By Sebenele Ndlovu
MBABANE – The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) has set aside E1.7 million to cater for children who find themselves heading households in the country.
The children will benefit through a programme known as the Child-Headed Households Resilience Programme. This transpired on Friday (June 7, 2024) when Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla handed over a cheque worth E34 300 to children who are set to pursue courses in certain disciplines of study.
The skills are meant to help the children enhance their livelihoods.
The four beneficiaries are Tema Mkhabela from Mbikwakhe, who will be enrolling for a catering course. The second one will be Fikile Mtfombo from Ntabamhloshana, who will be doing a hairdressing course at Ubuntu Salon.
Cebile Ndwandwe is the third one among the beneficiaries, while the fourth one will be Gcinile Masuku. Both of these children are from Kupheleni and they will be enrolling for hairdressing, manicure and pedicure basic courses.
All the beneficiaries are from vulnerable families, mostly child-headed families. They were identified by the office during community outreach programme with the DPM in various constituencies.
It was during that time when the DPM said the office had set aside E1.7 million for Child-Headed Households Resilience Programme, which would include fencing of household, providing livestock (goats, indigenous chickens and dairy cows) and crop production.
The DPM requested the service providers to make sure they did follow-ups until the beneficiaries became the best. She also appreciated Standard Bank, which volunteered to provide financial literacy to the beneficiaries.
The cheque of E34 300 was handed over to the service providers by the DPM in payment of the courses to be pursued.
