By Brighton Chimsinde

Mchinji, April 27, Mana: Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Dr. Nertha Semphere Mgala has advised beneficiaries of the social cash transfer programme Mtukula Pakhomo to regard the monetary support as seed money.

Mgala advised in an interview after holding an interface meeting with Guillime Cluster Beneficiaries at Chivawu Primary School in the area of Chief Zulu in Mchinji District.

The principal secretary said in addition to the financial payment under social cash transfer, the beneficiaries had been receiving K70,000 every month as a top-up cushion in the lean season.

“We are encouraging them to make sure that the money they are getting should not just be used for food and other consumable things. But they should look at it as the seed money which they can use to buy farm inputs, investing in livestock farming for them to improve their financial muscle,” she said.

Mgala explained that in the past four months, the beneficiaries were given K70,000 as a cushion to the effects of the lean season for them to be productive farmers and have the ability to send their children to school.

She described Mtukula Pakhomo as an important initiative that the government of Malawi is implementing with a donation from the German Government through KFW.

“Moving forward we are hopeful that the Malawi Government will sustain the programme for more vulnerable and needy households in the district and from other additional districts to benefit. Government is aiming to see that the needy and vulnerable Malawians are decent and also building decent houses,” Mgala said.

One of the beneficiaries Edita Yepulani of Kaphande Village, Traditional Authority Zulu said through the money they get from the programme some of them have managed to buy iron sheets, and pigs, build decent houses, feed families and pay school fees for their children.

Yepulani also thanked the programme for introducing an electronic payment but she requested the government to provide them with cell phones for some beneficiaries who could not afford to buy the devices.

“We are thankful to the government for the programme that has changed our lives for the better. Additionally, for starting electronic payment which is safe, secure and less time-consuming. However, we are asking the government to provide us with phones because some of us cannot afford to buy them,” Yepulani said.

Currently, Mchinji District has 12,067 beneficiaries in the programme out of 14,875 targeted households under Social Cash Transfer (Mtukula Pakhomo).