By Memory Kutengule Chatonda 

Blantyre, November 7, Mana: 44 year-old Mercy Sontho had already planned how she would meaningfully use that month’s Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) stipend. 

To the contrary, unknown assailants, three in total, attacked her on her way home, foiling all her expectations. 

This left her with many thoughts on how she would recover from the ruthless incident that occurred on March 6, 2021. 

“I vividly recall that they threatened me with sharp knives for the money I got from the pay point or risk losing my life. 

“Since I was engulfed with fear, I surrendered the money amounting to K42, 000. Immediately I complied, they disappeared into the nearby bush," recalls the soft-spoken Sontho, who lost her husband years back.

Today, apart from piecework, Sontho relies on SCTP monthly stipends to feed her five-member family.

Popularly known as Mtukula Pakhomo, SCTP is a Malawi Government initiative under the Social Protection Programme targeting the bottom 10 percent of the poverty strata who are ultra-poor and labor constrained according to the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, the government arm implementing the programme.

A native of Traditional Authority (TA) Chigaru in Blantyre, Sontho values the monthly stipend, knowing how transformative it is.

Seemingly, little, considering the current economic landscape, at that time, Sontho says she could use the money to buy necessities for her five-member family.

“It was sad because the situation left me in a dilemma. I had planned to use the money to beef up the income generated from vegetable sales to buy foodstuffs,” she laments.

Desperate, Sontho took solace in some foodstuffs that sympathetic community members brought in support of her household.

Her experience reflects the risks posed by the cash payment system used in some social protection programmes like Mtukula Pakhomo. Beneficiaries may lose money that they could have used to alleviate their plight.

Springing from such risks, government introduced the electronic payment system (e-payment) to replace traditional cash payments to protect people like Sontho, with Blantyre being one of the 21 beneficiary districts.

The e-payment system is a digital infrastructure that enables the electronic transfer of funds between individuals or entities.

Sontho today receives her monthly stipends via a mobile wallet on her phone. With this, she feels safe.

“At first, I was hesitant to register for a mobile wallet through Telekom Network Malawi (TNM) Mpamba, but after being sensitized about its benefits, one of which is the security of my money, I accepted,” she says.

Principal Social Welfare Officer responsible for SCTP, Kumbukeni Kauwa, says in Blantyre close to 7,804 beneficiaries under the programme graduated from manual (cash) payments to electronic payments in 2022.

Apart from the e-payment system being used in SCTP, it is also being utilized in processing payments for the participants of the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP), another component under the Social Support for Resilience Livelihood Project (SSRLP), funded by the World Bank and other multi-donor trust funds in the district.

District Project Facilitator for Blantyre, Aubrey Jazza, says CS-EPWP, which was introduced in 2022, focuses on creating visible, durable, and quality assets within micro-catchments that will assist in improving household resilience to shocks among others.

He says to date, the programme has close to 17,000 participants who work in 15 catchment areas of Chilambalare, Mgawa, Lirangwi 2, Mlombozi, Mikundi, Somba, Milare, Mabala, Kamwendo, Likhubula, Masinde, Linjemesi, Nazombe and Zemba.

“The participants receive pay through an E-payment system after working for 30 days. The payment service provider is TNM,” says Jazza.

Shadreck Batamosi, one of the CS-EPWP participants from Linjemesi catchment area, hails the e-payment system, saying it reduces the challenges people face with cash payments.

He cites: “E-payment has reduced the time of waiting at pay points for beneficiaries after walking long distances, and also one is assured of maximum security of his/her money because when they receive the money, it's only them who know."

Overall, electronic transaction has simplified the payment process under the social protection programmes such as SCTP and CS-EPWP being implemented by Blantyre District Council.

Principal Information, Communication Technology Officer for Blantyre, Bengula Mhone, attests to the fact that payment of transfers is done in bulk and everyone receives the money at the same time.

In addition, he says the inclusion of ghost households is easily detected, and only eligible and deserving households are taken on board through the Know Your Customer registration process.

Project Manager for TNM Mpamba, Tsimikizo Chikoya, hails the collaboration that exists between Blantyre District Council and the telecom company in the implementation of social protection programs, particularly on the e-payment system.

He advises beneficiaries to make sure that they don't disclose password of their mobile wallet to other people to avoid being duped.

E-payment aims to prepare the country's economy for the adoption of Digital Financial Services (DFS).

Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) first quarter 2024 report issued on September 4 regarding the national payment system, states that DFS remain the most widely used payment method compared to cash withdrawals and cheques.

Non-bank mobile payments (mobile money services) continue to help millions of Malawians like Sontho, Batamasi and others to receive social cash transfers and CS-EPWP payments from government and other development partners.

The RBM report says: "As of the end of March 2024, the number of non-bank mobile money service subscribers stood at 13.0 million, representing a 2.7 percent increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.

This shows that Malawi is making good strides in using mobile money services, which are key drivers of financial inclusion and catalysts for economic growth and development."

