Minister touts social cash transfer programme
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha says government has introduced measures to enhance the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme by injecting more money into it.
She said the programme was affected by natural disasters such as floods which led to hunger.
and his mother (R)
Speaking at Nandumbo in Balaka on Wednesday when she interacted with pa M’bawa Cluster SCT beneficiaries, Navicha said the selection of 19 year-old William Issa to Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), whose mother educated him using SCT benefits, testifies that the programme, also known as Mtukula Pakhomo, can bail people out of poverty.
“Mtukula Pankhomo is a bridge for ending extreme poverty among the ultra-poor in line with Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. Apart from enabling poor people to afford basic needs, it also enables the poor to keep their children in school,”
“Government appreciates that hunger is heavily impacting on the programme; hence, the decision to provide top-up funds for buying food during drought or emergencies,” she said.
Irish Aid development officer Arnold Chikavanga said his organisation, which partnered government in the programme, was pleased that the initiative is bearing fruits. Since SCT started in Malawi in 2012, about 13 million euros (about K9.2 billion) has been pumped into the programme.
