Govt rolls out COVID-19 safety net (The Nation)

The Nation (Malawi) published an article stating that the government of Malawi has started to disburse funds under the K19.5 billion Emergency Cash Transfer program to cushion vulnerable and low-income households from Covid-19 socio-economic impacts. Social cash transfers and social welfare services provided by the government and other non-State actors could help people escape extreme poverty, close the poverty gap, and reduce inequality as well as build household resilience to respond to shocks across the life cycle, which is key to building human capital. A recent price bulletin from IFPRI shows an increase in prices of foodstuffs that include legumes, tubers, livestock, and livestock products and fish across the country. The current program targets 35 percent of the urban population and can help them afford food despite rising food prices. Its direct beneficiaries include the elderly, child-headed families, those with physical disabilities, vendors, and casual laborers living in densely populated peri-urban areas