By Eunice Disi

Lilongwe, June 19, Mana: Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza has said the Social Cash Transfer Programme (STCP) has made a lot of positive strides in the livelihood of over 381, 000 households across the country since its inception in 2006.

Sendeza made the remarks on Thursday during the launch of the results of a survey on “Dissemination of Social Cash Transfer Programme impact evaluation 2024 midline,” which was conducted in Nkhata Bay, Dedza and Balaka.

“STCP has significantly improved the economic situations of beneficiaries by enhancing their ability to meet basic needs and improving food security, families are also able to send their children to school but also accessing health services,” she said.

Sendeza added that government will continue to support the programme, pledging government’s commitment towards scaling up the programme so that it can accommodate more districts as currently Thyolo is the only district which is supported by the government.

German Ambassador to Malawi, Ute Konig stressed the need for the programme to improve the livelihoods of the ultra-poor, saying the programme has had a positive impact on the beneficiaries; hence, the need for the government to invest more in social protection as it is an engine for economic growth.

As one of the recommendations from the results of the survey, Konig appealed to government to consider revising the value of the STCP to align with the current economic challenges.

Unicef Chief of Social Policy, Matthew Tasker commended the Minister of Gender for launching the Midliner as it is an important evidence as it shows the positive impacts of the programme of the most vulnerable in Malawi.

“It’s really promising to see how much this programme is generating positive outcomes for women and children in particular. I think it is crucial that we keep this programme as part of the political agenda and we seek more support from the Ministry of Gender,” he said.

He added that UNICEF will continue to support the programme as it is an investment for the future and to ensure that it remains a positive social protection tool.

The SCTP has been providing monthly unconditional cash grants to ultra-poor and labour constrained households since 2006 with the aim of reducing poverty and hunger, improve health and nutrition in vulnerable households and increase school enrollment by the end of 2024.

According to the survey which was conducted, STCP has reached approximately 381, 735 households and over 1.7 million individuals, including 600,000 children which is an estimated 10 percent of the total country’s population by 2024.