Livelihoods Support Program registers 102 cooperatives

The Livelihoods Support Program being implemented by COMSIP Cooperative Union Limited has facilitated the registration of 102 cooperatives from savings and loan groups under the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project.

The registration of the cooperatives by the ministry of trade and industry followed training on Cooperative Member Education to clusters that showed potential to graduate into cooperatives.

In an interview, the cooperatives coordinator in the programme Anne Nyirenda said the registration of cooperatives is a commendable achievement as cooperatives are a vehicle for economic empowerment.

“The major output of the livelihoods Support Programme is to achieve economic empowerment of the vulnerable in society who are in social protection programmes and cooperatives are the means,” she said.

Nyirenda said cooperatives ensure bargaining power, access to diversified income generating activities, and provision of autonomous and independence.

She said “now that the groups have been registered, we are training them in Cooperatives Management so that they are equipped with the relevant knowledge on managing and running the cooperative business and its operations.

One of the groups that has been certified is Kathumba cooperative which was formed as an SLG on 21st April, 2021 under the SSRLP and is made up of beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Programme.

The 54 members of the group (37 females, 17 males) are into farming and livestock group business which according to the caseworker for the area Rebecca Munthali “is doing well.”

Munthali praised the group, saying it is one of her vibrant groups in her area amassing savings amounting to MK5,712,419 in the three years.

She said, “this is a vibrant group that is doing well in group business, and with their registration I believe they will achieve more”.

COMSIP Cooperative Union Limited is a union of savings and investment cooperatives registered in 2007 under the Cooperative Societies Act No. 36 of 1998.