Elderly people in Rumphi say social cash transfer programme (SCTP) has offered them a chance to live dignified lives and has rescued them from abject poverty.

In an interview on Friday one of the beneficiaries, Dorica Gondwe, 67, from Chikalamba Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Chikulamayembe said the monthly payments help her meet some of her daily needs such as food.

“I started benefiting from the programme in 2018 and since then my life has changed for the better. I have built a house and roofed it with iron sheets.

“In addition to that we are encouraged to join village savings and loans (VSL) groups where we save and also lend each other money for business. Through such groups I have managed access loans for my tomato business which is also doing well,” she said.

Gondwe added that through savings she makes at her VSL group, she is able to buy fertilizer for her farm and harvest enough for her household’s consumption.

Another beneficiary, Wyness Nyirenda, 86, from Kanyunya village in the same area says due to her advanced age she struggled to feed and buy clothes for herself since her husband died.

She said with SCTP, she can fend for herself and is able to buy fertilizers, hire labourers to work on her farm and has also bought livestock including pigs and goats which have improved her welfare.

On her part, Merciina Ng’oma, 74 from Thuzi village in the area says through the program, she has bought herself a blanket to keep warm at night.

District Social Welfare Officer for Rumphi, Zindaba Lungu says many beneficiaries in the district have been able to build good houses and also own livestock using the money they receive.

Lungu added that finance management skills the beneficiaries acquire from VSLs, through the programme, has brought them success in savings and investments.

SCT is a Malawi Government’s safety net programme under Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Programme (SSRLP) funded by a Multi Donor Trust Fund and the World Bank.