Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Online Reporter
NEARLY 19 000 households in five rural districts are set to benefit from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, UNICEF, andpartners’ next phase of the Emergency Social Cash Transfer (ESCT) Programme that aims to provide cash payments.
The programme which combines nutrition and child protection services was first launched in August 2020 supporting the two districts of Gutu and Highfields.
In 2022 the programme supported over 113,790 individuals and 25,801 households in the urban localities of the eight districts of Beitbridge, Binga, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Gutu, Highfields, Lupane, and Mufakose. 2022 also marked the handover of Gutu and Highfields Districts back to the Government and their integration within the Government-led Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme (HSCT).
In a statement, Unicef said under the new phase of the support, the Emergency Social Cash Transfer programme will also be working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to support selected schools in the districts with a school feeding programme for one school calendar year.
“This will be organised through the School Improvement Grant, an established mechanism that provides direct payments to schools to support them address the most basic needs and meet a minimum set of school functionality criteria. Providing support from multiple angles is essential because we know that there are multiple vulnerabilities that need to be addressed and that cash alone cannot do it,” read the statement.
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