By George Mponda

Karonga, November 7, Mana: Mandala Beach Village Commitee (BVC) in Karonga, led by Group Village Head (GVH) Malema, has confiscated gear from fishermen who were catching fish without permits at Mandala Beach.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, GVH Malema said the Department of Fisheries empowered chiefs to formulate and enforce by-laws which will help conserve fish through the BVCs.

"All fishrmen are supposed to pay K40,000 annually for a fishing permit but most do not. That is why we embarked on this operation to seize fishing gears from those who do not have permits.

"With the help of officials from the district’s fisheries department and police we managed to confiscate gear from seven fishermen which was taken to the fisheries office," he said.

GVH Malema was amused that most of the fishermen who had their gears confiscated for failing to pay K40,000 have already paid a fine of K140,000 to reclaim their fishing gear.

Assistant Fisheries Officer for Karonga District Council, Patrick Moyo, said BVCs are empowered to help conserve fish stocks on Lake Malawi.

"At the moment we are in the closed season which started from November 1 to December 31. This is the breeding time for many fish on Lake Malawi. During this period, some fishing gears and methods are prohibited for example beach seine nets which are mostly used by these illegal fishers," said Moyo.

By Nandie Magomelo

Dedza, November 7, Mana: Students from St Joseph Teachers Training College in Dedza district on Wednesday afternoon staged a protest as a way of expressing anger over delayed monthly upkeep allowances.

Vice President for the student’s union, Adrina Chingoka, said in an interview after presenting their petition to Dedza District Council that four months have elapsed without getting their monthly upkeep allowances.

“Surprisingly, only 181 students out of 575 received their allowances in the past four months. The situation is hard for most of us especially female students as we are failing to purchase basic necessities,” she said.

Chingoka stated that inadequate kitchen utensils at the school also delay their class attendance.

The institution also faces scarcity of firewood forcing cooks to fetch firewood on their own.

She, therefore, called upon authorities to intervene and bring sanity at the institution.

Dedza District Council Director of Administration, Dr Chris Salaniponi, confirmed receiving the petition.

He assured the students that their concerns will be addressed as soon as possible.

“We will engage authorities at the college in a fact finding mission to address the current situation and come up with a suitable resolution,” he said.

By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, November 7, Mana: Chiefs in Salima have hailed environmental interventions in the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme, for assisting them restore their degraded landscapes.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency on Wednesday, Traditional Authority (TA) Maganga, highlighted tangible impacts witnessed in her area through the programme, citing that the geographical terrain of her area makes it prone to floods and water run offs.

She said before introduction of the programme the area was experiencing dwindling farm produce caused by water run offs.

She said most crops were swept away and even soil had lost fertility.

Maganga, therefore, said the tides are now changing since the inception of the programme in 2022 as community members are now practicing climate smart agriculture upon realizing how hazardous some of their farming practices were to the environment.

“Most farmers were not following recommended ridge alignment, they could plough their ridges in the opposite direction whereby, after rains, everything in their farms was washed away.

"Unnecessary cutting down of trees was worrisome, despite putting in place bylaws; people could still carelessly cut down trees. Charcoal production had taken a centre stage in my community.

“However, introduction of the programme has helped keeping the land covered, thereby improving soil fertility,” said Maganga.

Senior Chief Kambwiri expressed satisfaction with the programme saying his area has benefited from the work and people's livelihood have improved through the wages they receive.

"This programme is transformative because many households are benefiting. And after being paid, some are buying livestock’s, paying their children's school fees and buying food. We don’t take this for grante," he said.

He said, as a community leader, it pleases him to see his people benefiting from such programmes, which integrates community contribution and public works, because it instils a sense of responsibility in the beneficiaries.

"This is not a programme that distributes free things, but people have to show their responsibility by contributing towards environmental protection which will benefit everyone even those that are not participating in the programme directly," he said.

Senior Chief Kalonga described the programme’s system of beneficiary selection as good.

The programme uses the Unified Beneficiary Registry which assures everyone that the names of participants were not tampered with.

"We are satisfied with how names were selected into the programme and what is more pleasing is that participants work on fields of community members who are not in the programme, meaning that the benefits are shared evenly," he said.

The programme, which is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Programme (SSRLP Tidzidalire), is being implemented by the Malawi Government through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) and is being supported by the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

By Solister Mogha

Zomba, November 7, Mana: Preparations for this year's Poppy Day are currently underway at the war memorial tower in Zomba.

The day is held in honour of soldiers that fought in two world wars under the British Colonial Auxiliary Forces, the Kings African Rifles (KAR).

Malawi will on Sunday join the rest of the world in remembering the soldiers in the two world wars with Malawi Defence Force (MDF) taking charge of the ceremony.

MDF is, currently, doing rehearsals while other sectors such as the Department of Building is erecting tents in readiness for the event at the cenotaph at Cobbe Barracks in Zomba.

Poppy Day which is also known as 11,11 is a great day as it appreciates major contributions that soldiers made during the first and second world wars.

The day is set aside to pay homage to fallen heroes who took part in the two major wars and other MDFs peacekeeping mission in recent years.

