UPDATE ON RESIDUAL PAYMENT OF THE THIRD PHASE OF THE EMERGENCY CASH TRANSFERS (ECT III) BENEFICIARIES...

As you may be aware, in continuation of the Government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to addressing economic shocks affecting our vulnerable people, communities and with funding from the World Bank and UNICEF, the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and its implementing partners have *paid 34,217 (Thirty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventeen) beneficiaries’ households.*

Unfortunately, some beneficiaries were not paid due to some critical issues involving grievances, missing SIM, and SIM errors. The Commission has relentlessly worked with partners including the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to ensure that grievances are redressed.

Having sorted out all technical issues related to data cleaning and the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), NaCSA wishes to inform the beneficiaries and the public that residual payment of these targeted and enrolled beneficiaries will commence on *Friday 26th January 2024*.

The public should note that each beneficiary household of the ECT III will receive a one-off cash transfer of Two Thousand Six Hundred and Sixty New Leones (SLE 2,660) through her/his Orange mobile money wallet. This amount includes an amount of Sixty New Leones (SLE 60)/Sixty Thousand Old Leones (SLE 60,000) for cash-out fees up to five times withdrawal.

Going forward, beneficiaries are advised to be aware of fraudulent individuals who are involved in the stealing or buying of Orange Money registered SIMs or Passcodes. Also, some people are posing as officials of the ECT III program asking for money to get people to receive their benefits. Kindly note that all officials must have ID cards showing their names and organizations. Beneficiaries should take extra care of their SIM and Password.

Please be assured that your complaints will be received, recorded and resolved accordingly. Beneficiaries should kindly be cautioned that no one should offer or pay anything to anybody before, during or after receiving their ECT III benefit. Any attempted extortion or corrupt practice must be reported to the ACC using the toll-free number 515, directly to the ACC through its officials including District Monitors, and any NaCSA staff. We thank you for your understanding and continued interest and confidence in the work of the Commission and its stakeholders.

*For further information on this and other matters, please contact Umaru Samai, Project Officer, Information Education and Communication on +23277022709/+23276378993 umarusamai@nacsa.gov.sl*