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About 72,000 beneficiaries of the Livelihood Employment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme are set to receive cash transfer payments, ranging from GH�96 to GH�180, across the country per household from today October 14 to October 18, a release signed and issued by Mrs. Mercy C. Adjabeng of the Ministry of Gender, children and Social Protection, has said. The LEAP Programme is a government social intervention cash transfer to the poorest households in Ghana, aimed at empowering the extremely poor, disadvantaged, disabled and vulnerable populations. It will cover payment for four months. The release said the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme is the flagship programme of Ghana�s National Social Protection Strategy administered by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection under the Department of Social welfare. �Ghana�s Social Protection interventions seek to reduce poverty and inequality in the country. The Government of Ghana implements approximately 25 social intervention programmes to provide social assistance, empowerment and capacity enhancement for the pro-poor,� it further explained. Explaining further, the release said these interventions are aimed at reducing poverty, vulnerability and diminishing the exposure to risks in order to ensure a minimum standard of dignity and well-being. �The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme falls under the social protection mandate of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection which focuses on empowering the vulnerable, excluded, aged and persons with disabilities,� it added. It stressed that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection firmly believes that through the LEAP Programme, government is improving the lives of its citizens, reducing the level of poverty in the nation, and increasing the socio-economic standard by affording persons in extreme poverty, the opportunity to contribute to economic growth within the framework of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSRDA). This also complements the vision of the MDGs which were designed to rid the world of the extremes of poverty. This number is estimated to increase by December, 2013 as the programme expands to cover a total of one hundred thousand (100,000) households. Through the LEAP bi-monthly payment of GH�24.00 per beneficiary, GH�30 per two beneficiaries, GH�36 per three beneficiaries and GH�45 per four beneficiaries, many households and individuals have been able to provide for their basic needs, and had access to education, health and food. Beneficiaries have also had some capital to start small-scale business ventures for sustainable income to ultimately stay out of abject poverty. LEAP also monitors and ensures its beneficiaries enroll with the National Health insurance Scheme, that children attend school regularly and are immunized. As the country strives to attain improved economic status, it is important that we ensure equitable and sustainable development towards a positive social change by putting in such interventions that would address issues of vulnerability. Pursuant to this, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social protection is committed to ensuring the protection of the vulnerable through the design and implementation of policies and programmes that address such needs. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is the Government Machinery mandated to ensure the promotion of gender equality through the mainstreaming of gender considerations to all persons especially the vulnerable.