Malupenga happy with social cash transfer scheme

North-western Province Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga has said the social cash transfer in the region should benefit people who are faced with extreme hunger and poverty.

Mr. Malupenga applauded government for the social cash transfer initiative but observed that it would have been better if the scheme was rolled out at the same time in all the districts in view of the high poverty levels affecting most households.

He furthermore advised the officials from the department of community and social welfare not to remove Solwezi from the list of beneficiaries as there are places in the outskirts of the district where people are living in abject poverty and deserve financial assistance.

He noted that chiefs and headmen are better placed to identify the most vulnerable households as they are the ones who live with the people.

Mr. Malupenga added that as the social cash transfer team rolls out the scheme, they should involve traditional leaders.

The Permanent Secretary said this when officials from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare paid a courtesy call on him at his office today.

And Principal Social Welfare Officer Vandras Luyiwa told Mr. Malupenga that the team was in province to introduce the social cash transfer to the districts that were left out earlier.

Some of the districts that were left out are Kasempa, Manyinga, Kabompo and Mwinilunga.

Mr. Luyiwa explained that the team was targeting 8,000 households.

The social cash transfer scheme has been implemented in Zambia since 2003 as a response to a growing number of incapacitated households headed by the elderly and those living in abject poverty.

Mr. Luyiwa observed that the main objective of the social cash transfer scheme was to reduce extreme poverty and inter-generational transfer of poverty among households throughout the country.