Nine Hundred fifty four (954) girls are benefiting from the keeping girls in school program under the Girl Education and Women Empowerment Livelihood(GEWELL) program in Itezhi Tezhi District in Central Province.
Itezhi Tezhi District Commissioner Hendrix Kaimana disclosed this when National Development and Planning Minister Alexander Chiteme paid a courtesy call on him at his office yesterday.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Kaimana revealed that out of the targeted 1,062 only 944 are currently benefiting from school sponsorship.
The keeping Girls in school program is aimed at helping girls from vulnerable homes to have access to secondary education and the beneficiaries are drawn from households that are benefiting from the social cash transfer program.
With regard to the Supporting Women Livelihood Project, Mr. Kaimana revealed that 464 women have received startup capital amounting to K2, 000 and that the department of community development is in the process of identifying 700 beneficiaries to be included on the project.
Mr Kaimana said that under social cash transfer 1,778 people are benefiting and that 150 boys have been registered under the keeping Boys in school though they are still waiting funding.
Both the Girl Education and Women Empowerment Livelihood ( GEWEL) programmes which are funded by the World Bank are being implemented by the ministries of Gender, Education, Community Development and Social Welfare.
The programme is currently in 16 districts countrywide.
And Minister for National Development and Planning Alexander Chiteme said he was happy that social programs aimed at improving the livelihoods of the people in Itezhi Tezhi were doing fine.
He said told the District commissioner that the implementation of the women empowerment should be completed.
Mr. Chiteme said he was happy that six sub-projects of the Strengthening Climate Resilience in the Kafue Basin (SCRiKA) under the Pilot Program for climate Resilience (PPCR) have been completed.
He, however said that there is need for the 46 projects that have been funded with K829, 910 out of the 102 projects approved to be implemented urgently.
“We need also need to implement the poultry and goat projects under the SCRiKA and not just the solar powered boreholes” Mr. Chiteme said.
Meanwhile the commissioner reported that Itezhi Tezhi district has recorded a sharp decrease in maize yield from 56,143 metric tons to 39,211 metric tons for 2016/17 farming season.
He has ascribed the reduction to poor rainfall and the army worm attack.
He further said that the district has received 50 metric tons of relief maize from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).
He said that the maize was used as food for work for vulnerable communities who were affected during the 2016/2017 farming season.
and this is just an insignificant amount of funding spent in comparison to the amount the PF have stolen as stated in world bank’s report!
Chi . cha wiso
@James Ndeta;
Ala chi.nyo cha nyoko kununka!