Hundreds of pregnant women and lactating mothers in three districts in the Upper East region have started benefiting from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP 1000) programme.
LEAP 1000 is a special package to help pregnant women and lactating mothers’ provide proper care for their children and also reduce malnutrition.
During a monitoring exercise on cash grants to beneficiaries in the Upper East Region, the Regional Social Welfare Director, Mr. Hamidu Haruna disclosed that more districts will soon be included in the programme.
“All the districts in the Upper East region are under the LEAP programme. We also have the Bongo, Garu-Tempane and Zebilla districts presently benefiting from the LEAP 1000.”
Leap 1000 targets pregnant women and lactating mothers with children below 3 years.
Research has shown that Northern and Upper East regions have the highest number of stunted growth cases.
“It is in line with this that the LEAP 1000 project is being implemented,” Mr. Haruna stressed.
Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, children and social protection Mr. Kwesi Armo Himbson stressed that the ministry will expand the program to cover about 200,000 households’ by close of 2015.
–
By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana