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The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, has expanded its outreach to feed more needy and vulnerable people within the restricted areas – Accra, Kumasi, Tema, and Kasoa.

The Ministries since the restriction of movement directive from President Akufo-Addo has collaborated with faith-based organisations to distribute uncooked food items and cooked food to the poor and destitute.

The beneficiaries include kayayie, persons living in slum areas, street children and adults, persons with disabilities, and aged poor.

Apart from the faith-based organisations, the Ministries partnered the Accra and Kumasi Metropolitan Assemblies, Nongovernmental organisations, and traditional leaders to identify the genuinely needy people within their jurisdiction to support them.

The move was due to the inability of the beneficiaries to go about their daily trading activities that fetched them income as a result of the partial lockdown of the country, as a step to control the spread of COVID-19.

Dr Rita Owusu-Amankwaa, the Director of Social Protection, Ministry of Gender, said the Ministry shared over 250,000 packs of cooked food in Accra and 150,000 in Kumasi every day.

The food items comprised rice, gari, tomato paste, sardines, eggs, yam, and beans.
She said the foods were prepared by some caterers who were supervised by the Ministries.

“Since people are in their houses and aren’t working, the Government knew many people will have a challenge with feeding themselves. That is why we had to roll out this intervention,” she said.

Dr Owusu-Amankwaa advised the beneficiaries to wash their hands often with soap under running water, bath at least twice daily, use hand sanitizers often, cover their nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing and observe the social distancing protocols.

Akumaa Mamazimbi, a television presenter and Founder of the ‘Mamazimbi Foundation' also received food items for 300 vulnerable widows of her Foundation.

She expressed gratitude to the Ministry for recognising needy widows when the nation was battling with COVID-19.