By Solister Mogha

KFW Bank’s Head of Health, Education and Social Protection Division for south-reign Africa, Dr Marlis Sieburger interacting with an elderly family benefiting from SCT in Zomba

Zomba, March 6, Mana: KFW Development Bank mission in Malawi has commended government for smooth implementation of the social cash transfer programme.

Speaking Sunday in Zomba after visiting some households benefiting from the programme, the Bank’s Head of Health, Education and Social Protection Division for south-reign Africa, Marlis Sieburger said the team was impressed to see vulnerable Malawians from the rural areas benefiting from the social protection programme.

She said it was exciting to note the inclusion of elderly persons in the programme and the transformation of some families who have improved their livelihood from the resources given.

“The main purpose of our visit was to appreciate how the programme is being implemented, the challenges faced and areas that may need improvement. However, having been into some few areas in the typical rural areas, we are overwhelmed to see the great impact that the progarmme has made and continues to make,”  Sieburger said.

She said the bank was also impressed to see that resources were being carefully used and that  government was following all the stipulated programme guidelines.

Sieburger said though she noted that the programme only supported 10 percent of poor Malawians, she could not commit for more funds to carter for more vulnerable families.

“We are supporting a number of programmes in Malawi and if we are to increase beneficiaries in the social cash transfer it would mean that other programmes will suffer. However this is subject to discussion with Government officials,” she said.

District Commissioner (DC) for Zomba, Reignard Chavula Chavula said social cash transfer is one of the important social protection programme and prayed it continued for more years to come.

“Some beneficiaries of the programme will have to graduate with time, however some like the elderly will have to remain for the rest of the programme period,” the DC said.

With funding from the European Union, KFW development Bank is implementing the social cash transfer in some selected districts of the country.

In Zomba, about 15, 556 households are benefiting from the programme.

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