K40m fund to empower Neno communities

Neno District Council has disbursed K40 million from Community Environmental Conservation Funds to communities in Traditional Authority Chekucheku for them to set up small-scale businesses.

The revolving funds will be provided to 17 village level action plan members of Chekucheku Catchment involved in landscape restoration programmes under Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (Mwasip).

Speaking on Tuesday during the presentation of the funds at Kaponda School, Neno district commissioner Hudson Kuphanga encouraged the beneficiaries to venture into enterprises that will transform their lives.

He said the funds are meant to help communities uplift their livelihoods as they continue to implement sustainable land management activities.

“I encourage you to continue working hard in conserving the environment that has been degraded in the district so that in two or so years, the environment should be restored,” said Kuphanga.

The project’s business planning and management consultant Aeckim Kumwenda stressed the need to follow guidelines that will be determined by the communities so that the funds can grow to reach more people.

Neno North legislator Thoko Tembo (Democratic Progressive Party) said the initiative is a good incentive to the community as Neno is grappling with deforestation.

He said the funds will help people work hard on initiatives to restore the environment as communities have been empowered with capital to venture into good businesses that do not harm the environment.

“The problem has been that people had no capital and they resorted to cutting trees for charcoal,” Tembo  said.

Neno Mwasip district project coordinator Vincent Sambuka said the members received the funds upon successful implementation of sustainable land management activities in their catchment area.