The Oddar Meanchey provincial branch of the National Social Assistance Fund (NSAF) provided more than 264 million riel (about $64,273) to the families of retirees and people with disabilities (PWD) on August 1, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs
An inter-ministerial working group is driving the registration of target groups for the National Social Assistance Programme for the Family Package (Family Package Programme).
The working group, along with the National Council for Social Protection (NCSP), is organising a campaign to promote the timely enrollment of the remaining groups, which aims to aid more than 700,000 households.
Following the conclusion of the Cash Transfer Programme in March, the government decided to implement the family package through the reorganisation and integration of all national social assistance programmes. This aims to expand coverage, optimise resources and enhance financial investment.
According to the council, from April to the end of June, of the targeted households (comprising 2.8 million people), approximately 570,000 were registered for the package. These families benefited from the programme with a total budget of about $18 million from the government.
As for the remaining 130,000 families, the working group, in coordination with the NCSP, has been organising a campaign to promote timely registration in accordance with the government’s policy for the seventh mandate of the National Assembly.
Khieu Teng, chief of Taken commune in Kampot province’s Chhuk district, said that some people have applied for an equity card to receive support from the programme. However, he noted that the receipt of the card depends on field inspections and did not recall the number of citizens who received the cards.
The Cash Transfer Programme, which concluded after 46 months, provided monthly financial support to approximately 700,000 poor and vulnerable households, with total expenditures exceeding $1.359 billion from June 2020 to March 2024.
The Family Package Programme integrates cash support programmes for pregnant women and children under two years old, scholarships for poor students in primary and secondary education and cash support for people with disabilities and the elderly, and includes family support for all equity cardholders. Additionally, it provides assistance to family members with HIV/AIDS.
The programme aims to strengthen family status and build a resilient society to contribute to inclusive economic development by promoting maternal and child well-being and addressing malnutrition from conception to two years of age to promote physical and mental growth.
In addition, it encourages children to enroll in school early and continue their education until the end of general secondary education, and alleviates the hardships of the disabled, the elderly and people living with HIV/AIDS.
