Beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) in Blantyre, have hailed government for supporting them with income as one way of ensuring that they are living a better life.

The program funded by World Bank targets 10 percent of ultra poor and labour constrained households in the country with the aim of reducing poverty and hunger at household level as well as increasing enrollment of children in schools.

One of the beneficiaries, Tambala Mwakungwa from Traditional Authority (TA) Kapeni in the district, said since his enrollment into the programme in 2017, he has managed to invest the money he has been receiving in valuable assets such as livestock.

Another beneficiary Cosmas Bandalo from TA Somba, said the programme has assisted him to venture into crop production, cultivating maize, ground nuts and soya beans for subsistence and commercial gains.

Principal Social Welfare Officer for Blantyre Kumbukeni Kauwa said it is encouraging that the income that beneficiaries get, are able to support different investment to attain socioeconomic independence.

Currently, Blantyre district has 7,897 beneficiary households and out of the figure, 55 percent are male-headed households whereas 45 percent are female-headed.

Kauwa said the transfer amount to such households varies depending on the nature and size of the household.

SCTP is enshrined in the Malawi Vision 2063 enabler number five which provides for human capital development where the government seeks to empower different segments of the poor, marginalized and the vulnerable to actively participate in the implementation and realization of the aspirations of wealth creation and self-reliance.