A total of 16,000 food vouchers have been distributed to the needy people under the Family Assistance Program by the Divisional and District Social Welfare officers.

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation has entered into a partnership with Morris Hedstrom and New world Supermarkets who will be supplying basic food items.

Under the Scheme, recipients will be able to redeem the $30 food vouchers at both the supermarkets around the country and those issued with the vouchers include chronically ill people, the elderly and people with permanent disability.

With the budget of $7.4 million for this project, the Ministry also intends to assist an additional 3000 recipients, which would include families of children under kinship care, single mothers and those who have been deserted by their spouse and have children to look after.  

Meanwhile, additional $30 cash vouchers have been issued to recipients in maritime zones and outlying areas where there is no accessibility to supermarkets, however the Ministry hopes that by the middle of the year it will be able to provide vendors facilities in the rural and remote locations.

The award to the supermarkets will be reviewed in the next few months.