ZAMBIA: JCTR Welcomes Government COVID-19 Emergency Social Cash Transfer

By Mwenya Mukuka

The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has welcomed government’s move to launch an emergency cash transfer aimed at cushioning negative economic effects of COVID-19 on households.

In a media statement, JCTR Executive Director Fr Alex Muyebe SJ said the development is a positive intervention particularly because it aims to cushion the suffering of the vulnerable and marginalized of society affected and left helpless by the pandemic.

“One notable negative effect of the pandemic has been the disruptions of livelihoods. Therefore, timely, responsive, effective and efficient social protection systems remain crucial to safeguarding the poor and vulnerable in Zambia,” said Fr Muyebe, SJ.

According to the Ministry of Community Development, this government emergency support will be in form of cash transfers and food packs and is not under the regular social cash transfer program but a temporary social safety net that has been introduced to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable households.

There will be a transfer value of about US $22 per month to each beneficiary already in the database for a period of six months to enable them buy nutritious foods and other basic essentials.

JCTR as an institution that advocates for better living standards of the vulnerable in our society, is of the view that even though not all the vulnerable persons will be able to receive the emergency support due to limited resources, the COVID-19 Emergency Social Cash Transfer program is a positive move as far as providing relief and support to households concerned.

Fr. Muyebe said the intervention is also likely to have a positive effect on nutrition amongst other positive trickle-down effects for those that will receive the assistance.

He has however implored government through relevant ministries to proactively prioritize, scale up and extend such interventions to a wider population saying this is because some households that may have been well off prior to the pandemic, have fallen into the poverty trap.