|
|
|
|
Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 NASSAU, The Bahamas – Qualified residents in Mayaguana will receive their VISA Pre-Paid Cards by February 3, 2017, Minister of Social Services and Community development, the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin announced, January 20, 2017 at a Department of Social Services Motivational Seminar at Church of God Auditorium, Joe Farrington Road.
Mrs. Griffin also announced that qualified residents in Acklins will receive their Visa Pre-Paid Cards by the end of March, 2017. Acklins was one of those islands “hard-hit” by Hurricane Joaquin.
“The Government of The Bahamas is consistently working to bring relief to the residents of The Bahamas by providing them with various types of assistance,” Mrs. Griffin said.
“I am pleased to report that the majority of the Family Islands now have access to the Pre-Paid Visa Debit Card through the Bank of The Bahamas. Most of our clients are carded and we are almost free of using paper food coupons.”
Minister Griffin said the Ministry is also in the process of finalizing plans with the Bank of The Bahamas to provide Visa Gift Cards to be used as an alternative to the Emergency Food Coupons which will mitigate against fraud, is less “paper intensive and provides more accountability in tracking.”
The announcement follows on the heels of a promise made by Minister Griffin to the residents of Mayaguana during a visit September, 2016, that they would shortly join the list of Bahamian communities utilizing the Card. Mrs. Griffin said at the time that officials at the Department of Social Services would work diligently and quickly with those at the Bank of The Bahamas to ensure that businesses on the island would have the necessary mechanisms in place to launch the programme locally.
The VISA Prepaid Card will replace the food coupons currently utilized by clients of the Food Assistance Programme.
Mrs. Griffin said the implementation of the Visa Pre-Paid Card (launched in New Providence in November, 2014) into the Family Islands has allowed qualified recipients of the Food Assistance Programme throughout The Bahamas more flexibility in their purchases, while speeding up payments to vendors.
“The Visa Pre-Paid Cards provide clients with a better way of managing their purchases during the course of a month and at their convenience,” Mrs. Griffin said. “No longer will clients have to pick up all of their groceries at one time or in one place. With the food coupon, if clients went into the food store and did not use it all at one time, that was it.
“Now, clients can measure their spending to better suit their household needs. If they want to buy meat at one place, and their dry goods at another store, they now have the flexibility to do that. If they want to break down their purchases into four monthly purchases, or however is most beneficial to their household needs, then they now have the capability of doing that.”
The Card also guarantees clients the opportunity to make approved purchases on groceries anywhere in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas at approved stores that either accept Visa Pre-Paid Cards or have Point-of-Sales machines – thereby providing clients who may have to travel inter-island the flexibility of making purchases at approved vendors.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
