Sustainability efforts impress EU

European Union (EU) Ambassador Rune Skinnebach says he is impressed with Malawi’s efforts to maintain various projects expected to lead to self-reliance as envisaged in the Malawi 2063 development plan.

The EU envoy said this in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of his visit to Chikwawa District to appreciate how a school-feeding programme being implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) was progressing and to assist Tropical Storm Ana survivors.

Skinnebach said it was also impressive to see how funds from the EU were put to good use in such interventions, especially when there is real impact on the ground.

He said: “Sustainability in a country like Malawi is when the population or government can provide services without our interventions. So, this is what we are hoping for could happen.

“It’s always satisfying to see that European taxpayer’s money is put to good use and particularly when you see that it is making a difference in people’s lives.”

Skinnebach said while the feeding programme is not addressing all challenges, it was still able to address some fundamental issues, including encouraging children to be attending classes since there is provision of food.

He said while children are the future in any society, they do not need education alone, thereby underscoring the importance of the feeding programme to complement efforts to learn.

Further, Skinnebach hailed the commitment by relevant authorities working on the feeding programme.

He, however, said the EU expects that it can reach a sustainable arrangement with government so that at some point they can take over the programme in all the districts.

In a separate interview, Chikwawa District chief education officer Macshades Dakamau said the programme has helped retain children in school.

He said there were182 schools in the district, but only 152 benefit from the programme.

However, Dakamau said the use of some schools in the district as camps for flood survivors is causing confusion, therefore, expressed optimism that a solution will be found in the long run.

Mercy Chimpeni, one of the flood survivors whose child is a beneficiary of the feeding programme, described the programme as important, saying it has helped her children in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ana.