adminhas said.
Labour and Social Services secretary Mr Lancaster Museka said Government had since committed US$3 million for the year while the donor community had set aside US$8 million.
He said the first cycle of payments for 2013 was under way for the same 18 853 households.
Mr Museka said Government was constrained by limited financial resources making it difficult to roll out the programme at a desired pace to all the districts.
He said since 2011, Government committed US$6 million each year for the programme.
The donor community under the Child Protection Fund also contributed US$6 million each year.
“However, disbursements from Government have been erratic and all payments to beneficiaries in 2012 were made using resources from the CPF,” Mr Museka said.
Under the cash handout programme, Government gives poor families, US$10 to a family with one person and US$25 to a family with more than four members twice monthly.
Districts that are benefiting from the scheme are Bulawayo, Harare, Chivi, Goromonzi, Kariba, Makoni, Mangwe, Rushinga, Umguza and Zvishavane.
Sixty percent of the benefiting households are child-headed and the elderly.
Mr Museka said it was anticipated that about 55 000 households would be on the programme before the end of 2014.
“Government will add 10 other districts in 2013 under phase two of the programme so that additional beneficiaries will start receiving cash disbursements towards the end of the year,” he said.
Government targets to reach out to about 250 000 poor households throughout the country by 2016.
It is estimated that about 10 percent of people in Zimbabwe are extremely poor.
“The scheme, as a social protection intervention is a predictable, consistent and sustainable way of addressing mostly chronic household poverty arising out of ageing, chronic illness and the burden of care facing the elderly and child-headed households,” Mr Museka said.
The scheme is aimed at increasing incomes for those who cannot work for themselves either due to ageing or sickness with an ultimate goal of providing care and support to children, most of whom are orphans, and other vulnerable children.
There are more than a million orphans in Zimbabwe from which only 527 000 have registered access to external support.
Traditional family and community mechanisms to support orphans have been under financial constraints, resulting in more children facing difficulties in accessing healthcare, education and other basic amenities.
Although the US$25 ceiling of cash handouts seem little, Government said once a family was selected it automatically qualified to benefit from other social protection schemes such as the Basic Education Assistance Module, access to health services, farming inputs and food distribution schemes.
The harmonised social cash transfer scheme is being run under the National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children phase II and funds are managed by the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Online Reporter