By Doricah Mkwapatira

Machinga, May 8, Mana: Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP)’s lean season top up support participants in Machinga have hailed government and its development partners for providing support that helped them build resilience during the recent past dry spell.

The participants expressed their gratitude on Wednesday when Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare officials visited the district’s traditional authorities Sitola and Nsanama to appreciate how the social support programmes have contributed to better livelihood.

A 57-year-old Leonard Mwakhula, a father of seven children, from Mtila Village, Group Village head Napwanga, Traditional Authority Sitola, testified how the SCTP, popularly known as Mtukula Pakhomo, improved his household’s income and how the lean response food package addressed food challenges during the dry spell.

“We were very poor; Mtukula Pakhomo has been a game changer to me. I invested some of the cash in my mat weaving business, which brings more returns to my family,

“From the business profit, I am able to send my four children to school, besides buying livestock that will sustain me even if Mtukula Pakhomo phases out,” explains Mwankhula, adding that he, also, received food in the lean season that bailed him out of difficult moments of acute food shortage.

The father of seven commended government and development partners for responding to the lean season food insecurity.

Another participant of the lean season response package, Patuma Sailesi, 87, from Group Village head Kwilasya, Traditional Authority Sitola, said the intervention saved her from starvation.

“I was included in the maize distribution programme and it saved my household as I did not harvest anything at all due to lack of fertilizer, besides poor rain pattern.

“With a full stomach, I now strongly carry out economic activities like selling fruits for more income to buy basic needs,” she explained, thanking government for “its timely intervention”.

Another elderly participant, Esnart Walasi, 80, from Gawo Village, Traditional Authority Nsanama said she used to sleep on empty stomach and that her nutrition status was critically compromised.

“I could spend two to three days with no food, and this put me at the verge of malnutrition. After receiving maize for three months, I have been eating consistently and I am strong enough to interact with my grandchildren as my health has been restored,” she said

Machinga District Council’s Principal Social Welfare Officer, Daniel Zidana, has since expressed happiness with the testimonies from the SCTP participants.

“I commend the beneficiaries for their dedication to this programme. This demonstrates that they are keen to work with the vision of the ministry in achieving livelihood transformation.

“To achieve total excellence, I urge relevant officials to work on meeting the timeline of events to improve inconveniences that come with delays in carrying out SCTP activities,” he said.

Machinga District has 18,173 SCTP participants, including 61,827 under expansion programme, totaling 80,000 people benefiting from the whole social protection programme.