LUSAKA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Tuesday said support to vulnerable communities is vital in its efforts to reduce high poverty levels in the country.
Christine Kalamwina, Zambia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) said various programs being undertaken by the government to eradicate poverty such as the social cash transfer and school feeding program were important effective policies of the government's desire to eradicate poverty especially among rural and remote communities where the scourge of poverty remains unacceptably high.
In her statement during the 57th Session of the Commission for Social Development at the UN headquarters, the official said the various programs being implemented by the government were meant to address poverty levels currently standing at 76.6 percent in rural communities.
The government, she said, was concerned that despite the country having experienced exponential and steady economic growth in the last decade, a large part of the country's population was still living in poverty.
The government, she said, has strengthened social protection programs such as the school feeding program which is currently supporting 977,904 learners across eight of the country's 10 provinces while about 800,000 households are beneficiaries of the Food Security Pack which supports agriculture productivity.
