Communities tout social cash transfer
Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries in Ntcheu District have touted the initiative, saying it has transformed their lives.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, one of the beneficiaries, Lucia Fostala, 65, from group village head Nsiyaludzu, said she runs bicycle taxi (kabaza) services, courtesy of the programme.
She said she started receiving the money in 2018 and saved it to buy a bicycle to use as a taxi.
Said Fostala: “From the proceeds from the bicycle taxi business, I am able to provide basic necessities for my family.
“I also built a four-bedroom house.”
She also said she is paying school fees for her daughter at Nachitheme Community Secondary School in the district.
Another beneficiary, Elube Khomani, from the same area has ventured into pig farming.
“I have bought iron sheets because I want to construct a decent house,” she said.
In a separate interview, Ntcheu district social welfare officer Catherine Ngoleka said since the programme started in 2018, about 14 330 households have benefitted in the district.
Social Cash Transfer Programme, also known as Mtukula pa Khomo, is an unconditional transfer targeted to ultra-poor and labour-constrained households.
In Ntcheu, the programme is implemented with funding from the Government of Ireland
