THE Department of Community Development has commenced payments to beneficiaries under the 2026 Village Banking scheme in Chinsali District in Muchinga Province.
Chinsali District Assistant Community Development Officer Mavu Kaumba said about K151,000 has been disbursed to 185 beneficiaries under the scheme.
Speaking to ZANIS in an interview in Chinsali, Ms Kaumba stated that the beneficiaries, who were mostly women from various markets around the district, have all received their funds under the first phase of the scheme for 2026.
She said that the main objective of the Programme under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services was to empower vulnerable women through financial inclusion in an effort to help them boost their businesses.
“We target those women with small businesses like those that sell tomatoes, rice and other vegetables and from the soft loans which we give, we start from K500 to K2,000,” she added.
Ms Kaumba further advised the beneficiaries to ensure that they paid back the funds on time to guarantee the sustainability of the scheme in the district.
And one of the beneficiaries, Delphister Mpundu, narrated that since she joined the scheme in 2014, she has been benefiting positively through paying for her children’s school fees.
Ms Mpundu stated that the Village Banking scheme continued to help her in boosting and expanding her business, adding that it was important to remain consistent in paying back, for one to benefit more from the Programme.
“I wish to thank Government for introducing this Programme because it has helped to uplift our livelihoods as beneficiaries involved in small businesses,” she said.
Meanwhile, Prisca Bwalya, another beneficiary, encouraged other marketeers to take advantage of the programme as it helped vulnerable marketeers in maximising their profits.
Ms Bwalya also appealed to government to consider increasing on the minimum amount being given to them so that many small business owners take interest in joining the scheme.
As one of the key initiatives under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, the Village Banking scheme was implemented in Muchinga Province in 2014 as part of a broader national and community-led financial inclusion efforts by Government.
