President Faure congratulates ASP staff for their hard work |07 August 2020

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have had to rely on the Agency for Social Protection as a financial safety net and to show his appreciation, President Danny Faure yesterday visited the agency bringing his support and words of encouragement to the members of staff.

Accompanied by a delegation made up of the secretary of state for Health and chairman of the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) board, Marie-Pierre Lloyd, and guided by the chief executive of ASP, Marcus Simeon, the head of state got the opportunity to interact with staff of the agency as well as the management team.

The president visited various sections including accounts, home care and benefits, data processing, administration and human resource, customer service centre and operations (social security) section, vetting unit (unemployment), and approval unit which manages supplementary assistance, medical benefits and part-rental payments.

Speaking to the press following his visit, President Faure noted that he wanted to congratulate the staff for their hard work, adding that it is because of them that the organisation is able to offer financial support.

We also have post-secondary graduates benefiting from the assistance that ASP has put in place.

“Social protection is the key to our values as a nation and you all play a key role in ensuring social protection services are accessible to our people. Today I would like to reiterate the value of the work that you all are doing. I know that it gets challenging at times and you work under tremendous pressure, but despite that you continue working together for the benefit of the country and for this we say thank you,” said President Faure.

The President added: “During these trying times we must preserve the dignity of all Seychellois and provide them with the necessities they need, this is accomplished through the budget given to the agency.”

He continued by saying that the number of people requiring financial assistance has more than doubled in the past few months, going from 2,600 to over 5,000 people.

“It is because of the dedication and hard work of every single worker that the agency has been able to carry out its mandate effectively, they are truly the pillars of the company,” added the president.

On his part, ASP chief executive Marcus Simeon remarked that the president’s visit shows that he sees the work that the agency is doing as well as the hard work of its workers.

“In the past few months, we have received over 10,000 applications for social assistance compared to the 4,000 we received for the whole 2019 working year. This shows that without the Agency for Social Protection and the services it has put together, many people would have been left flapping in the wind,” said CEO Simeon.

He added that they have already exhausted their R30 million budget and will have to obtain additional funds.

“We have already approached the finance ministry to discuss a new budget but that depends on how much money the country has in reserve,” he added.

Mr Simeon added that the government has reinforced the ‘welfare to work’ programme where people are placed in employment so that they will not have to rely on financial assistance for long.

“We started with a budget of R40 million and it has increased to R70 million. This will go up to R120 million by the end of December.

The CEO of ASP also noted that new offices will be added to deal with people who are facing unemployment.

With many students graduating in the coming months, few of them will find employment. Narshirah Philoe is one school leaver who had been unemployed since completing her studies at the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS) in December.

With a diploma in social work, Ms Philoe has had trouble finding a job especially during the pandemic. Her situation got to the point where she had had to seek financial assistance from ASP in July.

The 20-year-old noted that she sought employment in many organisations but to no avail as they are either not hiring or looking for someone with more experience.

“I am grateful for the assistance that ASP has given me under the scheme that the president has put in place for graduates who are unemployed,” said Narshirah.

She added that her wish is to find a job and be able to provide for herself instead of relying on financial support from the government.

The accompanying photos taken by our photographer Jude Morel show some highlights of President Faure’s visit at the ASP.

Christophe Zialor