Luanda: At least 2.2 million households across the country will benefit from the second phase of the social assistance program “Kwenda,” which runs until 2029, announced Belarmino Jelembe, director-general of the Social Support Fund (FAS), on Tuesday in Luanda.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Jelembe spoke to the press at the end of the 9th regular session of the Council of Ministers’ Social Policy Committee. He stated that the new phase of the program has 400 million US dollars in funding from the World Bank and 120 million US dollars from the National Treasury. This funding will secure the program’s expansion and strengthen its efforts to reduce poverty and promote the inclusion of vulnerable families.
The first phase of the program, which ran from 2020 to 2025, benefited over one million households and covered 197 municipalities, 300 communes, and approximately 15,000 villages in Angola’s 18 provinces. In this new phase, the program will expand to Angola’s 21 provinces, prioritizing rural areas and municipalities with the highest levels of social vulnerability. This will consolidate the FAS’s role as the program’s coordinating entity.
Jelembe highlighted the essential role of Community and Health Development Agents (ADECOS) in supporting beneficiary families by providing health education, disease prevention, basic sanitation, and community mediation. Kwenda is one of the Angolan government’s main social protection instruments. Launched in 2020, its goal is to reduce poverty and promote sustainable local development through cash transfers, financial inclusion, and strengthening community networks.
