Government says it has put in place a resettlement scheme option for Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries, as well as other vulnerable groups, to decongest some selected compounds in Lusaka, in the wake of the cholera epidemic.

The development also aims to create conducive living conditions for people currently living in disease-prone areas due to unplanned settlements and other social factors.

Speaking when she interacted with Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries at Kanyama and Twashuka basic schools in Lusaka’s Kanyama compound, Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms Doreen Mwamba, emphasised that the resettlement programme under the office of the vice president aims to empower citizens who may not have the capacity to purchase land on the open market in line with the resettlement policy.

Ms. Mwamba said Government will therefore provide startup funds and other basic amenities for those who will be taken to resettlement areas so they can have dignified lives as opposed to living in inhumane conditions.

“You cannot develop the nation if the vulnerable people are left behind”, Ms Mwamba said and encouraged stakeholders to support various interventions meant to uplift the welfare of vulnerable citizens.

Ms Mwamba said the resettlement plan will prioritize people with disabilities, followed by the aged, and finally other vulnerable groups such as the unemployed, retired, near retirement, and internally displaced individuals.

The Minister said Government is aware of the current challenges that the people are facing brought about by the cholera outbreak and is doing everything possible to address this challenge by ensuring that empowerment opportunities are created through Social protection interventions.

She disclosed that the Government has and will continue to put in place other social protection interventions such as the price shock social cash transfer, with Kanyama having a total of 4,210 beneficiary households out of the national caseload of over 1.3 Million.
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