Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health, Emerine Kabanshi has cautioned people accessing the social cash transfer not to use it for drinking beer or marrying many women.
Ms Kabanshi sounded the warning when she recently visited Kawambwa
district to launch the social cash transfer scheme.
She said the social cash transfer is to reduce extreme poverty hence people accessing the funds especially men should not use it for drinking beer or marrying more than one wife.
The Minister said the cash transfer scheme has been introduced to
improve the vulnerable people’s lives adding it will be sad to find
that some people are not putting it to good use.
However, the Minister said she was happy some beneficiaries have used
the money for businesses and are now having more than one meal per
day.
Ms Kabanshi also noted that some people are now able to send their
children to schools following the government’s introduction of the
social cash transfer scheme.
And according to District Commissioner, Ivo Mpasa 1,962 people are
benefiting from social cash transfer scheme in Kawambwa district.
Government has officially launched the social cash transfer scheme for the vulnerable people in Itezhi Tezhi district.
The social protection programme whose aim is to address poverty and extreme hunger will carter for 2,723 vulnerable and poor people in Itezhi Tezhi district.
Speaking during the launch in Itezhi Tezhi yesterday, Deputy Minister of Community Development Mother and Child Health Ingrid Mphande said the social cash transfer programme is one of the development projects that government is focusing on with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the country.
“Government attaches great importance to every citizen especially those that are disadvantaged as demonstrated by the measures put in place to address poverty such as social cash transfer scheme” Ms Mphande said.
Ms Mphande said social cast transfer scheme is one of the measures with evident impacts on the lives of the beneficiaries.
“The programme targets households that are extremely poor and incapacitated and have lived in the area for at least six months” Ms Mphande stated.
The minister further pointed out that government will remain committed to providing adequate financial resources to ensure success of the social protection programme.
Meanwhile, Itezhi -tezhi district Administrative officer Akatama Malikana said social protection is an investment that contributes to economic growth and makes growth more pro-poor while directly reducing poverty.
She said that social protection can promote empowerment and enable citizens to claim their human rights, and social protection entitlements.
And Headman Samundengo in Chief Kaingu’s Chiefdom has applauded the government for uplifting the livelihood of most vulnerable and poverty-stricken people in his area
This Kabanshi among the women MPs she is dulliest person
Drink beer and marry….hmmmm. Is this the rhetoric expected from a minister?
Not sure – are there social workers in Zambia? I think scolding people is akin to whistling in the wind.
The problem is you are using it as a campaign scheme. Does it really need to be a minister involved in giving cash and cheques like we saw for youth empowerment. You did your part by making the policy so let the responsible government officers do the disbursement
@me
Agree with you. It’s quite strange