Malawi News – Governement Thanks Organisations for Constructing a Multipurpose Centre to Help People of Kapeni Area.
BY JUSTICE MPONDA.
The Government has thanked Four Organisations in this country for joining hands and set up a multipurpose Centre in Chief Kapeni’s Area in Blantyre District with the aim to help rural people in development issues as well as in fight against AIDS Pandemic.
Save the Children(USA) Federation, St Egidio, Malawi Girl Guides and Scouts Association through an initiative called Project Malawi Network set up this centre with the aim to of teaching the Youth about Technical Skills, developing vulnerable children especially orphans and also caring for the AIDS patients and encouraging Voluntary Counseling and Testing.
Speaking during the awareness campaign at the Centre to brief the masses on how the centre would be utilized the Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Department of HIV/AIDS and Nutrition in the Office of President and Cabinet, Mr. Mc Callum Sibande said it is encouraging that different organizations have one focus to develop life of the people living in the rural areas.
“Such a thing is the first time in the history of our country, in the past organizations always wished to work independently.” He said.
Sibande thanked these organizations in complementing Government’s effort to develop rural areas and also in civic educating people in various ways in which they could live longer despite being found HIV Positive especially through Voluntary Counseling and Testing and also through life prolonging drugs called ARVs.
“The Government alone can not manage to reach and support all the people in this country without Non Governmental Organizations, we therefore ask you to continue developing various places in this country and also ensuring that Children have a bright future” He said.
Chief Kapeni said he is happy that the Centre will help to develop and enrich the area, which has been neglected for a long time before by many organizations.
“As Chiefs we will make sure that we join hands with parents and the youth to utilize the place wisely so that the Centre could benefit all the people living in the area” He said
The Chairperson of the organizing committee of the function Mr Elard Alumando who is also one of the leaders of the Community of Sant’ Egidio said that he is hopeful that apart from helping the Vulnerable Children the Centre would also assist in reducing HIV prevalence in the area and also promote technical skills among the youth.
“We decided to hold this function to inform the people in this area especially the youth, parents and the chiefs about how the centre would be utilized to develop the area, their future and also their health in preparation for the official opening of the Centre which will take place soon.” He said.
The Coordinator for Project Malawi, Claudio Tonin pledged that in additional to this Centre, the four organizations would set up small centres in various areas in this country in order to reach people of different lives and all regions in this country.
Translated into English From Chichewa by Francisco Zuze