Hunger Project touts epicentre strategy
The Hunger Project Malawi (THP) has said the epicentre strategy has proven to be one of the successful approaches towards reducing poverty levels among citizens in the country.
Speaking on Tuesday during a groundbreaking ceremony for Majete 5 epicentre in Kandeu village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Kasisi in Chikwawa, THP head of programmes Mackenzie Nkalapa said through the approach, peoples’ livelihoods in selected districts of the Southern and Central Region have been improved by bringing them closer to basic social amenities.
Nkalapa further said the Majete 5 project aims at giving communities in the area a meaningful livelihood other than encroaching in the Majete Game Reserve killing wildlife and cutting down trees for charcoal burning.
He said the K210 million project will comprises of a community hall, health centre inclusive of a maternity wing and two staff houses, early childhood development centre, adult literary centre, community food bank, village banking hall and electrification.
Chikwawa district council chairperson Dyson Manjolo said villagers travel up to eight kilometres to access a maize mill, charge phones and other services that require electricity.
“Worse still, the nearest public health facility is the Chikwawa District Hospital located about 30 kilometres away. This has resulted in unnecessary loss of lives including maternal and neonatal deaths,” he added.
He commended the community for contributing towards the project by providing bricks and sand.
Chief quality management officer in the Ministry of Health (South West Zone) Dr Malangizo Mbewe said the facility is expected to serve a population of close to ten million people in 18 villages.
According to Makenzie, the construction and running of the whole epicentre has been pegged at K876 million: “the other amount will be used to run the epicentre, train communities in financial management, business management and a startup capital until the epicentre graduate in eight years’ time.”
The project funded by Dioraphte of Netherlands is being carried out by Donekis Construction Company and it is expected to be completed by December this year.
THP has 12 epicentres in total, 10 in the Southern Region and two in the Centre.
The Majete 5 Epicentre which is going to be the 13th is the fifth epicenter to be constructed by the project in Chikwawa.
