25 Dedza villages awarded for hygiene

Dedza District Council on Monday awarded certificates of achievement to 25 villages in Traditional Authority Chilikumwendo in the district for good hygiene.

Dedza district commissioner Lawford Palani said the villages were awarded because they responded positively to a sanitation and open defecation free campaign that is being championed by Concern Universal and the district council.

Palani said: “The awards aim at commending the villagers for joining our efforts to promote good hygiene. All families in the 25 villages have toilets, unlike a few years ago when they were using bushes for defecation. The partnership between Dedza District Council and Concern Universal is making progress because of villagers such as these.”

On top of the certificates, the council also donated buckets and hoes to the villages.

Group Village Head Chimphangu, whose village was one of the awardees, said the certificate will motivate more villagers to resist from open defecation and start using toilets.

“The certificate will not make us relax in our efforts to improve sanitation, but we will do even better,” he said.

According to Chimphangu, 10 villages under his jurisdiction earned the award.