UNFPA donates vehicle to Dedza District Council

UNFPA through the Action for Teen Mothers and Adolescent Girls Project has donated a Toyota Land Cruiser TX valued at K45 million to Dedza District Council.

The United Nations Population Fund agency also donated two desktop computers, two printers and two uninterruptible power supply devices to the council.

Speaking during the handover ceremony on Saturday, UNFPA Malawi officer-in-charge Miranda Tabifor said they wanted to solve mobility challenges at the council.

She said: “Our assessment of the district showed that girls aged between 15 and 18 form 22 percent of women who are pregnant, which has contributed to high school dropout rate.

“Through the project, we want to empower girls who dropped out to return to school and complete their studies.”

Dedza district commissioner Emmanuel Bambe said the vehicle has come at the right time when the council was failing to implement various interventions due to transportation challenges.

He said in 2020 when schools closed as a Covid-19 precautionary measure, the district registered many teen pregnancies.

“With the vehicle, we will be able to reach out to the girls in hard-to-reach areas,” said Bambe.

The four-year project is being implemented in the district with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

The project seeks to promote sexual and reproductive health rights of teen mothers and adolescent girls aged between 10 and 24.