DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) has finished the livelihood assistance which determines the kind of help needed by households.
The DPMO finished conducting their third Seasonal Livelihood (SLP) The office conducted its third SLP at Lomahasha Inkhundla.
SLP supports tailored response plans at sub-national levels by linking the communities and partners to deliver complementary programmes. SLP is a tool to identify short and long-term interventions suited to a variety of contexts of the community.
According to the DPMO the benefits of the SLP and of the SLP Programme were a wide range, and they were made to strengthen projects implemented in the district.
DPMO Communication’s Officer Mihla Khumalo said they strengthened coordination amongst stakeholders in the district, and promote complementarity of projects implemented in the district.
“SLP ensures the effective use of scarce resources further ensures districts come up with comprehensive plans for the benefit of communities. They basically promote increased community participation, thereby promoting programme sustainability,” said Mihla.
In addition, he said it improved coordination amongst various development partners which ensures linkages between people’s livelihoods and their environment.
The week long programme involved both Lomahasha and Kashewula constituencies. The programme was implemented by the DPMO in collaboration with the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, UNESWA (University of Eswatini) and the World Food Programme.
The Seasonal Livelihood Programming involved the community at grass roots level by as they contributed their knowledge about their communities in order to come up with tailor made responses and mitigation initiatives which the adequately inform government and other stakeholders.
The final tool profiles communities according to their vulnerability based on food security, status and shock.
The SLP tool further helps in leveraging resources and lays foundation from grassroots up to Inkhundla level so that some interventions could be community driven in order to build resilient.
Lomahasha Member of Parliament Ndumiso Masimula urged the community to make use of this opportunity and further thanked government for availing this initiative and involving the community in coming up with sustainable results.
“This project will bring the community into one, the community members are urged to grab this opportunity from the government and use it wisely,” he said. He further emphasised that this would bring more relevant results for the community. The project will be piloted in 19 Tinkhundla across the country and already three have been covered in Nhlambeni, Mbabane West and Lomahasha.
