Drought Relief Cash Aids Chisamba Families

By Linda Mupemo 

Yvonne Haching’anyu shows off her money

Yvonne Haching’anyu  smiles widely as she recounts the sixteen K 50 notes she has just been handed by the Pay Point Manager (PPM) at Liteta Primary School. 

Ms. Haching’anyu is one of the 7,970 vulnerable residents of Chisamba District in Central Province who were identified to benefit from the Drought Response - Emergency Cash Transfer (DR - ECT). 

The 36 - year - old mother of three children qualified to be on the programme by virtue of her being an expectant mother. 

Ms. Haching’anyu who sells vegetables and does odd jobs in the community to supplement her husband’s income says her business has been negatively affected by the drought that was experienced in the area during the 2023/2024 farming season. 

“Most of my suppliers had crop failure due to poor rainfall. Others are now watering their vegetables using water from wells. However, the ground water level has gone low hence they have hiked the price of their produce,” she laments. 

Ms. Haching’anyu who sells vegetables ranging from kale, chinese to spinach has consequently increased the prices of her vegetables, a situation which has in turn lowered her sales. 

“With the financial help I have started receiving from the department of Social Welfare, I will be able to buy enough food to nourish my body especially that I am pregnant. My family will not starve anymore,” she says.

She adds that she has a ten-year-old son living with cerebral palsy hence the money will enable her take care of his special needs. 

Sixty eight year old Michael Sikelete is another beneficiary whose burden of feeding his family has been lightened through the introduction of the DR - ECT.

The father of six children is a small scale farmer who grows maize and soya beans both for sale and home consumption. 

Mr. Sikelete explains that the drought ravaged his crops thereby depriving him of his sustenance. 

“I have been struggling to feed my family lately; we only eat once per day. I am thankful to Government for coming to my rescue, this money will go a long way,” he says. 

Chisamba District Commissioner Joel Mboyoma notes that Chisamba  is one of the areas that were severely impacted by the drought. 

Mr. Mboyoma says agriculture is the main economic activity in the area and most farmers practice rain-fed agriculture hence the community has been hit with hunger. 

The District Commissioner is elated that the emergency cash transfer programme  being implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services through the Department of Social Welfare will mitigate food insecurity in Chisamba. 

The Drought Response - Emergency Cash Transfer programme is being implemented with support from the World Bank. 

“Chisamba has a caseload of 7,970 emergency cash transfer beneficiaries. These will be receiving K 800 bi-monthly for a period of one year,” he said.

Mr. Mboyoma says the target population includes the aged, differently abled persons, expectant mothers, lactating women and households with children below two years old among others. 

“Government wants to support livelihoods and economic recovery of the drought-affected poor households. Further, we want to build their resilience and reduce vulnerability to future shocks,” he said. 

To further cushion the impact of the drought on vulnerable populations, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has increased Social Cash Transfer (SCT) bi-monthly funds by K 400.00. 

This implies that both regular SCT and  DR-ECT beneficiaries will be receiving K 800 every two months.

Zambia grappled with a devastating El Niño-induced drought in the 2023/2024 farming season.

Zambia Meteorological Department Director Edson Nkonde  said the El Niño climate phenomenon characterised by above average Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) in the Pacific Ocean influenced the country’s rainfall pattern, leading to a drought. 

The drought is one of the harsh effects of climate change the country is facing. 

On 29th February, 2024, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema declared the drought the country experienced as a national disaster and emergency. 

Mr. Hichilema stated that the effects of the drought were most observed in crop production, where one million hectares of planted maize had been adversely affected across 84 districts of the 116 districts in the country. 

Similarly , the situation reduced pasture availability for animals, while ground and surface water levels were equally impacted negatively. 

“9.8 million of our people have been adversely affected by the drought. Of these, 6.6 million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance,” President Hichilema said. 

The Drought Response Emergency Cash Transfer is one of the social protection programmes Government is implementing to mitigate drought-induced poverty and vulnerability in the country.

Further, the programme targets households such as those of expectant mothers, lactating mothers and children aged below two years old with a view to cushioning malnutrition cases in children. 

It is expected that beneficiaries will utilise the funds prudently to ensure their families have basic needs such as food thereby lowering undernourishment especially in children and other vulnerable populations. 

This Feature article was published in Times of Zambia news paper on 3rd August, 2024.