The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
DEVELOPMENT partners have been urged to be thorough in selecting beneficiaries of any form of assistance to curb increasing cases of gainfully employed people who are abusing the programmes.
This was said by Assistant Chipinge District Development Co-ordinator, Mr Tedious Beto, while officially opening a two-day workshop for the Lean Season Assistance Programme that is being implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Vision in Chipinge’s rural wards.
In the previous cycle, Goal Zimbabwe was the implementing partner.
Mr Beto said cases of gainfully employed people getting assistance at the expense of deserving individuals are on the increase in Chipinge.
“We continue to receive complaints of bias in beneficiary selection as vulnerable and deserving members of the society fail to get humanitarian assistance at the expense of gainfully employed individuals.
“This has resulted in orphaned households, the elderly, sick and physically challenged people failing to benefit from sponsored programmes. We implore development partners to revisit their vetting and verification exercises.
“Development partners should promote harmony in the communities through transparency in their work,” said Mr Beto.
He said to avoid being duped by gainfully employed people, development partners should make use of Government employees and traditional leaders in the selection process. “Make use of Government officials, particular the Department of Social Welfare and Agritex to enhance transparency,” he advised.
Chipinge is one of the districts that were worst affected by last season’s drought. Most of the households in the district are in need of food aid.
Meanwhile, WFP is increasing the number of food aid beneficiaries in Chipinge’s 11 rural wards from 77 000 to 120 000.
