The European Union has given an extra 11 million dalasi (€209,000) grant to The Gambia to help vulnerable households in three regions of the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement issued by the European Union said: “In light of the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic and its unavoidable socio-economic consequences, the European Union has taken the decision to increase funding to the successful Building Resilience through Social Transfers- (BReST) project being implemented by UNICEF, National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) and Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare.

“This increase of 11,000,000 Gambian Dalasi (209,000 euro) will be used to fund a new ”COVID-19 Cash Transfer response” activity. 

“This activity will target the most vulnerable households in the BReST implementing regions of CRR, URR and NBR and involve provision of an immediate cash transfer of 1500 GMD per mother and child pair.”

According to the statement, the transfer will be used as an immediate stop gap for purchase of essential food and hygiene items to combat the spread of COVID 19, and “the transfer is intended to be by cash or more likely by mobile money to 6,000 mother-child pairs using details already held by UNICEF and NaNA.”

”The European Union stands in support of the Gambian people in efforts to combat the spread of COVID 19” says the European Union Ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia, Attila Lajos.

BReST is a successful EU funded 3,000,000 EUR cash transfer nutrition social protection project targeting pregnant and lactating mothers with children under the age of 2 and has been under implementation since 2017, the statement said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba