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US to continue funding Malawi’s rural communities

US has been promoting small businesses
US has been promoting small businesses

The US government says it will continue to fund projects in rural areas of Malawi through the ambassadors’ Self Help Programme as one way of taking Malawians out of the poverty trap.

The help will be critical because 85 percent of Malawi’s population live sin rural areas and most are failing to diversity out of agriculture, which is the main source of livelihood.

The Ambassadors Self Help Fund Programme in Malawi started in 1966 and was designed to support community-driven developments that address grassroots economic and social problems.

Through the fund, the US government has been providing small grants to communities all over Malawi.

“While grants and the project support are not the largest in which we are involved, they are crucial to the communities in which they take place. We are very happy to see the commitment of Malawians to uplifting living standards in their communities,” said Michael Gonzeles, US charge-d-Affaires and deputy chief of mission.

“We believe these projects will be a catalyst for the sustainable transformation of many communities as they have a huge impact in education, health and economic status.”

The US government has just presented grants amounting to K19 million to nine organisations drawn from across the country to help more Malawians to graduate from poverty to prosperity.

Gonzales said the small grants have the potential to increase community’s access to clean and safe water, enabling communities to, among others, generate income by adding value to agriculture produce such making fruit juice and honey.

He said over the years, the grants have enabled people in rural areas to transform their lives. Among others, the communities have established solar hatching facilities within their rural set up, improving their livelihoods.

Figures show that using the grants, the projects undertaken have benefited over 12 500 people in Mzimba, Rumphi, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Salima, Zomba and Blantyre.

Out of the nine recipients of the grants, four are from the north, two in the south and three in the centre.

The community organisations that benefited from this latest grant include Bolero Secondary School which received $6 000, Tiwonge Mothers Hatchery $5 600, Kapichira Water Project pocketed $5 900 and Khosolo Water Sanitation and Hygiene Project was a warded $6 050.

Others are Mpoto Bee Keeping Cooperative which received $6 700, Msalura Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) got $4 800, Sadzi CDSS $4 750, the Rehab Clinic Project $6 900 and Tiyamike Women’s Juice Making Project were given $3 300, making a total of $50 000 (about K19 million).

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