CommuTalk Reporter
KWEKWE: An international non-governmental organization, Plan International has come under the spotlight after the outfit of partisan conduct in the distribution of aid in Kwekwe.
Subsequently, an article flighted in the local press made revelations that the organization was being fingered for meddling in politics, with the name of a popular opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change being thrown in the bag.
However, the NGO repudiated the claims saying they were not registering any new beneficiaries in their program but were picking from a list of those who had previously benefited.
“The organisation would like to inform the public that it is not registering any new beneficiaries under the Urban Resilience Building (URB) programme as alleged*. The facts of the matter are that the URB programme is an extension of the previously implemented Urban Social Assistance Programme (USAP) implemented in Kwekwe from August 2020 to December 2021,” said Plan in a statement.
Further accusations levelled against Plan International depicted that the organisation was milking struggling citizens by asking them for money in exchange for aid.
“The organisation and its staff are under no circumstances allowed to request for payment from programme participants or beneficiaries before, during and after the implementation of a project. Such behaviour is a serious violation of the organisation’s policies and procedures. It is fraudulent conduct, which is a criminal offence according to the country’s laws,” further rebutted the organization.
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
The organization has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1986, working closely with the government and the community.
