SCT beneficiaries praise government for lean season response

Neno, December 26, Mana: Beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) in Neno District have expressed gratitude to the government for the lean season response funds and their regular cash transfers, saying the financial support will enable them to purchase food and meet other basic needs.

Speaking on Wednesday at Ligowe in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mlauli's area during the disbursement of lean season response funds and social cash transfers, a beneficiary from Dzomodya Village, Nelia Somebody said the funds would help her purchase food for her household in the coming months.

“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,” Somebody said.

As part of the lean season response programme, SCT beneficiaries received a lump sum of K210, 000 to cover three months in place of maize supply in addition to their monthly stipends. Payments ranged from K244, 000 for single-member households to K374, 000 for larger families.

Another beneficiary from Dzomodya 2 Village, Macdonald Kusata, echoed similar sentiments, observing that the funds came at a critical time.

“The money has come at the right time when I had no food for my family. I will now be able to buy food for the coming months and celebrate Christmas well,” Kusata said.

Principal Social Welfare Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare responsible for Manual and E-transfers, Gilbert Kaponda said the lean season response funds were provided through support from the European Union (EU) in addition to their regular monthly stipends from September to December, representing a vertical expansion of the programme.

“The government recognizes the challenges posed by hunger and is ensuring that beneficiaries receive both their regular payments and additional support under the lean season vertical response. We encourage beneficiaries to use the money responsibly by prioritizing food purchases and meeting their children’s school needs as schools reopen in January,” Kaponda said.

He emphasized that 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.

Kaponda added that the government is digitalizing all social protection programs with efforts underway to conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) processes for all beneficiaries to enable electronic transfers in Neno.

Social Welfare Officer responsible for Social Cash Transfers in Neno, Amos Chandilanga disclosed that the EU's contribution of K648, 480,000.00 was meant to support 3,088 SCTP beneficiary households in the district whereby each household is receiving K70, 000 per month for three months under the Lean Season Response Programme.

“This once-off payment is designed to help households purchase food items during the lean season,” said Chandilanga, adding that the lean season response programme in Neno is being delivered through two modalities: cash transfers for SCTP beneficiaries and in-kind maize distribution for others.

He added that the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report identified 5,692,122 people across 28 districts and four cities as requiring food assistance for three to six months during the 2024/25 consumption year.

In Neno District alone, 13,869 households are affected, of which 3,088 SCTP beneficiaries are receiving cash transfers for three months instead of maize having received the commodity for the past two months. The remaining households will continue to receive 50-kilogram bags of maize under the programme, which began in October.