By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, June 11, Mana: Principal Social Welfare Officer for Dedza District Council, Mtende Lungu, has disclosed that his office has so far disbursed K903, 878,500 to the Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries covering three months from April to June.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency on Wednesday, Lungu advised beneficiaries of the programme to use the money for the intended purpose of alleviating poverty in their households.

According to Lungu, the funds covered all eight Traditional Authorities (T/As) in the district.

“We urge our beneficiaries to utilize the provided money properly by, among other things, improving their homes, their domestic animals, and also supporting education for their children,” he stated.

Lungu went on to say that the district has so far 19,592 households who benefited in the phase.

“But it must be noted that this initiative aims at reducing poverty levels among the people in all T/As. It is very important for beneficiaries to join village saving groups, and apart from supporting their children in school, they also need to consider eating the six food groups,” he pointed out.

One of the beneficiaries, Yusesi Mandalamu from Sukasuka Village under T/A Kachere, said she uses the money to support education for the children she lives with.

“I have grandchildren whom I support in different ways, including paying school fees and uniforms,” she stated.

Another beneficiary, Ayisa Kalikokha from Kapesi Village, revealed that she uses the money for small-scale businesses, including baking scones.

“As you can see, I have even come here with my business. At first, I didn’t have start-up capital and am happy that my business is thriving now,” said Kalikokha.

On his part, Helix Maliyoni, from Sukasuka village, said he supports his family by buying farm inputs for irrigation farming so as to sustain themselves.

“We appreciate government and all other partners for considering us with this initiative because it is helping in uplifting our lives,” said Maliyoni.

SCTP is funded by the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund and the World Bank through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) to address poverty shocks among the elderly and the ultra-poor.