behalf of the household.
“Women are leading on the upbringing of the kids and taking care of the households, so we will want them to come forward and listen to the SBCC in order to make sure that our kids are healthy and the entire households eat a nutritious diet.”
Nanding Sanyang, Community Development officer at Jareng Ward, said people have responded to the exercise and it’s been carried out accordingly without any obstacles. She added that since the inception of the project, they had never encountered any problems.
“The project has registered several progresses because it has changed the mindsets of many in dealing with their households. The SBCC has impacted immensely the lives of the beneficiaries because some of them are able to start their own business,” she said.
Sohna Njie, a resident of Thirty Mile, expressed delight after receiving D9000 for six months while thanking NaNA and partners for the support. She continued that the project could not have come at a better time when they are faced with poverty.
“The project is here to elevate both men and women, including the children. We were taught to safeguard our girl children and avoid forcing them into child marriages. We were also taught how to live harmoniously at the household level,” she stated.
Mai Manneh, a beneficiary from Jareng village, also expressed similar sentiments, saying she bought a goat from the cash support.
