Red Cross relaunches Cash Transfer Programme

Barbudans will have a second opportunity to benefit from a Cash Transfer Programme (CTP) compliments the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross, with the aid of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.
According to a release from the Red Cross, the second round of the CTP was launched on the sister island last week, with a budget of E.C. $195,000. The humanitarian organisation is giving each eligible resident a one-off, gift of $500 – which will be placed on a debit card.
One card will be distributed to each household.
However, only Barbudans who were living on the sister isle when Hurricane Irma struck in September and who have since moved back and are registered with the Red Cross, will qualify for the grant.
The release also quoted Anne Marie Gore, a beneficiary who praised the initiative.
Gore said: “I am very grateful for the Cash Transfer Programme. It is a good initiative because the help is needed. There is no water where I live, so that and other items are needed daily. I am very lucky because I do have a roof over my head, and the aid of water, utensils and appliances has been very helpful to me.”
When the first phase of the programme was conducted last September, 430 Barbudan households received cash support, which, according to the Red Cross, was aimed at ensuring that the evacuated population immediately covered basic needs created by being relocated to Antigua.