Northern State Governor Launches Cash Assistance Distribution for Poor Families

The Governor of Northern State, Abidin Awadallah, along with several members of his government and the state’s Security Committee, launched the third and fourth rounds of direct social cash assistance distribution for poor families on Thursday at the headquarters of the Dongola locality. The program is implemented by the General Secretariat for Social Affairs in the state, in coordination with the Social Security and Poverty Reduction Commission and the Savings and Social Development Bank. The program targets 6,576 families with a total cost of 370 million Sudanese pounds.

The governor affirmed that despite the war and the rainy season, the state government and the security committee managed to absorb the initial shock of the war and the rainy season. He praised the patience and resilience of the state’s people in facing all challenges. He pointed out that the state is currently witnessing growth in the agricultural sector and stability in health, education, and workers’ salaries. He renewed his government’s efforts and commitment to supporting poor families and vulnerable groups by providing them with decent living conditions, especially under the exceptional circumstances the country is going through. The governor stated that the direct social cash assistance program for poor families represents additional support to the state government’s efforts in serving vulnerable groups, announcing the government’s adoption of programs and projects of the General Secretariat for Social Affairs.

Manal Makawi, the Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Social Affairs in the Northern State, confirmed that the social cash assistance distribution program is one of the important programs the state pays great attention to, as it contributes to the micro-finance programs that target economically active projects and a comprehensive social security program to reduce poverty. She indicated that the Secretariat has been setting general policies to transform society from a consumer to a producer and achieve self-sufficiency through various specialized departments and partnerships with relevant entities. She added that the Secretariat will continue to follow up with the Federal Ministry of Social Development through the Social Security and Poverty Reduction Commission to include the state among the targeted states with school feeding programs for poor students, support for widows and pregnant women, and the completion of a comprehensive project.