COMSIP Corporative Union Limited has disbursed K140.3 million to 835 households in Blantyre and Chiladzuru districts in the second phase of a pilot graduation program targeting social cash transfer beneficiaries.
The graduation pilot aims at providing support in form of seed capital to beneficiaries of the social support programs; Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Program and the Social Cash Transfer that government is implementing with support from the World Bank.
Speaking after disbursing funds to COMSIP members in T/A Ntchema area in Chiradzulu district, Emmanuel Muwamba COMSIP Project Coordinator for the Southern Region told MIJ Online that the targeted members are beneficiaries of the social cash transfer program who were mobilized into groups and trained on sustainable livelihood the Union.
Muwamba said each household gets K300, 000 Kwacha capital injection to start a business of choice for a sustainable livelihood, which is provided in two phases of K150, 000 each.
“What this means is that we provide mindset change trainings to the beneficiaries of the projects such as financial literacy, business management as wells as instilling in them a culture of savings and investment to ensure the money that they are getting is invested towards income generating activities to achieve sustainable livelihood.” Said Muwamba
81 year old Dorothy Chilikha from Chitando Village in T/A Ntchema Chiradzulu district is one of the beneficiaries of the graduation pilot package who joined COMSIP in 2021.
She told MIJ Online that the funds are a much needed capital to expand her livestock production business to improve the lives of her household as she is the bread winner for her daughter and six grandchildren.
“I plan to use the money to purchase goats apart from other businesses that I intend to do. I am very thankful to COMSIP for this opportunity, I never expected that one day I might get this kind of support,” rejoiced Chilikha
Meanwhile Dr. Kondwani Santhe-Executive Director for National Local Government Finance Committee said he was impressed with the program and the improved lives of the beneficiaries.
According to Santhe, the graduation package is in line with the government’s agenda to ensure vulnerable households are improving their lives from extreme poverty to become self-reliant.
The members who have received a the graduation package are expected to venture into various income generating activities such as selling of various merchandises, livestock production and irrigation farming, among many other things.
COMSIP Corporative Union Limited is implementing the Livelihoods Support Program one of the key subcomponent of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Project, a World Bank funded government project being implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee.