The easiest way to understand a country’s social safety net is to look at unemployment benefits. Do citizens receive support if they lose their job? Can families apply for housing or food assistance?
In most developed countries, there are resources for unemployed people to seek assistance when falling on hard times. The social safety net throughout sub-Saharan Africa grows each year, but still has a long way to go.
Our friends and neighbors in Ghana have a social safety program called LEAP. The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty provides cash payments to eligible Ghanaian households. But what about families who fall through the cracks?
UNICEF estimates that 38.9% of children in SSA live in multidimensional poverty. During the holiday season, families who struggle to put food on the table or pay for their children’s school fees face even more uncertainty.
Research published in Science found that providing direct support during times of crisis helps households recover from poverty-shock faster and has long-term benefits for children’s well-being and education. (Banerjee et al. 2017).
At JHIF, we created the Humanitarian Outreach & Christmas Love Project to provide food, clothing, and educational supplies to families in our member communities. Partnering with community leaders ensures our gifts are going to households who would otherwise be unable to provide for their children.
When providing humanitarian aid, we try to think long-term. Connect donations with empowerment. Link our holiday gifts to our quarterly humanitarian outreach program.
Compassion doesn’t have an expiration date. Remembering to support families during the holidays is wonderful, but families should be able to rely on support any time they need it.
Sources
Banerjee, Abhijit V. et al. 2017. “The Economic Lives of the Poor.” Science 344.
UNICEF. 2023. State of the World’s Children Report. New York: UNICEF.
World Bank. 2022. Social Protection and Jobs Overview . Washington, DC: World Bank.
