BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – According to the 2024/25 annual performance report for the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO), under the leadership of DPM Thulisile Dladla, the Office has been able to utilise E1.7 million to provide care and support for 77 child-headed households (CHH).
Cognisant of the predicament of the increasing number of vulnerable Child Headed Households (CHH), the Office has continued to provide livelihood support to improve their food and nutrition needs, thus building their resilience to shocks. The programme had a budget of E1.7 million which was used to enrol 77 CHH with over 300 beneficiaries supported with different livelihood interventions.
These interventions include crop production, livestock production, roof top water harvesting and skills development training. In the quest to alleviate immediate hunger in communities at risk, the Government of Eswatini provided funding for the procurement of rice, beans and cooking oil which were distributed to 53 920 households.
The Office also implemented a Food for Work project in partnership with World Vision Taiwan, which has distributed 879 468 Metric Tonnes of rice, reaching 7 151 households and 35 755 beneficiaries in four distribution cycles. This project was implemented in 13 targeted constituencies throughout the country.
The report stated that the Office will now conduct a stakeholder consultation exercise to determine the most suitable option for the country moving forward. It was revealed that the Office had undertaken extensive advocacy against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), reaching approximately 3 000 individuals through community dialogues and awareness campaigns targeting chiefdoms, bus ranks, schools and national events.
Additionally, the Office had developed and disseminated Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, as well as branding police vehicles and public transport with GBV messages to heighten public awareness. Capacity-building initiatives for frontline responders, including law enforcement officers and prosecutors, were also undertaken to enhance GBV case handling and legal response mechanisms.
As part of the initiative to strengthen families, the Office has initiated a family reunification programme known as ‘Asibambaneni Singumndeni’. To implement this programme, the Office received support of two vehicles from the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan valued at around E1.2 million. This initiative is anticipated to, amongst other things, operationalise the Positive Parenting Strategy (2023 – 2027).
Additionally, 5 412 targeted households received cash transfers in some parts of the Shiselweni region as supported by European Union Civil Protection and humanitarian aid (ECHO).
(Featured Image: DPM’s Office)
