Social cash transfer beneficiaries from southern Zambia share success stories

The programme currently has about 6,350 beneficiaries in Kazungula district, with the government hoping to increase that number due to the positive impact the programme has had since 2003.

Zambia: Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Ms Angela Kawandami, led delegates from the 'Community of Practice for Cash Transfers in Africa' conference on a field trip to beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme in Kazungula District.

The purpose of the visit was to familiarise delegates from various African countries with Zambia's implementation of the Social Cash Transfer Programme and how it is transforming lives in the province and the country in general.

Ms Kawandami, who led the Kazungula team, praised beneficiaries for changing their lives by engaging in various businesses such as livestock rearing and farming, among others.

The programme currently has about 6,350 beneficiaries in Kazungula district, with the government hoping to increase that number due to the positive impact the programme has had since 2003.

Ms Musekwe Munkombwe, an 85-year-old disabled beneficiary who lives alone, told the delegates that she has been able to renovate her house and sustain her livelihood with funds from the SCT programme thanks to the assistance of her granddaughter.

Ms Munkombwe testified and expressed gratitude for the program's effectiveness, urging the government to maintain the program's positive trajectory.

"Because I am old and can barely walk, my granddaughter collects the money on my behalf, and I have no problems," she explained.

Another benefactor Fenny Siamazomba, a widow and mother of four, shared with the delegates how she used SCT funds to start a small business to support her children.

"I joined the SCT programme in 2017, and the funds I received have allowed me to build a house and invest in a grocery store. My children have a place to live and food to eat,” Ms Siamazombe explained.