By: Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, February 13, Mana: Lilongwe District Commissioner Lawford Palani has called on Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) enumerators to be professional and accurate during household data collection exercise.

Speaking on Monday during the opening of a seven-day orientation of 460 temporary enumerators in Lilongwe, Palani said quality and credible Unified Beneficiary data depend on the professional and personal conduct of enumerators.

He then advised the enumerators to take the training seriously and work professionally and love their country in producing accurate results that will help government determine people’s eligibility for various social protection programmes like the Social Cash Transfer and Climate Enhanced Public Works Programme, among others.

“We are expecting you to give us accurate data that will present the real status of households on the ground,” he said.

In a separate interview, Lilongwe District Council Principal Social Welfare Officer Sarah Chimodzi said apart from being professional, enumerators are supposed to show discipline and be culturally sensitive to speech, more especially to the elderly.

“You must know that where you are going, you are representing the council. It is therefore important to maintain the good image of the council,” she said.

One of the enumerators, Harold Mtepatepa, thanked Lilongwe District Council for organizing the training before the actual work, saying this will simplify their work and come up with accurate data.

Mtepatepa then assured the council that they will make use of the knowledge gained during the training and gather the correct information for input into the UBR.

The enumerators are expected to conduct data collection between 30 to 42 days, targeting household members in all 23 traditional authorities in Lilongwe.