By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, September 21, Mana: Beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) in the area of Traditional Authority Masula in Lilongwe have hailed government for its commitment to the programme which they say has brought a transformative impact on their lives and economic resilience.

Speaking in an interview on Friday, one of the beneficiaries Filiza Mangalasi from Kagwandipenya cluster in the area of Traditional Authority Masula said before joining the programme, she was struggling to provide necessary things for her family members.

"I am very happy that my life and that of my grandchildren is no longer the same. Previously, I couldn't afford school necessities for my grandchildren, and their future was in danger, but now I can easily pay school fees for my grandchildren who are orphans.

"In order to reduce my economic challenges, I bought some pigs and started a small business which started after joining village bank," she said.

Another beneficiary Sautseni Chitenje, 35, a single mother of four, also thanked government for the initiative saying it has transformed her life and family.

“Before this program, I was struggling to make ends meet, with no proper house to accommodate my four children whose father went to marry another woman. Through this programme, I have managed to build this house with iron sheets,” she said.

Chitenje said she has managed to achieve that because of selling rice and joining Village and Saving Loans (VSL) where she has access to borrowing money to boost her business.

Lilongwe District Council Principal Social Welfare Officer responsible for Social Cash Transfer Sarah Chimodzi said she was impressed that beneficiaries in the district are diversifying income sources and joining savings groups.

“We are achieving this as a district because during our supervision exercises, we always take time to talk to beneficiaries about the goals of the program.

“I am happy because we are moving in the right direction as beneficiaries are now able to do multiple investments apart from just joining village savings banks, which is encouraging,” said Chimodzi.

Currently, Lilongwe district has 29,375 beneficiaries in the Social Cash Transfer Programme. SCTP is Malawi Government’s Program being implemented across the country through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) with financial support from Multi donor Trust Fund and World Bank.