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GIZ official hand over of 10 motor cycles for Nkhotakota and Nkhatabay district councils

GIZ officially handed over 10 motorcycles for Nkhotakota and Nkhata bay districts and the revised Community Development Assistants (CDAs) Curriculum to the Department of Community Development and Magomero community development Training College respectively, these were received by the Honourable Deputy Minister of Gender Community Development and Social welfare Hon.Agnes Nkusa Nkhoma M.P on behalf of the Ministry of Gender Community Development and Social Welfare at NACLAE on 8th JUNE 2022 in Lilongwe. GIZ- Green Innovation Centres project has been instrumental in supporting households In Nkhotakota and Nkhatabay with cassava processing and value addition technologies since 2020 with the overall aim of empowering women and youths to increase cassava production activities and promote various income generation around cassava. It is a common knowledge that poverty level in Malawi is very high with the current figures at 50.8% of the population living below the poverty line. Apparently, there are more poor people in rural areas around 56.6% than the urban areas around 19.2% according to NSO statistics. Hence the donated motorcycles will help increase the efforts to reduce poverty by providing mobility to Community Development frontline staff, who are duty bound to assist the grass root communities.

Community development has always been instrumental in the delivery of the much required services that are geared to rekindle the mindset change. During the handover ceremony the Deputy Minister highlighted those various interventions aimed at reducing poverty are being implemented by Community development against the backdrop of various challenges such as lack of proper housing, high vacancy rate and inadequate transport among others. The deputy Hon. Minister was pleased to preside over the function which represented a significant stride in addressing the transport problems.

Furthermore, the minister stated that the donation indicates the commitment of both government and non-state actors to alleviate transport problems to enable officers access hard to reach areas where extension services are needed most. She then called upon other partners to emulate this good example.  The gesture is in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the pillar number one in the Mw 2063 agenda which advocates for mindset change and this is only possible when rural masses are reached with extension messages. The reviewed CDAs curriculum has aspects of natural resource management, climate change and gender. The Green innovation centres for the Agricultural and food sector team leader Alexandra Farrington- Schomburg said the development of the reviewed curriculum is one way of sustaining the gains the project has registered through Magomero College and the CDAs structure we can actually achieve more. It was important to review the curriculum to match with the increased knowledge, technology and globalization. The past skills keep on loosing relevance at the fast rate the Hon. Deputy Minister said. 

On a separate note, the Minister thanked German government through GIZ for supporting the review of CDAs curriculum with resources and technical know-how. This gesture she said will produce a long-lasting impact on the development of communities because it will set an effective and robust –work force that will not be challenged.

Speaking at the same function, the Director of community development Mrs. Clotilda Sawasawa on behalf of the Principal Secretary and the Principal for Magomero Community Training College MS Thokozani Mtapaonga thanked GIZ for the good relationship that exists with the Department. They also emphasized that the donations will be put to the intended purposes.

Lastly, the Hon. Deputy Minister appealed to Community Development staff to take care of motorcycles so that they outlive their economic life and benefit communities to the maximum. She, along with the Director of community development Mrs. Clotilda Sawasawa and the Principal for Magomero Community Training College MS Thokozani Mtapaonga thanked GIZ for the good relationship and also assured the audience that the donations will be put to the intended purposes. She finally thanked others invited guests including the District Commissioners for the two Districts, DCDOs, Community Development Officers and Magomero Community Development Training College staff for patronizing the event.

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