ActionAid intensifies 50-50 campaign
ActionAid Malawi has embarked on a nationwide message translation project to enable aspiring women to participate in Tripartite Elections in 2019.
The messages are being translated from English and Chichewa to Chiyao, Chilomwe, Chisena, Chi tumbuka, among other languages spoken by Malawians.
Speaking in an interview last week in Mangochi District during the translation exercise, ActionAid Malawi communications officer Fletcher Simwaka said the initiative is aimed at addressing political gender disparity so that there is equal male and female political representation.
He said: “The current female representation in politics at local council and national assembly is not a good reflection of gender equality, a situation which bars women from contributing to national development.”
Simwaka said his organisation, in partnership with Centre for Civil Society, is championing the 50-50 campaign to ensure that many women sible take part in national development through political participation.
“We will roll out many activities nationwide. We want to ensure that may women take part in Tripartite Elections in 2019. we want to change the current where we have only 15 percent of female parliamentarians,” said Simwaka.
On her part, group village head Chipeta from Traditional Authority (T/A) Mponda, asked women in the district to take advantage of the support given by various organisations in the district.
The project is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy. n
