Govt mobilises $45m for disadvantaged families

Transfer, was mooted after realisation that hundreds of senior citizens in the country never worked in the formal sector and had no access to pension funds, a situation that was reportedly leading to them facing serious challenges.
The scheme is being run under the National Action Plan for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children with assistance from the Child Protection Fund.
This is in line with the Government’s plans to offer public assistance to the needy through means-tested approaches like the Assisted Medical Treatment Order Service (Amtos), which seeks to afford those above 60 years free treatment at Government health institutions.
Although not mentioning the “poorest districts” from where the beneficiaries were identified, the Social Services director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Sydney Mhishi, said the programme would be rolled out next month and each beneficiary would receive a monthly grant of between $10 and $25.
Speaking at an awareness-raising workshop for the media and stakeholders organised by HelpAge Zimbabwe in Harare last week, Mr Mhishi said about 60 percent of households were headed by the elderly who were taking care of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs).
He said the pilot programme will run until 2015 when it will be spread to all needy citizens.
Once rolled out, the grants will improve livelihoods of households in terms of food, healthcare and education needs for their dependants.
“The Government has introduced a cash transfer programme set to assist vulnerable groups in the country. This will focus on the poorest families especially the elderly, child-headed families and households with large numbers of dependants and beneficiaries and will be reviewed every five years,” said Mr Mhishi.
He said the amount each household will receive will depend on the number of people in the family.
Mr Mhishi said once admitted to the scheme, each household will automatically access other social support services like free education through the Basic Education Assistance Module, health services, farming inputs and food distribution schemes.
Mr Mhishi said more than a million children in the country were orphaned and cared for by the elderly who usually face problems of accessing basic needs, affordable quality service and financial protection.
He said only 527 000 of those are registered for external support.
Meanwhile, the elderly in Bulawayo said they were not getting pensions and appealed to the Government to quickly assist them with food and cash grants to rescue them from poverty.
Chronicle carried out a snap survey around western suburbs on Tuesday and discovered that the majority of senior citizens had turned into vendors as they strive to fend for their families that include mostly orphans.
A cross section of those spoken to said they were living destitute lives as they were supposed to pay rent, schools fees for their dependants and buy food with the little money they get from selling on the streets.
They said city council rangers always raid them for selling on the streets.
They sell firewood, uncured tobacco, brooms and sweets at school gates, among other items.
Mrs Shelter Ncube (64) of Makokoba said she was struggling to fend for her family.
“I live on selling firewood, the off cuts from planks which we pick up from the industries.
“We hire push carts to carry these from there but people hardly buy and that little we get we buy vegetables and other foodstuffs,” she said.
“My husband is sick and he was operated on recently and it makes it difficult because I am the only one to look for food and his pension from Turnall where he used to work is no longer coming. Sometimes I get only one dollar or two dollars a day. “
Mr Mugari Nyanyiwa (92) appealed to the police and authorities to stop harassing them when they sell their wares.
He said as an old man he was no longer employable and his only way of survival was through vending.
“I can no longer look for a job and I appeal to the Government and other organisations to consider our plight. I used to work but I stopped getting pension long back and am only getting assistance from World Vision which is giving us $20 monthly grants,” he said.
Although the elderly said they were getting free medical treatment at Government health institutions, they said they could not get money for transport to go to hospital when they fell ill.
Mrs Orgy Dliwayo from Nketa 8 said she walks from her place of residence to Mpilo Central Hospital for check-ups.
“I walk to the hospital every time I go to collect my pills and this is difficult because my husband’s $20 pension is not enough for us to pay rent and buy food,” she said.
Mr Peter Phiri from Pelandaba said he survived on selling sweets and biscuits to schoolchildren which enables him to pay rent, fees for his two grandchildren and buy food.