AYV News
May 24, 2023
Head of Outreach Unit, Public Education and External Outreach Department, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Al-Hassan Sesay and other ACC staff at Bamoi village, Magbema chiefdom in Kambia district, engaged beneficiaries of the Social Safety Net (SSN), on their expected roles and responsibilities in the project.
Delivering the overview, Al-Hassan Sesay disclosed to beneficiaries that the project seeks to alleviate poverty across communities in Sierra Leone and is the brainchild of the Government of Sierra Leone and the World Bank.
He furthered that in order to prevent beneficiaries from being short-changed of the direct cash provided to them, the ACC is sensitising and empowering them on the fine details of the project and to report any case of short payment or other unethical conducts by persons attached to the project.
This aspect of the project, Al-Hassan Sesay averred, is known as the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).
He also stated the rationale behind having women as majority of the beneficiaries, which is due to their management abilities and skills.
He emphasised that the beneficiaries must ensure to multiply the funds by using it to engage in small businesses that would bring more benefit to the family.
The Outreach Manager further told beneficiaries that this meeting is meant to empower them on the project to ensure nobody uses unscrupulous means to take part of the money from them.
For this reason, he said, the Commission usually conducts post monitoring visits/exercises to see whether the beneficiaries use the funds in line with the project’s expectations.
David Yusuf Kabia, Public Relations Assistant, ACC in his submission on the role of the beneficiaries told them that the Government and World Bank have purposely provided them with these funds to cushion the negative effects of poverty on them and must therefore be used only to ensure homes are able to feed and take care of their urgent domestic needs.
David also advised them to use the resources to engage in businesses, which he said are capable of increasing the funds. He shared testimonies with them of other beneficiaries who after investing their monies are today self-sufficient.
He cautioned female beneficiaries against disrespecting their husbands because they now have these resources and further called on their male counterpart beneficiaries to use these resources to support their wives and not embark on looking for other wives.
Bangalie Kandeh, ACC’s District Coordinator, Kambia District, informed the beneficiaries making complaints to the ACC that, any possible corruption in the project can simply be done either by visiting the office, writing officially, or calling any of these numbers 077-985985 or 077-986986. He assured them that these calls can be made free through Africell Network.
Town Chief of Bamoi village, Pa Adikalie Kamara thanked the ACC for the many accolades it has bagged internationally and locally in the fight against corruption, which he said is all to ensure that their lives and those of other citizens are improved.
The Chief further disclosed that they are well informed of the great work of the Commission through radio programmes and that as a local authority, he is assuring the Commission of his commitment and that of his people to curb corruption in Sierra Leone.
