Feature

Public works transform livelihoods in Chitipa

Social protection programmes are tailored to help uplift the livelihoods of people grappling to meet the barest of their needs.

One such social protection programme in Malawi is the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) funded by the World Bank to help vulnerable households graduate from poverty.

For the majority of Malawians classified as poor, overcoming poverty is not only defined by cash in one’s pockets or bank accounts or village savings and loan (VSL) groups.

It is also defined as having fixed assets such as a house and livestock.

Ng’ambi has built two houses—one for his family
and the other for his father. | Aliko Munde

This is the case with Aaron Ng’ambi of Lyton Village, Traditional Authority Nthalire in Chitipa District, who has worked and risen with CS-EPWP since 2018 when the project was piloted in the border district.

Ng’ambi, 32, graduated from the initiative in 2022, rising to become a foreman and digitiser two years later.

“I have acquired vital assets since I joined the climate-smart public works. From the wages, I bought a goat which multiplied fast,” he states.

Ng’ambi has constructed two red-brick houses roofed with  iron sheets.

“One is for my family and the other for my aged father,” he says.

Besides, the farmer owns 11 goats, 40 chickens and three pigs.

“I sold some of the animals to build the two houses. I also pay school fees for my first-born son, now in Form Two,” he says.

His wife, Glory Msiska, says the programme has lifted poor households nationwide to live with dignity and hope.

“Poverty reduced us to a laughing stock in our community because we had nothing to show. But now we have essential assets and food which can sustain us for the next year,” she said.

The parents of four joined a Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip) group where they buy shares, get annual dividends and access business tips.

Msiska has adopted new farming technologies and skills promoted by the area’s agriculture extension to ensure farmers harvest more from their small plots amid climate change.

The social protection project equips farmers with climate-smart farming tips and soil conservation techniques such as making swales and marker ridges to control run-off rainwater which washes away fertile top soil.

CS-EPWP is part of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Programme supported by the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

Thete agriculture extension planning officer Plyson Mnkhondia is excited to see farmers adopting winning farming methods that improve soil structure and fertility for greater yields.

He says the rising number of small livestock in the  farming community means more manure healing the degraded fields, better harvests boosting food security and surplus for sale.

He encourages participants to join Comsip groups to save and multiply their money through shares while accessing vital farming and business tips.

“This will help them buy farm inputs, harvest more, start businesses and own some animals such as goats, pigs and chickens,” Mnkhondia says.

He terms Ng’ambi as a role model for many, a shining example of how the programme is transforming the livelihoods of constrained Malawians.

The programme focuses on integrated watershed management, which includes land resources conservation, afforestation, natural regeneration and sustainable livelihoods.

The participants receive K28 800 every 24 working days they do public works in their communities.

National Local Government Finance Committee cluster  coordinator Dunken Magwira says the initiative seeks to prepare participants to enjoy resilient livelihoods through the acquisition of vital assets.

“The programme was designed to ensure the participants are resistant to shocks that have become more frequent and devastating with climate change,” he says.

Magwira is happy that many beneficiaries are using the wages to improve their livelihoods.

He says: “Some are using their wages to buy goats, chickens and pigs. Once the animals multiply, they will help ramp up food and income security among the participants.

“The animals also produce manure which improves soil health and moisture retention, helping farmers reap more even in times of drought.

“With bumper yields, they can sell the surplus to boost their income, household assets and livelihoods.”

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