Social cash transfer gives women hope

Social Cash Transfer Programme beneficiaries in Nkhata Bay District have commended the initiative for giving them capital to venture into small-scale businesses.

Speaking on Saturday during a media tour to appreciate the programme’s impact in the district , Esther Kasambala, 49, a beneficiary from Traditional Authority (T/A) Mankhambira, said she started running a business after receiving her stipend.

She said: “When I received my stipend in 2015, I saved it in a village savings and loans group to earn interest. I used the dividends we shared to venture into fish business.

“Through the business, I am able to support my family with basic necessities and fund my children in school.”

Kasambara said she graduated from the programme in 2021, having fulfilled its requirement.

“I was allowed to graduate because I am now economically independent. I advise other beneficiaries to invest the money in businesses or farming to become financially stable,” said Kasambala.

Margaret Zimba, 65, from Kasindi Cluster in the same area, has been a beneficiary since 2022 and said that the programme has eased her financial challenges.

“I now sell doughnuts to generate income for my family,” she said.

Nkhata Bay district principal social welfare officer Wisdom Mwafulirwa commended the beneficiaries for joining village savings and loans groups to save their money.

He said: “Prior to giving cash to beneficiaries, we emphasise the need to invest their money in income generating activities.

“I am pleased to see beneficiaries doing exactly what we tell them.”

The programme targets 10 percent of the country’s ultra-poor and labour-constrained people and is financed by different donors.