The AME Church in Kitwe’s Buchi Township has received K15,000 (USD 1580) under the Presidential Empowerment Initiative Fund (PEIF) for disbursement to women aimed at boosting their business activities. The church has received building materials which include 100 bags of cement towards the construction of a new church structure.
PEIF Patron Chanda Kabwe handed over the money to the church Sunday morning as part of the K100,000 that was released by President Edgar Lungu in December of last year for disbursement to churches in different parts of the country. Kabwe said President Lungu was determined to see the improvement of the lives of the poor people especially women and youths in the country. “President Lungu made a decision to help the poor and came up with this Presidential Empowerment Initiative Fund immediately after his election to office in 2015. He is aware that some people are not in formal employment, he knows that not everyone can be a doctor, a nurse or a teacher [and] that is why he came up with this Fund to help those who are in the informal sector boost their businesses and be able to take care of their families,” said Kabwe.
He further took a swipe at critics of the Presidential Empowerment Initiative Fund who thought it was a campaign tool and who said had been put to shame because the empowerment program has continued. Kabwe later called on the church to play a critical role in ensuring that the country remains peaceful and united. “Helping has been politicised in this country, people cannot eat politics but when you are helped, problems are solved, you the church have a critical role to play, you need to pray for our leaders in this country, it is not everything that should be politicised,” said the Central Province PS.
