By Salome Gangire

Neno, December 27, Mana: The Social Welfare Office in Neno district has called on people that receive money as part of lean season response in the district to use the money wisely, citing purchase of food that should improve their nutrition status.

Social Welfare Officer responsible for Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), Amos Chandilanga, made the call Thursday, at Matope, Traditional Authority Symon, during cash disbursement to beneficiaries of SCTP.

He disclosed that the council disbursed K648, 480,000.00 for lean season response from the European Union (EU) to support 3,088 households benefiting from the SCTP in the district for three months and K189 million in regular transfers for the month of September to December from the Multi Donor Trust Fund.

As part of the lean season response, SCT beneficiaries receive the sum of K210, 000, thus K70, 000 per month for three months in place of maize supply on top of their monthly stipends.

According to Social Welfare Office, the payments range from K244, 000 for single-member households to K374, 000 for larger families.

Chandilanga therefore, urged the recipients to utilize the cash for intended purposes to make their household’s food and nutrition secure apart from meeting other basic needs.

“The Lean season response is meant to cushion you from hunger and the Social Cash Transfer Programme is designed to achieve three main objectives: reducing poverty and hunger, increasing school enrollment and improving the health and nutrition of beneficiaries,” Chandilanga said while stressing good use of the cash.

He added that the programmes prioritizes nutrition particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, lactating mothers with key components that include community based nutrition sessions, malnutrition screenings and an efficient referral system to health facilities for treatment.

Chandilanga said the integrated approach is designed to combat malnutrition and strengthen community health system.

The Social welfare officer also encouraged the programme beneficiaries to invest the money in Village Loans and Saving Groups (VSL) so that they should have a solid financial base to move out of poverty.

A beneficiary, Margret Chimbarika, from Tchenga Village in Traditional Authority Symon said the money will enable her to purchase food for her household in to improving their food and nutrition needs apart from buying school materials for her children.

“Prior to the disbursement, we were trained and sensitized on nutrition. I will therefore purchase wider range of livestock for food and to sell some to improve household income,” Chimbarika added.

Another beneficiary from Dzomodya 2 Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mlauli, Macdonald Kusata, had similar intentions, saying that he will use the money to purchase food and buy school essentials for his children as schools re-open in January.

“The money I have received will go a long way in helping me buy food and other essentials that I couldn’t afford on my own. I am very grateful to the government for this,” Kusata said.