admin
“The Government, through NAP for OVC Programme, is embarking on a HSCTS to provide social protection for vulnerable households in Zimbabwe and to complement other components of the programme that include Child Protection and Access to Basic Social Services,” said Mr Muwoni.
“The disbursement of the funds started on 27 February with Goromonzi and will roll out to Makoni, Mangwe, Umguza and Kariba in that order at the end of the month until all the 10 districts are covered.”
There are 65 districts in the country and the Government hopes to cover all of them in future as it moves to cushion about 25 000 households per year with an anticipated gradual cumulative increase to 250 000 households by 2015.
However, Mr Muwoni was not forthcoming with more information. He argued that releasing more information on the subject might affect accuracy in some districts where people might deliberately adjust their responses to ensure that they get selected as beneficiaries once they know that there would be cash coming at some point.
He said the amount each household would receive would depend on the number of people, with one-person households getting $10 and increasing to about $25 for households with four or more members.
The HSCTS was mooted after realisation that hundreds of senior citizens and disadvantaged children in the country were facing serious challenges.
Phase One of the scheme involved a needs assessment programme where child headed families and those headed by senior citizens were interviewed and the second phase is the disbursing of the funds to deserving cases.
HSCTS is being run under the National Action Plan (NAP) for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) with assistance from Child Protection Fund.
Mr Muwoni said the HSCT was a support mechanism to sustain lives of the needy.
“Considering that the target beneficiaries are mostly the labour constrained and food poor, households who are less likely to be in a position to provide for their daily basic requirements, the HSCT comes as a support mechanism that has the capacity to sustain their immediate needs and cushion them from possible starvation,” he said.
“Such interventions are always well received by beneficiaries as they represent Government and society’s commitment to address the needs of the less privileged and over time, can represent a transfer out of poverty.”
The scheme targets labour constrained food-poor households that are estimated to be about 10 percent of the Zimbabwean household population, especially those affected by ageing, chronic illness and the burden of care for the elderly, orphans and the sick.
Its aim is to increase income for those without labour capability and reduce incidence of negative and unsafe coping mechanisms by families and children in the face of multiple deprivations.
The scheme is jointly funded by the Government and a number of donors through the CPF for NAP and is managed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
According to the details of the scheme, once admitted, each household would automatically access other social support services like education, health services, farming inputs and food distribution schemes.
The scheme is independent from the pensions elderly and retired people are getting from Government.
There are reports the country has more than a million orphaned children who are cared for by the elderly, who usually face problems of accessing basic needs.
Online Reporter