Development structures in Mzimba District have pledged to involve the youth, children, women and people with disabilities when formulating development plans and implementing them to ensure that no one is left behind.
They expressed the sentiments on Saturday during a meeting on gender-transformative and youth-inclusive democracy organised by Oxfam in Malawi and Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Wolrec) in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi in the district.
In his remarks, Chindi Area Development Committee chairperson Chalwita Nkhonjera said the engagement helped committee members to appreciate the importance of inclusive participation in development.
“Sometimes we exclude the views of women on matters that concern them. Likewise, we bypass youths and people with disabilities when implementing projects. Now we know that we must incorporate their views in whatever we do,” he said.
Nkhonjera said the committee will share the lessons with village development committees and encourage them to involve community members in identifying priorities.
Committee member Shawadzi Champhuntha said they had not received such training since they were elected.
“We learned how to conduct community development meetings, articulate issues and ensure equitable development. This meeting will enhance inclusivity in development implementation,” he said.
Mzimba District Civil Society Organisations Network chairperson Kayiwonanga Gondwe said inclusive planning can improve ownership of projects and reduce conflicts that arise when communities feel excluded from development processes.
M’mbelwa District Council gender officer Jessie Mwanza said community development can only be meaningful if people from different groups are given opportunities to contribute to decisions affecting their communities.
“Communities implement projects based on people’s needs. But to ensure inclusivity, we need to incorporate the views of all people on how we develop our projects. We also need to push for the 60-40 gender balance to ensure we also promote women in decision-making bodies even in ADCs,” she said.
Oxfam in Malawi and Wolrec are implementing the project with funding from the European Union.
