Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare principal social welfare officer Given Mukisi has commended the Social Cash Transfer Programme for empowering people economically. 

He said this on Thursday during a consultation meeting on the retargeting of beneficiaries under the programme in Neno District.

Mukisi said the district is set to retarget at least 3 493 families under the programme.

She said the ministry retargets beneficiaries every four years to assess the eligibility of beneficiaries as some graduate from the programme after becoming financially independent.

A cross-section of the participants

Said Mukisi: “So, the exercise is important to check households who still need the assistance and those who can graduate to pave the way for new beneficiaries.

“The programme’s objective is to reduce poverty and malnutrition and increase school enrolment and when we look at school enrolment, we see that household beneficiaries that are poor are now able to send their children to school.”

Neno district social welfare officer Amos Chandilanga, who is responsible for Social Cash Transfer Programme, said the programme has transformed people’s lives in the district.

He said: “Some beneficiary households have acquired assets such as livestock and decent houses.

“It is also pleasing to note that some beneficiaries can now afford two meals a day.”

Chandilanga advised the beneficiaries to invest part of their stipend in village savings and loans groups to earn interest.

One of the beneficiaries, 63-year-old Luwiza Stephano thanked government for the initiative, saying he is now able to feed his family.

The government has now increased the money beneficiaries receive with an average family getting K15 000 from K9 000 previously.

The programme is targeting 10 percent of ultra-poor and labour-constrained households in the district with support from the European Union.

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