COMSIP COOPERATIVE
UNION LIMITED
NEWS
Irish Ambassador Commends Chankhalamu Cooperative’s Livelihood Successes
By Mercy Chaluma
Her Excellency Kate Brady, Ambassador of Ireland to Malawi, on tuesday visited Chankhalamu COMSIP Cooperative in GVH Chimduzi, Traditional Authority Chikulamayembe, to appreciate how member-led enterprises are strengthening household resilience and livelihoods.
Established in 2021 under the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) and registered as a COMSIP cooperative in 2024, the group has 40 members, including 25 women and 7 youth. Members have mobilized MWK 8.7 million in savings and diversified into groundnut production, Mbeya manure making, tailoring, and climate-smart maize farming.
Last season, the cooperative cultivated five hectares of maize and achieved an average yield of 10.5 bags per acre following nutrition and climate-smart agriculture training.
Touring pavilions showcasing the cooperative’s enterprises, Ambassador Brady praised the group’s progress and emphasized the importance of diversified livelihoods in helping households withstand future shocks, particularly the projected lean season between October 2026 and February 2027.
“There is a looming hunger period ahead, and diversified farming will be able to cushion families during that time,” she said.
Responding to requests for continued support, Ambassador Brady reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to Malawi’s development priorities, highlighting the importance of social protection programmes in reducing vulnerability and promoting resilience.
“Social support programmes are vital for the development of any country. I have seen first-hand how they help people in Ireland,” she said.
As a token of appreciation, cooperative members presented the Ambassador with a tin of groundnuts and a live chicken. She left encouraged by the group’s strong savings culture, innovation, and commitment to sustainable livelihoods.
Ireland is one of the donors of the SSRLP under the Social Protection Multi Donor Trust Fund, MDTF.
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