Beneficiaries of the Poverty Benefit Scheme, Care and Protection Allowance and the Disability Allowance Scheme will receive additional cash and voucher assistance apart from their existing monthly food voucher and cash entitlement from this month.
This has confirmed by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa who confirms that cash and voucher assistance will go on until September, 2020.
The Ministry states that the households registered in the Poverty Benefit Scheme and the Care and Protection Allowance, will receive an addition two payments of $100.
They say beneficiaries registered in the Disability Allowance Scheme will also receive two additional payments, but of $50 to their existing monthly cash entitlement of $90.
The Ministry adds that starting from 5th August, beneficiaries will be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts or redeem the vouchers at their nearest post offices.
Vuniwaqa says these top ups were made possible by the direct funding provided to Fiji by the Australian government of FJ$9.9 million.
She says this is an interim intervention to top up vulnerable families and the assistance will go back to the regular monthly entitlement after the top ups are completed.
Vuniwaqa says this intervention will allow the eligible beneficiaries to better manage the risk during this livelihood shock situation, increase the capacity of the households and individuals to invest in human capital and help break the poverty cycle.
