Save the Children has expressed optimism that its Resilient Economic Development Gains (Red) project will continue to empower and transform people’s lives in traditional authorities (T/As) Chikowi and Mbiza in Zomba District.
The project started in 2019 and targeted communities in areas such as household income and expenditure on children, improved diets from sustainable food systems and disaster management.
Speaking on Thursday during a close out project meeting in Zomba, Save the Children Red project manager Macpherson Kapalamula said they implemented a number of livelihood and environmental conservation interventions in the areas.
He said: “We wanted to promote food security, financial sustainability and build resilience against disasters. At the time we are phasing out the project, 814 households are practising climate-smart agriculture.
“To ensure families generate income through farming, they are growing crops such as ground nuts, soy beans and pigeon peas. We also introduced a goat pass-on project and connected farmers to markets.”
Kapalamula said the project also encouraged people to eat six food groups to beat malnutrition.
“We believe that beneficiaries will sustain the gains because we trained local structures in ever
intervention we implemented. On his part, Zomba District Council youth mobiliser Enock Chabwera thanked Save the Children for training 300 youths in vocational and entrepreneurship trades.
“These youths are now economically independent. Some of them opened their workshops and have created employment for others,” he said.
Zomba District Council nutrition, HIV and Aids officer Naomi Kanyimbiri said Save the Children introduced inclusive nutrition interventions which the council has since adopted.
“Previously, we did not include children with disabilities in our programming, but we are now targeting them, thanks to Save the Children,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Patricia Tombolombo from Namalika Village, T/A Chikowi in the district, said the project enabled her to take care of her child with disability.
