Officials of the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development and the Department of Social Services will work closely with local vendors in Mayaguana and officials from the Bank of The Bahamas to ensure that qualified recipients of the Department’s Food Assistance Programme receive their Visa Pre-Paid Cards by December, 2016.

Addressing residents attending a cross-denominational Church Service held at Zion Baptist Church, Abraham’s Bay, Minister of Social Services and Community Development, the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin made the commitment to work towards having the Cards available “before Christmas.”

“Today I make a commitment to this community that we will work with everyone involved to ensure Prepaid Cards are in Mayaguana before Christmas,” Mrs. Griffin said. “We plan to keep this commitment.”

The Social Services Minister said providing social assistance to Bahamians in need of it “is a Christian Ministry.”

“We are indeed our Brothers (and Sisters) keepers as God has commanded us to love one another; to care for each other and of course that the strong must bear the infirmities of the weak and so that is the mission of Social Services,” Mrs. Griffin told the congregation.

“When people refer to my area as a Ministry, they may mean it as a government ministry, but my Social Workers know that we are not just a government ministry, but that we must minister for Christ. When people are hurting, when people are in need -- no matter what it is -- we must serve them and give service as unto God.

“In the final analysis only what is done for Christ is going to last and that is how I operate and that is the way I deal with my Ministry,” Mrs. Griffin added.

The VISA Prepaid Card will replace the food coupons residents utilizing the Food Assistance Programme currently receive.

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.

“We are more than happy with this new, modern payment system as additionally, vendors will receive payments within 48 hours. This means an immediate increase in cash flow and eliminates the high level of paperwork for accounting purposes,” Mrs. Griffin added.

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.

Sunday’s Church Service wrapped up Minister Griffin’s three-day Official Visit to Mayaguana. Mrs. Griffin and her delegation (Mrs. Phedra Rahming, Under Secretary, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development; Mrs. Lillian Quant-Forbes, Senior Deputy Director, Department of Social Services and Miss Tiffany Simms, Social Worker, Department of Social Services) met with students of the Pirate’s Well Primary School and the Abraham’s Bay High School upon arrival in Mayaguana on Friday, September 9.

Mrs. Griffin addressed a Town Meeting for residents of Abraham’s Bay, Betsy Bay and Pirate’s Well Friday night at the Abraham’s Bay High School to bring residents up to speed on the many services offered by the Department of Social Services and to promote the Government of The Bahamas’ Social Safety Net Programme. Minister Griffin also met individually with Senior Citizens of the three communities on Saturday and Sunday.

Mrs. Griffin called the discussions and meetings “meaningful and fruitful.”

By Matt Maura

Bahamas Information Services