ActionAid bemoans ‘stubborn’ poverty levels
ActionAid Malawi (AAM) says poverty remains stubbornly pervasive in most communities in the country.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Monday when the organisation courted donors, partners and individuals of goodwill to partner with in responding to factors that fuel poverty, AAM executive director Grace Malera said the situation is undermining citizens’ rights, including the right to human dignity.
She said this is why Malawi and the world formulate policies such as the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to allow non-State actors to respond by aligning their interventions to both the domestic and global aspirations.
Said Malera: “AAM is now finalising the development of a Country Strategy Paper (CSP) V, Action for Social Justice that builds onto the previous ones while contributing to the targets enshrined in both the SDGs and MGDS III.”
She also bemoaned “weak mechanisms” for transparency, accountability and inclusivity in public finance management which, she said, are worsening the education and health situation in the country.
In her remarks, AAM head of fundraising and communications Tiwonge Kumwenda Simkonda said they have achieved and registered numerous things with financial support from donors, leading to progress in the fight against poverty and injustice.
“We have one of the most robust financial systems to ensure that donor resources reach the intended purpose,” she said.
Since 1991, AAM has worked with various donor partners such as the Global Fund, Roger Federer Foundation, Norad, Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), European Union (EU), Unicef, Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), Tilitonse Fund, World Food Programme(WFP) and some individual sponsors.
The organisation is now seeking partners with whom it can work with for the next five years (2018-2023). n
