Climate smart agriculture school opens in Mzimba
Honour2Life (H2L), a charity organisation from The Netherlands, has established Enyezini vocational training centre in Mzimba to teach communities climate smart agriculture technologies.
In an interview, H2L Malawi trustee Astrid Holtslag said they have established the centre after noticing high unemployment rates among the youth in the area.
She said: “We noticed that many students are idle after finishing their secondary school education. Others just opt for marriages.
“This is because there are no jobs or opportunities to further their education. We, therefore, decided to create jobs for them by establishing the vocational school.”
Holtslag said the centre will equip youths with entrepreneurship skills to enable them venture into farming as a business.
She also said the organisation has invested about K200 million in the project by setting up an irrigation system at the school with two water tanks and water basins.
“The irrigation system will support various farming activities on the site such as bamboo plantation and horticulture,” Holtslag said.
Enyezini College principal Rudahigwa Khonje said the institution has graduated 11 students since its establishment in April this year.
He said they plan to enrol 800 students annually with technical support from Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (Teveta).
Teveta executive director Wilson Makulumiza Nkhoma said his institution partnered the school to equip communities with various technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
“Community members will learn climate smart agriculture such as making organic manure,” he said.
M’mbelwa District Council director of administration Tamara Nyirongo said the new school will address unemployment in the district.
