Gift of the Givers Foundation has handed over a K26 million Area Initiative for Youngsters Development Opportunity (Aiydo) vocational training centre to group village head Minama in Traditional Authority (T/A) Malemia in Zomba District.
Speaking on Thursday during the handover, Gift of the Givers Foundation country manager Sherifa Mia said the initiative was one of their focus areas of human capital development.
She said the foundation has also provided teaching and learning materials such as furniture, sewing, welding machines and other equipment for a start.
Said Mia: “We have been helping Aiydo Community- Based Organisation [CBO] to set up the vocational school. We introduced the CBO to Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education Training Authority [Teveta] Authority who visited last year and advised them to move from where they were operating because the site was close to the road.
“So they found this structure which was not completed and we came in to complete it. We also renovated two other buildings based on Teveta’s requirement.”
She said the foundation will support the institution for five years, adding that they have this year injected about K10 million for salaries and procurement of some materials.
The centre’s board of trustees chairperson Robert Neba said the institution’s vision is not only to serve youths from Zomba but also from other districts.
“So far, we are providing two course, namely tailoring and fashion design and welding and fabrication. However, our vision is to expand and offer many courses including information and communications technology,” he said.
Zomba District Council youth mobilising officer Enock Chabwera said the centre will help break the poverty cycle among the youth.
