The elderly in Nkhata Bay District have commended Social Cash Transfer Programme for improving their livelihood.
In an interview on Saturday, Esther Kamanga, 68, from Makuzi Cluster in Nabayoti Village, Traditional Authority Malengamzoma, said her dream of living in a decent house became true.
“My house had no cement floor, but I bought the cement for the floor and iron sheets for the roof,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Cecilia Nyasulu, 65, from Tayambapo Cluster in T/A Timbiri said she saved enough money through village savings and loans groups and has started constructing a three-bedroom house.
“When I enrolled in the programme in 2022, I started selling fish and joined a village savings and loans group. I used the proceeds to mould 15 000 bricks and have started building a spacious house for myself and my eight grandchildren,” she said.
Nyasulu commended government for increasing the transfers and urged fellow beneficiaries to invest part of the money for sustainability beyond the programme.
Nkhata Bay district principal social welfare officer Wisdom Mwafulirwa said he was impressed to see the elderly testifying to the programme’s benefits.
“The programme targets households, not individuals. It is wonderful to hear the testimonies about the programme’s benefits. The programme aims to alleviate poverty,” he said.
Mwafulirwa said there are 6 475 households in Nkhata Bay benefitting from the programme.
The Social Cash Transfer Programme targets 10 percent of vulnerable households in the country.
The Multi-Donor Trust Fund and the World Bank are funding the programme
