US$4 million for vulnerable families

Theseus Shambare

MORE than 70 000 vulnerable people countrywide have received a share of about US$4 million disbursed by the Government under the Harmonised Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) programme this year to cushion them from the rising cost of living.

Individual beneficiaries received cash amounting to US$13 monthly through EcoCash, with four people being selected to receive the money per household registered under the programme.

Plans are underway to incorporate more mobile money platforms to facilitate accessibility.

In an interview, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima said: “For the year 2023, so far, US$3 982 150 was disbursed as cash entitlements to the 18 380 beneficiary households in Beitbridge urban, Bulawayo, Lupane urban, Mufakose, Binga urban, and Chitungwiza.

“At the inception of the Emergency Social Cash Transfers (ESCT) programme, 25 648 beneficiary households, translating to 102 592 individuals, were catered for.

“However, since ESCT is now feeding into the main cash transfers programme — the HSCT — 5 798 beneficiary households in the Highfield district of Harare Metropolitan province and 1 470 beneficiary households in Gutu urban were transferred to the main HSCT programme.

“Currently, HSCT is catering for 18 380 households, which translates to 73 520 individuals, when using an average family size of four members.”

The programme is being implemented in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It is aimed at cushioning poor and labour-constrained households.

“These include households headed by the elderly (over 65 years of age); child-headed households; households with disabled members; households with chronically ill members and vulnerable households with pregnant women, as well as children under the age of two.

Under the programme, enumerators visit and assess households in targeted areas, then do some verification to ascertain the degree of vulnerability as spelt out by the HSCT criteria. Through verification, he added, errors of inclusion or exclusion are addressed.

“Take note that ESCT and HSCT are Government cash transfer programmes, and UNICEF is only complementing Government by expanding the HSCT coverage, as well as retargeting of old HSCT districts.

“Under ESCT, the agreement is that UNICEF complements Government with financial and, at times, technical support in ESCT districts for 12 months. Thereafter, the beneficiaries are transferred to the main cash transfer programme, which is HSCT.”

Last year, the programme supported more than 113 790 individuals in 25 801 households.

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