Council hail scalable mechanism project

Principal Social Welfare Officer for Karonga District Council Tiwonge Mbale has commended the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Project (SSRLP) for cushioning households affected by drought with financial support.

The Project which was triggered by the drought that affected Karonga early this year, targets 12,742 households under the Scalable Mechanism, which enables Government to transfer funds to most vulnerable households in response to droughts to avoid the near poor slipping into the poverty cycle.

In an interview after a Media Briefing on the project Mbale, said as of the 31st of October TNM which is the service provider had disbursed money into the Mbamba Accounts of those who were identified as beneficiaries.

Mbale further said this has enabled the households to uplift their lives by buying food.

“The project has disbursed close to 1 billion kwacha which has seen each household receive k25, 000 per month for three months hence this has really assisted them to become food secure which is the aim of this project,” he said.

On his part, Scalability Mechanisms Coordinator, Mulder Mkutumula, explained that Karonga was targeted as a result of the prolonged dry spells which has left many households food insecure.

“Despite the project targeting six districts across the country, Karonga was targeted due to the drought as such the provision of financial assistance through SSRLP is meant for cushioning the ultra-poor affected by the drought so that they can purchase food in readiness for the lean season,” Mkutumula added.

One of the beneficiaries Eliza Mwepopo from Principal Group Village headman Kalambo in the area of T/A Kyungu, hailed the initiative from saving her and family from hunger, saying the provision of cash has assisted them in buying bags of maze to feed the household.

Scalable-Social Cash Transfer Program is a government of Malawi initiative falling under Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods project being funded by World Bank and Sp-MDTF through National Local Government Finance Committee.