By Chisomo Phiri
The Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP ) has called on the government to increase the monthly honorarium for caregivers from K20,000 to K100,000.
The call to action was made by Executive Director for Early Childhood Development(ECD),Nase Chunga,during the graduation ceremony of 166 caregivers who completed a six-month training program via tablets on Monday.
Chunga emphasized that the current honorarium is insufficient, making it challenging for caregivers to afford basic necessities.
He also highlighted that only 2,000 out of 36,000 caregivers in the country receive the honorarium, while the rest provide their services voluntarily.
In response, ECD Quality Control Officer at the Ministry of Social Welfare,Chikondi Chiumbuzo Mponda
,stated that her ministry has engaged parliament and is discussing with the Ministry of Finance to improve the payroll for more caregivers.
The training program was part of the ECD interventions financed by the Roger Federer Foundation.
The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia’s Early Childhood Department has been working to provide quality ECD services and ensure sustainable ECD centers across the synod.
