By Memory Kutengule Chatonda
BLANTYRE, Feb 15, MANA: Government, with support from the World Bank and Multi Donor Trust Fund partners through the Scalable Mechanism Safety Nets, is set to provide top up cash transfers to 144,415 households which are already on the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) and Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works (CS-EPWP).
The households which are from Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Karonga, Mwanza, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntcheu, and Thyolo districts will receive the cash transfers in the event, they are affected by climate-related shocks this year in the country.
Speaking during a stakeholders briefing on the 2024/2025 scalability mechanism safety nets on Friday in Blantyre, National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) Social Protection officer Mateso Kazembe observed that Malawi continues to face different types of climate-related disasters such as floods, drought, and strong winds, among others.
He said the events are one of the biggest threats to social and economic progress and make it hard for vulnerable households to recover from poverty.
“We know that Malawi has a disaster risk financing strategy to provide a response to climate shocks after the disaster has occurred, but there is also a need for an operational mechanism to channel resources quickly and on time, especially to poor households once the disasters have struck. Hence, having a scalable mechanism safety net.
“This safety net targets 17 percent of the district population, with 10 percent being the beneficiaries of SCTP, while the rest is for participants of CS-EPWP. Even though, the scalability mechanism targets the entire district, however in this 2024/2025 season, the targeted areas within the district will only be those that are heavily affected by the drought. Such places will be identified in consultation with the district council officials,” he said.
Kazembe further said that the target for the scalable mechanism for Blantyre is 20,793 households; Chiladzulu will be 17,289; Karonga is 12,742; Mwanza will target 5,754; Nkhotakota is 13,583; Nsanje 12,026; while Ntcheu and Thyolo will be 28,982 and 33,246, respectively.
He added that each household is expected to receive a cash transfer of K150,000 for three months to cushion their vulnerabilities.
“These are households with elderly members above 64 years, elderly households keeping orphans, households’ heads with chronic illness, and those vulnerable households with labor capacity,” he said, adding that the safety net will soon be extended to other districts across the country.
In his remarks, Director of Administration for Blantyre district council Redgson Mkolombwe hailed the taskforce championing scalability mechanisms at NLGFC for briefing the council on scalability mechanisms.
He pledged the council’s commitment to work in collaboration with central government in ensuring that the exercise is a success.
The Scalable Mechanism Safety Net is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project, commonly known as Tidzidalire.
This project aims to improve resilience among the poor and vulnerable population and strengthen the national platform for safety nets in Malawi. It includes a pre-funded financing plan linked to existing operational plans.
