Communities hail resilience project

Community members in Mzimba North have hailed the K380 million Mlumikizi Project, saying it has transformed their lives. 

The project targets 5 568 vulnerable households under the social cash transfer programme in traditional authorities (T/As) Mtwalo, Kampingo Sibande, Jaravikuba and Mpherembe who invested in climate smart agriculture with their monthly earnings.

Speaking on Monday when Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Livingstonia Development Department conducted a project exit meeting in T/A Kampingo Sibande, beneficiary Rochius Munthali said his family is now food secure.

He said: “We used to face hunger because we relied on rain-fed agriculture.

“But now I acquired a solar pump and I grow crops such as tomatoes, maize, vegetables and bananas using irrigation.”

Munthali also said he was able to pay school fees for his children from vegetable sales. 

Another beneficiary, Violet Lungu, said she bought iron sheets  with earnings from farm produce.

She also said she joined village savings and loans groups when the project was established.

“From the savings, I bought bags of fertiliser for my maize garden,” said Lungu.

Synod of Livingstonia Development Department executive director Kenneth Sakala said the pro-resilience project sought to empower social cash transfer beneficiaries to use the money to graduate from poverty.

“The project has trained beneficiaries in village savings and loans, nutrition, irrigation agriculture, disaster and environment management,” he said.

The three-year project was being funded by the European Union through Christian Aid.