Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza has disclosed that Government intends to increase the number of beneficiaries under the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) to ensure that more people benefit.

The Minister disclosed this on Monday in Balaka District when she accompanied Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, on a high level visit to social cash transfer beneficiaries in the district.

“The Social Cash Transfer Programme has proven to be effective in changing lives, and as government we would want to have as many people as possible benefitting from the programme,” she said.

The Minister commended the Irish government through Irish Aid for the support it renders to Malawi under the SCTP.

Irish Aid has been supporting the Malawi Government through the social cash transfer programme in Balaka and Ntcheu districts since 2014 and 2018 respectively.

In Balaka District, 10,070 people are benefiting from the SCTP while Ntcheu District has 14,307 beneficiaries.

In his remarks, Flemmings, said he was impressed to see how beneficiaries’ lives are being transformed under the programme.

“I have been able to meet some of the beneficiaries who have told me how the money is helping them to send their children to school among other things. This is impressive because education is the most important thing,” he said.      

One of the beneficiaries, Fanny Moses, from Kapalamula Village, hailed the SCTP for being her shoulder to lean on, saying she is able to support her six children single handedly having lost her husband in 2020.

She said using the money she gets under the SCTP, she is able to send her children to school and has managed to construct an iron sheet roofed house.