Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip) Cooperative Union Limited has urged social safety net beneficiaries in Rumphi District to embrace mindset change to graduate from poverty.
Comsip Rumphi district coordinator Chindikani Banda said this on Friday during a media tour to appreciate how Social Cash Transfer Programme and Climate-Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme beneficiaries were making progress in small-scale businesses.
He said: “The district has 2 556 beneficiaries under Social Cash Transfer Programme and 8 723 beneficiaries under Climate-Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme that get livelihood support from Comsip.
“Again, we provide initiatives such as Legumes Enterprises Structured Programme, youth skill challenge and graduation packages; hence, the need for beneficiaries to embrace mindset change to utilise the opportunity to end poverty and hunger.”
Barbara Nyimbiri from Tindawali Village, Traditional Authority Chikulamayembe, said her household has transformed with the K57 000 lump-sum cash transfer she received as a member of Kapiribawa Comsip Group in 2021.
She said: “I did not receive my payment for nine months which accumulated to K57 000. I also borrowed K50 000 from the group and invested into rice and beans business. I borrowed another K30 000 to boost the same business.”
A beneficiary of Comsip Youth Programme, Queen Mwandira of Chimdzuzi Village, said she underwent a six-month training in tailoring and received a sewing machine as a start-up tool.
She said: “Now I can buy school materials on my own as I make K10 000 a week.”
Comsip is working with social safety net beneficiaries through Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Project with funds from the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
