By Mary Makhiringa
Balaka, Mana: World Vision Malawi has been hailed for child protection and livelihood resilience programs that the organization implemented in the area of Traditional Authority Nkaya in Balaka.
Speaking during closure of 15years programs implementation in child protection, agriculture, wealth creation, that World Vision has been championing in the area, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Professor Blessings Chinsinga said the program has improved the lives the two communities.
Chinsinga said government recognizes the various efforts that World Vision contributes to the national agenda.
“World Vision has been in Nkaya for 15 years which is a very long time, and the people of this area should count themselves lucky.
“Now that the NGO is moving out, the communities need to sustain the interventions that were being implemented as development is best driven by communities. What is encouraging is that the beneficiaries have demonstrated how they will sustain the interventions.
“We have all heard how children were being protected from various harms, they have been taught the bible, they know the word of God, those that left school for marriages were withdrawn and sent back to school, those with dreams, were helped to live their dreams, this is commendable,” said Chinsinga.
The Minister further called upon the council to work hand in hand with communities to make sure that the interventions continue to benefit the communities.
Speaking during the function Country Director for World Vision Malawi Francis Duwe said they leave Nkaya happy and content knowing the communities will continue with the interventions for their well-being and that of their children.
“In 2007, we found a lot of children malnourished; it was as low as 49.9 percent. We quickly jumped in, and as I speak now, we leave the area with only 30 percent of the children malnourished.
“This is not the best, but we are happy that we leave the area better than before and that the community now has the knowledge to make the situation even better,” he said.
Duwe further disclosed that people’s lives have also been improved as households have been drilled in goat farming through pass on program which was ongoing.
“In 2007, 33 percent of the total community population had access to portable clean water, but as we speak 97 percent of the people have good drinking water from the many boreholes that we have drilled,” he said.
Felix Shanda, Chairperson of a special committee which was formed to oversee activities of the project at the end of the programing revealed that the project started with 4663 families in 2007 but had grown to 6781 families whose lives had improved.
“There was too much poverty in this area; with the coming in of World Vision Malawi, the organization has been distributing food, and mosquito nets for our well-being, and then we were drilled in various skills as a households, integrated homestead farming, care group formation which has helped us a lot, and we say thank you to World Vision,” he said.
