Germany gives Malawi K30bn health grant

The German Government through its KfW Development Bank has extended a 16 million euro (about K30 billion) grant to the Malawi Government to support sexual and reproductive health services.

The funds will be used in the implementation of Phase III of a reproductive health programme locally known as N’zatonse III being implemented by Family Health Services (FHS), formerly Population Services International (PSI) Malawi.

Speaking during the signing of a memorandum of understanding, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda hailed Germany for its continued support towards health service delivery in the country.

He said Malawi will put the funds to their intended purpose.

Said Chithyola Banda: “We want to regain the donor confidence that the money given to us is used for the intended purpose that is why we are going to use these funds according to the understanding signed here today.”

Chipping in, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said N’zatonse Programme started in 2018 and has led to improved uptake of modern contraceptives by women and adolescents.

She said: “The N’zatonse Programme has challenged harmful cultural norms through its outreach services. With the mobile clinics that will be introduced as part of this programme, we expect improved access to reproductive services for the youth which will in turn reduce population growth and teen pregnancies.”

Currenlty, the population growth rate is at 2.6 percent while teen pregnancy is at 29 percent.

German Ambassador Ute Konig said the project will be implemented in 10 districts where mobile clinics will operate.

She said: “We are literally reducing the distance and barriers for the youth in rural areas to access sexual and reproductive health services, thus supporting the youth to make informed choices about their bodies and consequently, their future.”

The beneficiary districts are Nsanje, Thyolo, Neno, Blantyre and Machinga in the Southern Region, Ntcheu, Ntchisi and Lilongwe in the Central Region and Mzimba and Rumphi in the North.

The signing ceremony was also attended by KfW country director Daniella Bese and officials from the ministries of Health and Finance as well as the Germany Embassy.