By Eunice Disi Lole

Lilongwe, August 20, Mana: Chief Social Welfare Officer for Ministry of Gender Chifundo Nanchukwa has stressed on the critical need for media practitioners to be furnished with the right information as they play a very crucial role in disseminating information to the public.

Nanchukwa made the remarks on Tuesday during a one day orientation session on Social Protection Gender Empowerment and Resilience Project (SP-GEAR).

“We called editors and reporters from various media institutions so that we could sit down with them and orient them on the Social Cash Transfer Programmes that are being implemented in Malawi by the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare in all 28 districts.

Editors play a key role in editing stories that reporters bring on their desks and if they have an understanding on Social Protection (SP) programmes they will be able to provide the necessary support in publishing stories that contain the right information that will contribute to reducing poverty in the country.

Speaking during the orientation economist from the Ministry of Finance, Elisha Limbe, reviewed that approximately 10% of the population in the country falls under ultra-poor and incapacitated category thereby highlighting the need for support to improve their living standards.

Currently, there are a number of social protection programmes that the government is implementing through various ministries and these include, social cash transfer, school feeding programmes, older person’s act among others as a way of reducing poverty, hunger and starvation in the country.

“There is need for the media and government to work together in implementing social protection programmes effectively,” he said.

The orientation which targeted editors and reporters from different media institutions was organized by the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare with support from UNICEF.