Communities from Traditional Authority (T/A) Chigaru in Blantyre District have expressed optimism that the Social Cash Transfer Programme will transform their livelihoods.
The social protection programme, a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project, seeks to improve lives through capacity building and ensure resilience among vulnerable communities.
In an interview on Saturday, one of the beneficiaries, Margaret Mathias, from Makoka I Village, said the programme has improved her livelihood through farming.
She said: “I was enrolled into the programme in 2018. I invested the money into livestock such as pigs, chicken
and rabbits.
“I constructed a decent house using proceeds from my livestock farming.”
Mathias thanked the government for raing the stipend from K6 000 in 2018 to K18 000.
Another beneficiary, Makiyi Matemba from Esaya Village said she ventured into rearing goats to create an asset base.
She said: “Life was difficult before joining the programme as we had nothing to rely on to generate income. However, with the monthly stipend, I started rearing goats which have improved my income capacity.
“The stipend also supports my children’s education.”
Blantyre District chief social welfare officer Kumbukeni Kauwa said there has been an improvement since 2018 when the programme rolled out.
“At first we were just focusing on vulnerable families, but along the way we started considering other factors such as families headed by the elderly, children, people with disabilities and single-parent families,” he said.
On his part, Blantyre district commissioner Alex Mdooko said, so far, 18 426 households are benefitting from the programme.
“This programme has transformed people’s lives as they are resilient to hunger and other shocks. Some own livestock and others have built houses,” he said.
Mdooko asked people to keep their national identity cards safe to avoid inconvenience, once registration processes of beneficiaries rolls out.
