By Leah Malimbasa

Blantyre, July 18, Mana: Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare, Dr. Nertha Semphere Mgala has said the media plays a crucial role in advancing various interventions on social protection and women empowerment.

Mgala was speaking on Thursday in Blantyre during a media orientation on Social Protection, Gender Empowerment and Resilience (SP-GEAR) project, a new intervention aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by women and girls, ensuring they have better access to social services and economic opportunities.

"Your coverage can bring to light the struggles of beneficiaries and showcase the transformative impact of social protection programmes," said Mgala.

Mgala said by effectively disseminating information about social protection, journalists can mobilize resources and inspire action necessary for the project's sustainability and expansion.

"Through collaborative efforts with the media, we can ensure that these initiatives reach those who need them most," she said.

United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) Social Protection Specialist, Montse Penjuan concurred with Mgala and advised participants to continue being active players in the projects.

One of the participants, District Information Officer for Mulanje, Alex Chitwere said involvement of the media from the early stages of the project is a good approach because it will enable the media follow the implementation of SP- GEAR and collaborate with other stakeholders for the project to succeed.

“This will give us an opportunity to track the impact the project has made and we will be able to bring out positive stories from the beneficiaries.

“It is important that in the course of project implementation they should make deliberate efforts to fund communication activities in the districts where the project is being implemented,” he said.

The Ministry of Gender with support from the European Union and Government of Ireland

through UNICEF, is implementing the SP-GEAR and by integrating gender empowerment into the social protection framework, the project aims at building resilience and create a more equitable society.

Apart from orienting the participants on the new project, the Ministry also presented an overview of other existing social protection programmes.