Govt social cash transfers reach 87k households

Harare (New Ziana) – The Government’s Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy Programme distributed 8 910.17 metric tonnes of grain to 1.443 million households during the second half of 2021 while 87 000 households also recieved direct cash transfers, Cabinet said on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists after the weekly Cabinet meeting, acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere said at least 87 000 households benefitted from the cash transfers funded by the government and its partners.

“Under the Harmonized Social Cash Transfer programme, Government continued supporting 78 000 households, while Development Partner UNICEF is reaching out to 9 725 households with Emergency Social Cash Transfers,” he said.

TheHarmonized Social Cash Transfer programme is an unconditional cash transfer program introduced in 2020 to reduce food insecurity, improve dietary diversity, and maternal and child health outcomes of vulnerable households, whose situation further deteriorated as a result of COVID-19.

Muswere said the Basic Education Assistant Model (BEAM) programme which supports disadvantaged learners had also reached to over one million children.

BEAM, introduced in 2001 by the government , is a programme that provides school fees, examination fees, levies and building assistance to vulnerable learners.

“The BEAM programme reached out to 1 015 000 vulnerable children with educational assistance from both Government and Development Partners for primary and secondary as at 13th December 2021.

“A total of 388 students with disabilities were supported with vocational fees in institutions of higher learning, whilst 171 individuals were supported with assistive devices as of the end of November 2021,” he said.

“In addition, 2 450 persons with disabilities were supported through institutions with administration grants.

He added :”Furthermore, for the State Service (Disability) Benefits for injury/death on duty for government employees cumulative claims processed for payment was 1 045 as at December 2021.”

New Ziana