• COVID feeding data shared with Gov’t, World Bank
• Some 14,427 ‘vulnerable’ households were assisted
• ‘We managed the money as diligently as possible’
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
The COVID-19 food task force distributed 1.447m food parcels and vouchers to needy Bahamians at the pandemic’s height, it was revealed yesterday, as its chair unveiled the comprehensive database provided to the Government.
Susan Larson, who ran the National Food Distribution Task Force created by the former Minnis administration, disclosed the detailed records covering the criteria it used to identify the 14,427 “highly vulnerable” households that became the primary focus for the $53m, 70-week initiative.
While each household remained anonymous, the data included the number of pregnancies, chronic medical ailments, disabilities, children and employment status of each home, which enabled the Task Force - using criteria developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Food Programme - to target and determine the amount of assistance required by the 54,107 total registrants and their dependents.
Cabinet ministers and government officials in the Davis administration have repeatedly asserted there are no records of the Task Force’s work, and that they have been unable to provide detailed information to the likes of the World Bank on how its $100m loan was used to prevent the collapse of Bahamian society and the economy at the pandemic’s peak in 2020.
However, Tribune Business and other media saw a report dated January 19, 2021, that was submitted to the World Bank by the Task Force and went so far as to identify whether persons assisted were above/below the National Insurance Board (NIB) ceiling or were not making contributions.
It also included a case study on the work performed by Lend A Hand Bahamas, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to distribute food on the Task Force’s behalf to the “most densely populated zone” of inner-city New Providence.
At June 2020, just after the COVID lockdown peak, and with the tourism industry yet to open, Lend A Hand Bahamas was feeding 2,309 beneficiary households comprising 9,900 persons, roughly 50 percent - some 4,900 - of whom were children.
A further data breakdown revealed that 589, more than 25 percent, of those 2,309 households had seen their water and/or electricity disconnected. And some 547 households, or close to 24 percent, were headed by single parents. And, with the “hotels closed, tourism fallen out”, the number of households being aided by Lend A Hand Bahamas soared to 13,750 by the time the Task Force’s “first phase” ended in October 2020.
Mrs Larson said yesterday that the complete database has been shared with both the Ministry of Finance and Ministry/Department of Social Services, both of which have it in their possession. “The database was shared with Ministry of Finance officials who deal with the World Bank,” she added.
“On January 19, we submitted the first report to the World Bank. It laid out for them everything that was going on. I have participated in two meetings with the World Bank since then.” Given what was shared with Tribune Business and other media, it is unclear why the Government is seemingly unable to pass these details on to the World Bank.
Besides the household records, Mrs Larson explained that the COVID-19 feeding programme’s finances were managed via a “weekly dashboard” that every participating NGO had to fill in for every one of the 70 weeks that the initiative lasted. These provided records of the funds flowing from the Government to the NGO’s to feed COVID-hit Bahamian households, many of which had seen all their income sources dry up or severely curtailed due to the economic shutdown.
Besides detailing how many food parcels and vouchers, and the number of households, each NGO was distributing and assisting, the “dashboards” also broke down how they were spending taxpayer monies on food purchases, trucking, shipping, stipends and other overhead costs incurred in the programme’s delivery. Other typical expenses were garbage disposal, warehouse and office rents, fuel, and sanitisation/COVID personal protection equipment.
“Every NGO had weekly dashboards for the 70-week programme,” Mrs Larson explained. “This dashboard template was shared with the financial secretary at the time [Marlon Johnson]. He signed off on this, approved this as a method of record-keeping. The expenditure of each NGO was itemised.....” To further enhance accountability, she restricted access to the “dashboards” once they had been submitted to ensure no one could re-enter the system and alter the data.
The “dashboard” data was then sent to the Ministry of Social Services, which was responsible for approving all COVID-19 food programme payments to the NGOs from the Public Treasury. Mrs Larson said she and the Task Force were especially insistent that, if an NGO still had food programme funds in its account, then this balance was to be deducted from the next disbursement received.
“It’s important to understand we were trying to manage the people’s money as diligently as we possibly could,” she explained. “As phases came to an end, one of the first things we discussed in our weekly meetings held every Monday was how much money did they [the NGOs] have on hand.
“We declared it a priority to manage the money down to zero at the end of every phase. The NGOs had to check with their financial people how much money they had on hand.” If there was a remaining balance, this was then deducted from the next disbursement of funding.
The Task Force chair said the last batch of “dashboards”, including 39 weeks’ for Hands for Hunger and the entire records for the Bahamas Feeding Network, were due to be passed yesterday to the Government-appointed auditor of the COVID feeding programme, Kershala Albury, president and principal consultant at her own firm, ATI Company Ltd.
Mrs Larson said the initial 54,107 household registrants, of which 38,394 or 76 percent were headed by women, were reduced to 18,000 - including the 14,427 deemed most vulnerable - towards the end of 2021. Of those 18,000, 12,800 households registered as being unemployed.
And while 1,026 gave their status as ‘employed’, the household head’s income was typically insufficient to meet the needs of family members with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Some 32 percent of households had persons suffering from medical ailments, and Mrs Larson said the Task Force went so far as to take a “statistically significant” sample from each feeding zone and carry out door-to-door visits.
The results, she added, confirmed that the initiative was “well within the margin of error” when it came to identifying the most vulnerable families needing the Task Force’s urgent assistance. The COVID-19 feeding programme, she added, distributed 474,420 food vouchers and 972,191 food parcels during its 70 weeks for a total of 1.447m units.
Mrs Larson explained that the Task Force focused more on parcels because it was able to purchase food at deeper discounts from wholesalers, while vouchers enjoyed a smaller concession at the retail level. It ultimately reduced the food parcel and supplemented it with a $15 voucher that allowed persons to purchase proteins such as meat.
