Plan International Zimbabwe has trashed allegations of corruption in Kwekwe district where the organisation has been working to assist the needy under the Urban Social Assistance Program from 2020 up to the end of 2021.
The organisation is looking forward to extending the newly designed program Urban Resilience Building Programme where participants will be selected from the previous program.
In a statement released by Plan International Interim Communications Specialist Conrad Gweru, the organization dismissed the fraudulent accusations that have been circulating through a local online publication.
The organisation has been accused of being partisan and corrupt.
“Plan international would also like to state that we remain an apolitical organisation that works closely with recognised government structures in all the communities that we operate in.
“Plan International Zimbabwe has taken note of an article which was reported in an online publication www.dailymonitor.co.zw alleging fraudulent activities and partisan bias in the listing of beneficiaries in Kwekwe.
“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 by the dailymonitor.co.zw,” read the statement.
Furthermore, Plan International reiterated that it is not registering any new participants on the program but will select some beneficiaries from those who were benefiting from the previous program.
“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.
“Both programmes are funded by the same donor, which is the World Food Program and the Urban Resilience Building project will be implemented in the same wards where the Urban Social Assistance Project was implemented.
“Plan International is therefore NOT REGISTERING any new beneficiaries but ONLY selecting participants from those that benefitted under the now ended Urban Social Assistance Programme by identifying those that meet the selection criteria set under the newly designed Urban Resilience Building Programme.
“Plan International Zimbabwe is advising the public that 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,” read the statement.
Plan International has called for the public to report any form of corruption that involves the organisation’s employee (s).
“If Plan International employees conduct themselves in such a manner, please feel free to report them to any of the contacts indicated below or through the whistleblowing toll-free line provided for this project 08080173,” the statement read.
