By Rennie Tembo

Lilongwe, February 23, Mana: Opportunity International Malawi (OIM) is set to introduce a project targeting the ultra-poor in Lilongwe with an aim of improving household livelihood in rural areas in the district.

Speaking in Lilongwe on Thursday during an interface meeting with stakeholders, OIM Country Director, Richard Chongo, said the project will benefit 120 households to the tune of K402 million in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Masula in the district.

Chongo said, despite government and other non governmental organisations assisting the ultra-poor with different interventions, there is still need for other players to come in and assist government in its quest to improve the status of the people especially in rural areas.

“As OIM, we will be working with female headed households with exceptions in some cases where the household is headed by a male child under the age of 18.

“The targeted households will be given K30,000 cash per month for six months with additional assets such as goats or pigs worth K350,000 per household to help them improve their livelihoods,” he said.

Chongo said they intend to achieve the project goals through the use of case workers employed by OIM who will help to provide adequate support to the beneficiaries. Each worker will support at least 30 households.

Lilongwe District Council Chief Economist, Dumisani Chiwala, thanked OIM for the initiative saying there are still many vulnerable people who need such assistance for their day to day living.

Chiwala urged OIM to follow government social support policies in identifying beneficiaries saying that is the only way of making sure that the project contributes to the Malawi 2063 blueprint through medium term implementation plan.

“I also call upon all those who will benefit from this project to make sure they use the support for the intended purpose so that poverty levels should be reduced,” he said.

According to OIM, 63 percent of people living in Lilongwe rural live below the poverty line.

Usiwa Watha Ultra Poor Project was also implemented in Blantyre rural in TA Machinjiri and TA Makata in Ndirande where many households have now graduated from poverty.