And while they have to figure out how to get the economy back on its feet, government still has to spread a safety net for the many falling by the wayside.
Back when the COVID-19 pandemic initially hit the country earlier this year, the Barrow Government came up with the Unemployment Relief Program as means of providing government aid to those poor Belizeans who were most impacted. Well, the Briceno Government is about a roll out a program of similar design, and with the same types of recipients in mind.
This government initiative is called the Belize COVD-19 Cash Transfer Program, or B-CCAT for short. The Ministry of Human Development is teaming up with the National Bank of Belize, Digi, and the Belize Social Investment Fund to make it possible.
A government press release from today says this program will provide supplementary short-term emergency cash to households that have not qualified for other social assistance schemes. Beneficiaries will receive approximately $150 to $600 per month, depending on the household composition. So far, 36,000 beneficiaries have been assessed through the Food Assistance Program for the new BCCAT. Priority is being placed on poor families with pregnant women, children, the elderly, and persons living with a disability.
Applications for this new government aid program opened up to the public today, and the Ministry will be accepting applications up until December 23, 2020. This is being done for families who meet the eligibility requirement and did not apply in the first instance. Households that apply will be required to participate in a poverty assessment, and they must meet the program's eligibility criteria in order to benefit.
Beneficiaries of this program will be notified of their successful application and payment dates using MobilePayz, a new mobile payment solution developed by Digi.
The application will allow beneficiaries to cash out their funds using their mobile phones. They will be notified of their payment amount, as well as when and where to collect, via bi-monthly text messages.
This BCCAT program is being funded by the government of Belize with funds from the World Bank, which has allocated 19 million dollars to provide financial assistance to 18,000 households during a 6-month period.
For more information about this new program, applicants can call the ministry's hotline at 0-800-MHD-HELP or 0-800-CALL-MHD during normal working hours. Additionally, you can visit the website, humandevelopment.gov.bz/bccat.
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