Using Disaster Risk Financing to Build Adaptive Social Protection for Climate Shocks in Malawi : Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods - 2021 to 2025

Overview & Synopsis

The Government of Malawi (GoM) has put in place a mechanism that enables two flagship programs - the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) and the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Program (CS-EPWP) - to scale up when shocks occur. Making these programs shock-responsive is a key strategic pillar of the government’s Disaster Risk Financing Strategy. A scalable mechanism linked to the SCTP was first implemented during the 2021/22 rainfall season in three districts; it covered 74,000 poor and vulnerable households that were eligible to receive a cash transfer in the event of a shock. By 2024/25, the mechanism had been expanded to eight districts and covered 140,000 households enrolled in the SCTP or CS-EPWP. The mechanism has also lead to investments in digital targeting and payments systems and implementation procedures whose value goes beyond these specific districts. The long-term goal is to make it a nationwide mechanism.