Kalomo women empowered

OVER 2000 women in Kalomo district of Southern province have been given a non- refundable grant of K2,700.00 per each extreme poor household to engage themselves in income generating activities.

Witnessing the official hard cash out to the beneficiaries yestersday, Kalomo district commissioner, Cosmas Chiiba said government was awake to the challenges vulnerable households face in communities, hence its gesture to come to their aid to increase access to their livelihood.

The Supporting Women’s Livelihood (SWL) initiative, a component of the Girl’s Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood programme (GEWEL) has dished out cash to 2,774 beneficiaries in all the three chiefdoms of Kalomo district.

District community development officer, Bright Chooma says the imitative is to put extremely poor households who were on the social cash transfer scheme (SCT) to escape poverty and sustainably support themselves in a variety of income generating activities of their own choice.

He said the beneficiary criterion was based on female households aged between 19 and 64 who were benefiting from the SCT programme. By press time a total of 1,661 women got their grants under the payment providers, the United Bank of Africa (UBA) alongside Natsave , Zamtel and Airtel money mobile services.

Each beneficiary household has undergone a 21 day business and savings skills training and formed voluntary loan clubs to revolve their monies from intended income generating activities they may venture into and given mobile cell phones for continuous monitoring of the project’s progression impact on their livelihoods

Meanwhle, Kalomo – Zimba Women Association (KAZIWA) coordinator, Vanny Sianalucha has welcomed government’s move to assist vulnerable women households in communities.