EPWP preps on track in Phalombe

Phalombe district council has set household graduation from the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), Enhanced Pubic Work Programme (EPWP) as a priority to ensure that beneficiary households attain economic independence.

NLGFC Project Officer for EPWP in the district Smith Majoni made the indication in an interview on Tuesday while addressing stakeholders in Phalombe on the status of implementation of the EPWP.

According to Majoni emphasis on graduation comes as a measure of ensuring that Social Safety Net Programmes are benefitting a variety of households as opposed to the very same households, a thing he said will facilitate equal benefit to members of the communities.

Majoni also said the project has put further emphasis on Environmental Management Conservation activities such as land resource management and afforestation.

In Phalombe district five micro-catchments namely Machemba Hill, Migowi River, Sukasanje, Sombani-Nkhulambe and Malambwe were identified and currently 1000 beneficiaries from the vicinity of the catchments have been marked and verified.

“We identified our beneficiaries through the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) of the NLGFC and the Mthandizi Management Information Systems, and some of these beneficiaries went through a vetting process involving the Area Development Committees,” Majoni said, adding that beneficiaries to Migowi River and Sukasanje micro-catchments will be within a week.

Asked about measures put in place to ensure that this programme achieves desired beneficiary graduation, Majoni said two catchments of Migowi and Sombani in the areas of Traditional Authorities Kaduya and Nkhulambe respectively are going to pilot a savings and investment initiative facilitated by the Community Savings and Investments Promotion (COMSIP).

COMSIP Desk Officer for Phalombe Sydney Nkata said it is in EPWP implementation plans for the district to intensify savings and investment activities that will ensure sustainability of the developments that the NLGFC EPWP pilot will initiate to expected enhanced economic growth at household level.