MDF Public Relations Officer, Major Kelvin Emanuel Mlelemba, said preparations for the day are progressing well.

Mlelemba said, apart from celebrating Poppy Day, the ceremony will also mark 100 years since the memorial pillar was constructed in Zomba.

Major activities of the day include laying of wreath, interdenominational prayers and sounding of maroons in honour of fallen heroes.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, November 7, Mana: Communities in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mazengera in Lilongwe have started preparing nursery trees, under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSE-PWP) in order to prevent crops and their homes from floods during the rainy season.

In an interview on Wednesday during a media tour, Agriculture Extension Development Officer for Nyanja Extension Planning Area (EPA), Alepha Masaiti, said through CS-EPWP, communities have learnt that planting more trees assist in curbing effects of natural disasters such as floods.

Masaiti said trees have proven to be an important tool in bringing back degraded land as a result of uncontrolled running water from the mountain.

“Since we started planting trees through this programme, we have seen many places that were washed away by running water and had big gullies being restored. Farmers are now using such places for farming. We don’t want to lose our land because of gullies,” She said.

Masaiti said, apart from preparing their nurseries, CS-EPWP beneficiaries have also managed to construct stone bunds and swales to control running water.

She, therefore, urged beneficiaries to continue working hard in their fields so that the purpose of the programme is accomplished.

“This programme is for us. It is assisting us, so there is need to work hard because these trees, stone bunds and swales will help control land degradation, water conservation and control soil erosion hence giving us increased crop yield,” she said.

Lilongwe District Land Resource Conservation Officer, Setrida Mlamba, was impressed to see that almost all 23 catchment areas of the programme are registering progress.

“This programme is not only alleviating poverty but also conserving the environment. I am, therefore, optimistic that we will continue registering strides in the subsequent cycles of the programme," she said.

Government, through National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), increased the number of beneficiaries in Lilongwe with 4,812 bringing a total number of 29,440 beneficiaries from 24,628.

CS-EPWP is a major component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) which was established to promote rehabilitation of degraded micro-watersheds and restore natural resources.

By Wongani Mkandawire

Nkhotakota, November 7, Mana: Nkhotakota District Council says the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) retargeting exercise, it conducted, was successful, as majority of households were approved by the Council.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, Principal Social Welfare Officer for Nkhotakota, Osward Mwale, said despite an increase in the number of beneficiaries from 7,701 to 8,745, the exercise had little inclusion and exclusion errors.

“The retargeting exercise was successful, many of the selected households have already been approved by the Council. Other than the few errors we had in some centres of the system selecting some households already benefiting from the climate smart enhanced public works program; we can say the exercise was a success,” said Mwale.

Mwale expressed satisfaction with the use of the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) saying it was paramount as it has helped in terms of easy identification of households to benefit from the program.

District Commissioner for Nkhotakota, Ben Matengeni Tohno, said the Council’s intention was to have the rightful deserving people on board as beneficiaries of the program.

Beneficiaries in the World Bank funded SCTP, receive an average amount of K14,919 per household per month, to be able to meet their basic needs and build resilience.

By Prisca Promise Mashushu

Lilongwe, November 7, Mana: Partners in Action for Sustainable Development (PASD) has committed to help Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres with food in order to promote quality livelihood, growth and development of children amid hunger crisis in the country.

PASD Executive Director, Amos Ezekiel Chiyenda, said hunger which has affected some parts of the country has also impacted on children in ECD centres.

He said this greatly poses a threat to under-five children to suffer acute malnutrition which can lead to stunting, iron deficiencies and anaemia thereby affecting children’s physical, cognitive and emotional growth.

“As PASD, we are implementing school feeding program to respond to these challenges,” said Chiyenda.

PASD, with support from Feed the Hungry Malawi and Hope for Malawi Foundation is feeding 9,100 children with fortified rice every day in 120 Community Based Childcare Centres (CBCCs) in Traditional Authorities Malemia, Mlumbe, Nkapita, Ngwelero and Mwambo in Zomba district.

He said the CBCCs are just a portion of hundreds in Zomba district where children are learning without something to eat.

“We also bring together some local leaders including Members of Parliament and Community Based Organisation directors in one forum where we discuss and share ideas on sustainable means of addressing the issue to promote ECD in their areas,” he said.

He said several ECDs in the country are facing numerous challenges due to lack of support at community level.

He urged government and other organizations to help ECDs by implementing interventions that will address hunger at household level so that children will live a full life beginning from home.

“Additionally, Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, which is responsible for ECDs, should promote the idea of farming for each ECD centre to have maize, groundnuts and soya beans for children’s porridge, and introduce lunch so that children should not just eat breakfast and go home,” he explained.

ECD National Trainer, Khumbo Kachali, concurred with Chiyenda saying nutrition is prominent to children’s wellbeing.

“It is important to help manage hunger starting from communities where ECDs are located to avoid malnutrition, poor growth development among children and lack of concentration in class which leads to poor performance in schools.

“A special budget should be allocated to nutrition to promote health growth of children especially in rural areas. Children are leaders of tomorrow and their future begins now,” said Kachali.