Mozambique: Government to introduce child benefits for under 2s from September

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Mozambique: Government to introduce child benefits for under 2s from September

8:53 CAT | 12 Sep 2018

To roll out the initiative, Mozambique's international partners, including the United Nations, have provided US$18 million. File photo: Lusa

Mozambique’s government plans in September to introduce benefits for children up to two years old from poorer families, in a bid to combat chronic malnutrition, the National Institute of Social Action (INAS) has announced.

The INAS’s deputy head, Graciano Langa, explained that the benefit is to be paid to families with children up to 2 years old, with the aim of combatting the chronic malnutrition that affects 43% of Mozambiquean children.

In the first phase, the programme is to start on a trial basis in four districts of Nampula’s province, in northern Mozambique, which should cover 15,500 children.

“The child benefit will be implemented in a phased way to allow analysis of its impact and operational efficiency, so that we can develop an expansion plan”, Langa noted.

To roll out the initiative, Mozambique’s international partners, including the United Nations, have provided US$18 million.

At the end of the pilot phase, the child benefit is to be extended to the entire country from 2024.

The benefit for children up to 2 years old is part of the government’s National Basic Social Security Strategy 2016-2024, which includes the payment of benefits for orphaned minors who live with poor families and children who are the heads of their household.

Source: Lusa