Kasungu District spendsK2.1bn on vulnerable people
Kasungu District Council Social Welfare Office says it has disbursed K2.1 billion to 16 943 vulnerable and labour-constrained people through Malawi Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) programme in February this year.
In an interview on Tuesday, Kasungu District Council principal social welfare officer Victor Nyirenda said the figure rose to K2.1 billion as every beneficiary of the programme received an extra K75 000 to buy three bags of maize.
He said: “We are happy as a council that our UBR programme is on the right track. What is exciting most is that a lot of beneficiaries are really changing their lives with the money they receive monthly in line with three objectives of the programme which, among others, is poverty reduction.”
Nyirenda urged other beneficiaries to make use of the business skills and education offered by Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip) Cooperative Limited through the programme.
“What we want, as a district, is to record more success stories and we are glad that Comsip is playing a huge role in teaching them how to multiply and invest the money,” he said.
In her remarks, one of UBR programme beneficiaries Jenifer Phiri from Kauzegalu Village, Traditional Authority Wimbe in the district, commended the programme, saying her life has been transformed since she started receiving the money in 2018.
“The programme has helped many of us to become financially dependent. I now own a butchery business which gives me enough proceeds to support myself and family,” she said.
The UBR social cash transfer programme, started in 2018 with 17 176 targeted beneficiaries in Kasungu.
