By Solister Mogha

Zomba, September 3, Mana: Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programeme (CSEPWP) participating communities in Zomba have hailed government for the timely payment of their wages saying this will help them to meet basic needs such as food.

Speaking Tuesday after receiving her wages, Regina Saiti of Chikwekwe Village at Thondwe in the district said her family was in acute shortage of food and described the support a life saver.

“Honestly I did not have food for today and the whole of this week. However, God has answered my prayer. From here I will immediately be going straight to the market to buy maize,” added Saiti.

She said working in CS-EPWP has more benefits to the communities as well at individual households and promised that she will dedicate herself to work in the next cycle for another pay.

“Major activities in the programme are about sustainable land management and they are of direct benefit to us,” Saiti explained.

Frolence Mpinda of Mwamadi Village who also received her wages said would use the money she received to buy food for her family, saying for the past two weeks she survived on piece work to make ends meet.

She also hailed the CS-EPWP for providing the money, saying this was timely and beneficial to her family.

Director of Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources, Linda Mphande said the money was relief to families affected by hunger.

Mphande said most farming families did not harvest enough food in the last growing season and described interventions like the CS-EPWP as of great importance.

“I salute the government for programmes such as CS-EPWP.  Apart from sustainable land management interventions, people can use the money received to buy food,” she said.

CS-EPWP Desk Officer for Zomba, Chimwemwe Chimbaza said a total of 19, 597 beneficiaries will receive their wages.