Comments
realfreethinker 2 years, 8 months ago
The only reason this government is saying that there was no accountability is so that when they start pinching the money, they can blame the previous government. I said before this government is all about distraction. CROOKS
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
the question wasnt what money the food task gave or who they gave it to... the question was what did the people you gave the money to do with the money
Dawes 2 years, 8 months ago
All the Government is doing is making people think twice about volunteering to help. They have not proved anything. AS always if there has been illegal stuff going on arrest the person and try them in a court. But they won't Government knows there is nothing here.
ohdrap4 2 years, 8 months ago
I will volunteer if they pay me 1750 per week.
But, that said, I will only donate directly to a person. Never to a charity again.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
Dont do that. I separate the good work the charities do from what happened here.
They were set up to fail. A software contract was awarded specifically to capture the data related to clients and the distribution. That data management was key to the running of the program.
But DAguilar found this firm to give the contract to from God knows where and the system consistently crashed and was then literally shut down. Almost a year(?) before the food program actually stopped. Its almost unbelievable. All of these questions about who got what and what went where was supposed to be answered by that system.
Remember when they had to bring Dahl Reghis back to fix the COVID data? This like that. I dont think that COVID data ever recovered fully, too much damage had been done
moncurcool 2 years, 8 months ago
So the PM goes to Parliament and lies (though every right thinking person who is not blind with political partisanship knew that when he spewed it). And the Minister of Social Services comes out and does he same thing. Then the NGOs, who are more regulated than government, gives the facts to prove both wrong.
Both of them should resign forthwith. It is about integrity and they clearly show they don't have it.
But knowing the PLP, they will come with a spin just like when the PM said he broke quarantine, Darville said he was on his way to quarantine and Watson said he was not in quarantine.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
The questions to ask: Is the data reliable? Is it complete? Can it be verified? Is there any period for which data is missing? And the biggest question, how then did noone on either side know 2 million was missing? Because this wasnt a one time transfer of 2 million dollars, these were overpayments spanning months, (noone has given details yet) possibly the entire program.
This is not a PLP or FNM question. This is a question about our future. Our future depends on accountability and transparency
Theres been too much spin and parsing of words on both sides
realfreethinker 2 years, 8 months ago
Please stop. It was an accounting error and the money was never touched when the error was spotted. All indications are that it took longer to send the money back because of gov red tape. I hope Brave and Obie apologize but I highly doubt that will happen
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
You can believe it was an accounting error. I do not. The weird thing is nobody has even given you the courtesy to explain to you what TYPE of account this money was put in that would justify a "reasonable" error or oversight, nobody has told you that their annual operating budget was 200 million so 2 million went unnoticed in the accounting. but you just "believe".
And you do realize this accumulation of money in the account went on for months? And nobody got a clue?? On either side? Neither the Task Force nor the NGO realized overpayments to the millions were being made?
I believe in Jesus. I dont need to see the wound in his side. But that's where my blind faith ends
LastManStanding 2 years, 8 months ago
Agreed 100%. I appreciate the work that NGOs do, but I can't just wave off 2 million as an "accounting error". This is not 2 thousand dollars, or even 2 hundred thousand, this is a whole 2 million that we are supposed to believe was transferred out of pure accident. Smells like BS to be honest.
I don't trust either side in this story. Both parties are composed of nothing but pirates looking for ways to line their pockets.
TalRussell 2 years, 8 months ago
The Guardian's Revolution with Comrade Mr. Carmichael seems alriiight with not willing open show's talk beyond his red party's religion has spent $53m over 70-week National Food Distribution initiative although its but one phase of to the vastness encompassed the staggering One Billion++ Dollars that got on Hurricane Dorian's response, relief, recovery and construction, every red penny got clearances via authorized Mr. Minnis, including $15++ Million dished out for the 100 still not built Domes?
Appoint a full-scale Royal Commission to expose the length and breadth Hurricane Corruption Inquiry, ― Yes?
ohdrap4 2 years, 8 months ago
They had a dashboard huh?
They never heard of quickbooks huh? Or MSEXCel.
Yup. that si too much to expect. These people pretend not to be able to print pdf.
TalRussell 2 years, 8 months ago
The impact of cash-for privileged access to the prime political appointments where millions of dollars are to flow through their hands... can't be a good thing.
What's worse is that the recipients know exactly where the cash came from,and also get to select who gets appointed, nor are the job recipients made to disclose their financial donations/fundraising activities, ― Yes?
John 2 years, 8 months ago
So y’all saying the white peoples who volunteered to distribute during Covid was t’iefin too? Well they always say dey was discriminating on how they was distributing but now they saying dey was also tiefin wat dey was distributing too?
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
Nobody said anybody was "tiefin".
John 2 years, 8 months ago
What does ‘The PM stopped short of saying there was wrong doing by those responsible for those who volunteered for the program…’ means?
John 2 years, 8 months ago
Maybe he was still referring to the discrimination part of it.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
Saying "the data management was extremely poor and we can account for some but cant fully account for ALL the money" is completely different from saying someone "tief"
John 2 years, 8 months ago
NIB also needs to be investigated. Hundreds of persons who qualify did not receive one single red cent from NIB during the entire pandemic. Disgusting and disgraceful.
birdiestrachan 2 years, 8 months ago
There was no need for this agency. He could have used all of the charity agents that were operating already. they would have known many of the people and their history for they would have walked with them..
Exactly what qualified her for this position. and her salary.?
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
They had a place. Political patronage and "I know you's", most likely above Mrs Larson, clearly spoiled what could have been a well organized program
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