Plan International launches school project in Karonga

Plan International Malawi, in conjunction with Foundation for Community Support Services (Focus), has embarked on a safer school project in Karonga District to reduce risks and effects of disasters to school-going learners in the district.

The organisation’s programmes and sponsorship coordinator, Foster Mkandawire, said in an interview on Wednesday some schools in the district continue to suffer from the effects of earthquake that took place in 2009.

He said: “We observed that a number of primary schools in Karonga continue to face the effects of an earthquake that took place in the district six years ago, a development which is affecting their education.

“We, therefore, have identified nine schools from the area of Traditional Authority [T/A] Kyungu that are mostly prone to disasters, and we will build capacity of the schools for them to respond to any disaster.”

Mkandawire said some of the interventions include the establishment of disaster risk reduction clubs and evacuation centres as well as planting  trees.

Karonga district education manager (DEM) Scotch Kondowe commenting on the project asked stakeholders in disaster risk reduction to find other disaster risk reduction measures to reduce people’s vulnerability.

He said: “Many primary schools in the district were affected by cholera, a development that led to some learners lose interest in education.” n