Self-help initiative impresses ministry

The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare has expressed satisfaction with the dedication of communities in Chitipa District in implementing projects under self-help initiatives.

The ministry’s director of quality assurance Laurent Kansinjiro, speaking on Saturday after monitoring Community Development Month (CDM) initiatives in the district, said government usually commends development initiatives that follow a bottom-up approach, where communities identify and address their own needs through local interventions.

“In the development domain, we usually commend development projects that are initiated at grassroots level as they address issues which directly affect people themselves. This is exactly what is happening in Chitipa,” he said.

Kansinjiro speaks during the visit in Chitipa.

| Aliko Munde

Kansinjiro said that the ministry was impressed with the way communities had mobilised financial and material resources towards the construction

of community halls, school blocks and teachers’ houses, among others.

Chitipa district commissioner Charles Mhone said government encourages communities to initiate development projects before it comes in for complementation.

“At Ishalikila, the community has constructed a K43 million hall for the village development committee [VDC] and at Mkumbilende Junior Primary School, they constructed a classroom block and two teachers’ houses worth over K24 million. This is what government wants,” he said.

Mhone said the council will support Mkumbilende community through the Reformed K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to construct another classroom block, toilets and a water supply system.

Chitipa North legislator Fallles Mpoha Moyo (independent) commended government for introducing the reformed CDF, saying the initiative will help transform the face of Chitipa.

Ishalikila VDC chairperson Petros Mulenga said they decided to construct a community hall after realising that they lacked a safe place for holding community meetings

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