By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, April 8, Mana: Participants of Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) in Nkhata Bay have commended the programme for enabling them buy agricultural inputs, hence improving food security at household level.

Speaking in an interview Monday, Esnart Banda, a 47-year-old beneficiary from Old Maula Cluster in Jumbo Village in the district, said SCTP has made a significant impact on her life and her family's well-being.

Banda said with the cash transfer from the SCTP, she was able to purchase four bags of fertilizer, giving her hope for a high yield this year.

"Before joining the program in 2022, I was struggling to feed my family of eight. But I can now afford the inputs and my farm is thriving," Banda said.

She added that SCTP enabled her to join a village savings bank, and at the end of the year, she is able to save over K250,000.00 from the K52,000.00 she receives from SCTP.

Another beneficiary, Jessie Kayinjira, 54, from Chikwina cluster in the area of Senior Chief Nyaliwanga, said she's able to grow more crops to feed her family because of the program.

"Before joining the program, I struggled to cultivate enough food to feed my family. However, I can now cultivate cassava and rice, which I use to feed my family the whole year round, and sell the surplus," she said.

Like Banda, Kayinjira is a member of a village savings group and, every month, she saves part of the K43,000 that she receives from SCTP, which gives her a chance to borrow money during the farming season to buy fertilizer and pay farm workers.

Principal Social Welfare Officer responsible for SCTP in Nkhata Bay, Wisdom Mwafulirwa, said it is impressive to see that the cash transfers are enabling communities to access the resources they need to improve agricultural productivity.

"It's wonderful to see the positive impact the program is having on families. We will keep on encouraging the beneficiaries to join the village saving groups, invest in small businesses, and procure assets so that when they graduate, the lifestyle should be sustainable," he said.

The SCTP, which provides financial support to labor-constrained and ultra-poor families, is a component of the Social Support Resilience and Livelihoods Programme, implemented through the National Local Government Finance Committee with financial support from the World Bank and Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

Currently, 6,475 households are benefiting from the program in the Nkhata Bay.