EU supports Covid-19 prevention

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations Children’s Fund are working with the Malawi Government to enhance hygiene and sanitation practices for Covid-19 awareness and prevention among farming communities.

The $950,000 financial assistance under the European Union funded Afikepo and Kulima projects will be used to provide hand-washing buckets, soap and information materials to rural farming communities.

FAO head of project coordination Luis Amaya Ortiz said the project is expected to help households adopt better Covid-19 preventive behaviour.

He said: “With the distribution of inputs and additional information materials to enhance personal protection, it is expected that households adopt better preventive behaviour and can continue engaging in food production activities.”

The provisions include 52 951 hand-washing buckets to care group volunteers and 1 000 units for farmer field schools, 799 820 bars of soap, 52 000 posters and 470 000 leaflets. The initiative aims to improve Covid-19 awareness and contribute to the prevention of transmission for 578 455 households in Chitipa, Karonga, Mzimba, Nkhata Bay, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Salima, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe, Zomba, Neno and Blantyre Rural.