By Maston Kaiya

Ntcheu, 07 March, Mana: Principal Social Welfare Officer in the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare, Gilbert Kaponda has encouraged beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer (SCT) in Ntcheu to invest in children education if they are to reduce poverty in their communities.

Kaponda made the remarks on Thursday, during a lean season food insecurity response pay parade programme at Nsiyaludzu cluster in the area of Senior Chief Makwangwala in the district.

He said poverty reduction is among the major objectives of SCTP and said investing in children education is one way of achieving the goal.

"If beneficiaries are to reduce poverty it is via children by enrolling them in school and by doing so SCT household beneficiaries can easily break the circles of poverty in their areas," said Kaponda. 

He commended the people of Ireland for the support towards the programme in the district which has improved people’s livelihoods in the communities.

Ntcheu is one of the districts which has been affected by the 2023/24 food deficit. Meanwhile the total caseload of affected households stands at 33,556 comprising of 14,354 SCTP beneficiaries.

The district implements the Malawi SCTP with support from the Embassy of Ireland and during the December -January payment the beneficiary households got regular transfers plus MK50,000 top up.

Social Protection Advisor in the Embassy of Ireland Phina Rocha said the embassy started supporting the programme in Ntcheu in 2018 and assured beneficiaries of continued support towards the programme.

"The Irish Embassy will continue supporting the programme through the Multi-donor Trust Fund,

via the National Local Government Finance Committee," said Rocha.

One of the beneficiaries Robert Lawrence from Balaka village, Group Village Headman Nsiyaludzu, Traditional Authority Makwangwala said he has benefitted a lot from the programme and has managed to build corrugated iron roof house and bought goats.

Linda Salayi who has also benefitted from the programme thanked government and the Embassy of Ireland for the timely support.

The programme is implemented in all the eleven Traditional Authorities in the district where the lowest transfer got MK 67,000 while the highest received MK197,000.