Community members in Traditional Authority Mazengera in Lilongwe have embarked on various initiatives to enhance their livelihood courtesy of World Vision’s livelihood and resilience project.
Under the project, beneficiaries ventured into livestock production, crop production and businesses.
At Jontcho Village, Damiano Sepitala, 41, has grown cassava in a garden that stretches about three acres.
In an interview on Monday, he said World Vision’s livelihood officers motivated him to grow cash crops to improve his household income.
“As you can see, my garden is the envy of people in the village. I expect to get at least K10 million after selling cassava,” he said.
Sepitala said he invested a lot in his cassava business because his vision is to generate enough money to invest in other businesses.
He said: “I discovered that cassava farming was lucrative business, only that people grow it on small pieces of land.
“So, I decided to do something extraordinary. Grow cassava on a big land.”
Another beneficiary Jennifer Mwale, 33, from Chakhaza Village, is running a tea-room business.
She is also a member of Pamwala-Joshua Savings for Transformation club, a group of 30 community members that came together in 2023 to save money.
Mwale, who opened the shop in January 2023, is now a household name in the village and beyond for her diligence in serving customers with hot tea.
She said: “Life was tough. I had no means to generate money. But then, I joined the group and World Vision taught us how to transact business.
“I learned that I could venture into a small-scale business to support myself.”
After saving money for a year, Mwale opened the tea-room
