Malawi National Social Support Programme II (MNSSP II 2018).

This National Social Support Programme is the second document developed by the Government of Malawi to confirm its commitment to delivering social support by (i) providing income and consumption transfers to the poor and food insecure; (ii) protecting the vulnerable against livelihood risks; and (iii) enhancing the social status and rights of the marginalized. The first Malawi National Social Support Programme (MNSSP) was developed in 2013. It is a 5-year nationwide sectoral document aiming at reducing poverty and enable the poor to move out of vulnerability in order to achieve the Vision of an enhanced quality of life for those suffering from poverty and hunger, and improved resilience for those who are vulnerable to risks and shocks. To achieve the aforementioned goal and Vision, the following strategic objectives have to be realized (i) provide welfare support to those who are unable to construct viable livelihoods; (ii) protect the assets and improve the resilience of poor and vulnerable households; (iii) improve the productive capacity and asset base of poor and vulnerable households; and (iv) establish coherent and progressive social support synergies between economic and social policies and disaster risk reduction. Three thematic pillars have been identified and most households require support across the three pillars, they are: Pillar 1: Consumption support to enable households to meet their basic needs; Pillar 2: Resilient livelihoods support to develop viable livelihood strategies such as training and facilitating the access pro-poor markets; and Pillar 3: Shock-sensitive social protection to ensure protection against shocks by preventing, mitigating, and, if needed, responding swiftly to shocks.
To help eliminate hunger and food insecurity, the MNSSP II focuses on (i) the Social Cash Transfer Programme, public works programs and school meal programs to reduce consumption gaps by providing food and/or cash transfers; (ii) improved access to services that contribute to resilient livelihoods including nutrition; and (iii) promotion of resilience to shocks in anticipation and prepare for shocks by planning and coordinating interventions in advance of shocks, also concerning food.
To make agriculture more productive, the document suggests to promote resilience to shocks in anticipation and prepare for shocks by planning and coordinating interventions in advance of shocks regarding, for example, seasonal patterns of production.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, main interventions aim at (i) creating links between programs that support income generating activities, especially in the agricultural sector; (ii) facilitating the expansion of the coverage of savings and loan groups, by improving the availability of and access to pro-poor micro-finance; (iii) promoting local procurement to develop productive communities and markets; (iv) linking MNSSP II beneficiaries to programs and services that provide agricultural support, such as the Farm Input Subsidy Programme and agricultural extension services; and (v) increasing the voice and participation of women across the different parts of MNSSP II.
Resilience of livelihoods to disasters will be increased by the development of a shack-sensitive social protection system that meets seasonal needs, prepares for responds to unpredictable shocks in cooperation with the humanitarian sector and support recovery and the return to regular programming. This pillar is applicable to every sector, such as agriculture, food, health, work, etc.