Social Cash Aid Lifts Thousands from Poverty in Rural Malawi
The program began as a pilot in Mchinji district in 2006 and expanded nationwide by 2020, reaching over 777,000 people across Malawi.
KASUNGU, Malawi — A decade-long social protection program has transformed thousands of impoverished households in central Malawi through K10.3 billion in cash transfers and business training, writes Wanangwa Tembo, MANA.
The initiative has helped single parents like Liness Phiri, who struggled to feed her three children after her marriage collapsed.
"The biggest challenge was lack of food. We couldn't harvest any because we could not afford to buy fertiliser," said Phiri, who now runs a successful tailoring business in Chilindira Village.
"Children could not consistently attend classes and their health status was getting poor."
The program, supported by the World Bank and Multi-Donor Trust Fund, has reached 16,585 households in Kasungu district since 2018.
Beneficiaries receive monthly stipends based on household size and number of school-age children.
"We have seen tremendous change amongst households in the district," said Victor Nyirenda, Principal Social Welfare Officer for Kasungu.
"Families now own livestock and some produce various crops for both subsistence and commercial purposes."
Some recipients have launched innovative ventures, including a group near former President Hastings Kamuzu Banda's home that produces organic fertiliser.
"Since most people here cannot afford to buy chemical fertilisers, we saw it as an opportunity," said Lozani Banda, secretary of the Kamuzu Cluster group.
They sell 50-kilogram bags for K45,000.
The program began as a pilot in Mchinji district in 2006 and expanded nationwide by 2020, reaching over 777,000 people across Malawi.
Gender Minister Jean Sendeza urged beneficiaries to use the funds productively: "We would like to see them graduate from their current status, and then we can enrol new beneficiaries in the programme."