Mkushi District Welfare Association Committee (DWAC) Chairperson, Belix Bwalya has underscored the strength of the extended family in the course of mitigating the shock of household poverty.
Bishop Bwalya told ZANIS that the extended family is important in reducing the offshoots of poverty, saying that the District has not recorded a child headed household in its current Social Cash Transfer (SCT) beneficiary case load.
He said the overall outlook of the Social Cash Transfer performance is positive as the beneficiary case load had catered for the Disable, the aged, the terminally ill as well as households headed by females.
He said more than 3,000 vulnerable households had been catered for in this program, adding that a budget of more than one million Kwacha had been paid out to cover the bi-monthly allocations over the past 8 Months.
Meanwhile, the Network of People Living HIV (NZP+) Coordinator for Mkushi, Ben Lupashi has urged the HIV support groups and clubs to take advantage of the existing social protection programs.
Mr. Lupashi said the issue of funding for HIV support groups has been a challenge for the past few years, saying that there is need for such groups to capitalize on social protection programs such as Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) as well as Food Security Pack (FSP).
And in a related contribution, Mkushi former Freedom Fighters Association Chairperson Malyon Chisenga praised Government for implementing these social protection programs, saying that the objective is on cushioning household poverty.
Mr. Chisenga however stressed that there is need to consider setting up a Trust Fund from which former freedom fighters would be assisted with empowerment funds for income generating projects.
He observed that former freedom fighters who are based in rural Districts require assistance through such interventions.
We are guilty of trying to be more European than the Europeans themselves. Even the one making the statement here could also be guilty.
It’s really sad. So many orphans because of HIV/AIDS. The churches need to step in; the government needs to help. Families are not obliged to help, especially if they, themselves, are struggling too.
Hh should lead by example and stop denying his first born daughter