Govt introduces cash plus bursary scheme for girl child

Fri, 30 Dec 2016 09:59:36 +0000

By VIOLET TEMBO

GOVERNMENT has increased the number of beneficiaries under the social cash transfer scheme on the Copperbelt to 550,000, says Ministry of Community and Development Minister Emerine Kabanshi.

Ms. Kabanshi said in Ndola yesterday that the facility was being spread across Zambia and she was in the province to ensure that all districts were not left out.

Speaking when she paid a courtesy call at cabinet office, Ms Kabanshi said the facility targeted the poorest in communities.

She said her ministry would run the facility in an inclusive manner with beneficiaries not only the aged and physically challenged but as well as youths in secondary schools.

She said that her ministry was targeting to empower 16,000 girls in secondary schools.

Ms Kabanshi said the Government was on track to ensure that adolescent girls attained education which was critical for the development of the nation.

She said that most beneficiaries had replicated the monies collected and invested in ventures such as agriculture and small businesses.

She reiterated that Government being pro-poor, had seen it fit that the allocation for 2017 be revised and increased.

“Zambia’s poverty levels are very high and looking at the magnitude of the facility, we are looking at how we can amplify the empowerment initiative.

“That is why we have beefed up and introduced cash plus programme in 16 districts targeting adolescent girls who will be sponsored through bursaries for the next five years,” she said.

Ms. Kabanshi, who also paid a courtesy call on Chief Chiwala of Masaiti district, said that Government was proud to have chiefs that were proactive in the fight against early and child marriages as well as gender-based violence (GBV).

Speaking when she paid a courtesy call at Chief’s palace in Masaiti, Ms. Kabanshi said that with scaling up of social cash transfer in 2017 it was expected that lives in communities would change for the better.

Meanwhile, Chief Chiwala has said Masaiti district has lagged behind in issues relating to social cash transfer.

Chief Chiwala said that gender disparity between males and females was quiet high, hence it was critical that more efforts were directed to educating girl children.