The assumption of the study will be that the targeted respondents in Isoka district that can provide most accurate and precise information without being subjected to any jot of biasness and predisposition mindset.
This study attempts to assess the role of social cash transfer in enhancing household living conditions. However, it will be gratifying to state that the main significance of the study would first of all be summarised as follows, the objective of study aimed to create awareness about the key importance of a sustainable livelihood in recipient households and supply feedback on the resulting effects of high levels of poverty characterised within the district of Isoka in Muchinga province of Zambia.
This further goes to foster a study that targeted on how poverty can bring about sluggish economic growth and how this can further cause poor socioeconomic development in the country as a result of low production and how it affects in shaping up major role of a perceived view of contribution factor to the Gross Domestic product (GDP) in Zambia. Secondly, is also to inform local residents and related stakeholders on the impact of an effective social cash transfer programme aimed at improving livelihoods of vulnerable people in society.
Finally, the researcher remains hopeful that the interest areas of this particular study will significantly contribute to the already existing body of knowledge by bringing out vital issues that might have been side-lined, shallow studied or overlooked about the implementation of social engagement program at household levels in Zambia.
To discover some of the reasons with this research, all participants that will be subjected to this study, will be asked to state their reason(s) or highlight effects based on their personal outlook as well as based on the secondary data and as a researcher will also expected to see responses that would be supplied in accordance with qualitative method of research.
The study sought out to expose on the effects of cash transfer stipend in enhancing household living conditions in the recipient households of Isoka District. The geographical scope of the study will be Isoka District of Muchinga Province. The beneficiaries include those who joined the scheme in the time frame between 2015 and 2018 within Isoka District. This period was chosen all because the scheme was first implemented earlier in the District in the year 2014 as a pilot project.
1.8 Limitation
The researcher encountered some challenges in carrying out the study due to global crisis of COVID-19 pandemic popularly known as Coronavirus, which has ravaged global economic situations and has led to limiting movements simply because of slow paced economic activities as a result of lockdowns. However, to this effect participants were equally difficulty to find owing to the nature of the targeted focus discussion groups and it was extremely difficult to assess the effectiveness of social cash transfer through just observations. There was also an over-run in budgetary allocations which occurred due to economic instability as resources were not enough to cover demanding needs, the prices of essential commodity were fluctuating and this negatively affected the study process. The researcher was further disturbed in the preparation of the research and had challenges printing questionnaires due to the erratic power supply currently being faced in the nation especially the rural Zambia which is greatly getting affected the most.
1.9 Theoretical Framework
Theories have strongly evolved pointing to incentive theory which clarifies that behavior is highly motivated by an organism’s desire for supports and rewards, and that this desire is what secure governance and policy behavior. Incentives in the environment to determine organisms’ behavior and patterns cover on the precept that social development goals emanate on political administration and public governance systems. This factor aims to achieve positive outcomes by increasing social knowledge, awareness and changing attitudes and the practice in making sure that important mediators of program impacts are driven from such social engagements. Many theories of social cash transfer program distinguishes that lack of knowledge in many communities, and this may have to undermine social program impacts and benefits, notably in terms of nutrition, income, education and healthcare (Browne, 2013: Bastagli et al. 2016).
Social cash transfer has a basis of minds to improve the well-fare of individuals and welfare of communities, is basically the delivery of cash as an alternative to in-kind social support to communities, a trend that has increasingly been used as a social protection methodology in circumstances of severe poverty, hunger and vulnerability levels. This has been used a policy intervention measure to help many poor people in many developing nations mostly in Africa which includes Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, have all taken cash transfer programmes at government level and it is a social engagement program that aims at functioning for many reasons but mainly used as a life support and community survival tools that runs into support of poor people who usually lack access to the basic food sufficient, as they fail in meeting up with their daily necessities, and also touches on the large records of people impacted by the HIV and AIDS crisis, may also strongly classified them under such social programs together with the vulnerable in society (Wahenga News, rhvp, 2006).
From the available resources, social policy instruments and statutory support, social cash transfers has seen a growing tread within most emerging nations, the list includes Zambia. Cash transfers are income support payments given to vulnerable households to reduce extreme poverty and promote children’s education, health and nutrition. Since 2004, Zambia has been implementing cash transfers (HMSCTS, 2013).
A number of studies have concluded that social cash transfers have aid in reducing high levels of poverty among many poor households in most developing countries. This study anchors on evaluating on the extent to which social cash transfers in Zambia and many other related nations have showed impact on poverty reduction as a social strategy system to use without leaving out the plight of children’s rights as well. However, it is imperative to point that many researches, materials and social policies used by most public office concludes that by citing that there is evidence that social cash transfers have been used to reduce poverty levels and improve to enhance children’s access to social services such as healthcare or education opportunities, and social benefits have been seen with their effective execution which remains constrained by systems of organizational, management styles and on capacity to handle complexity and difficulties, as well as factoring lack of a well-defined long-term financial guarantee (UNDP, 2014a; UNDP, 2014b).