At the time, malnutrition rates in their community were high, with over 50 children
suffering from malnutrition. Most households used to feed on maize husks and other non-nutritious food just for survival.The Chikwangula Club tried to remedy this situation by promoting
nutrition and sustainable livelihoods in the community. Sarah and Sophilet took part in various training sessions facilitated by Concern. These included farming and small business management. “We benefited from the coaching and mentoring that was offered,” says Sarah. The community planted kitchen gardens to supplement their food. “We now have enough nutritious
food such as maize, soya, cassava and potatoes which we farm at communal gardens and share for family consumption.”Local government encouraged When some local
government departments saw how these activities were progressing, they decided to get involved and support the community. “The Ministry of agriculture and food security supported us with cassava
cuttings”, explains Sophilet. This support from local government, as well as Concern, has encouraged the club to work even harder in eliminating the problems facing them. “Through
our community based organisation we have managed to contribute towards the lowering of the number of malnourished cases to only three in a village of 289 households” says Sarah.“Our
group has since opened up a savings account with the Malawi Savings Bank and the current book balance is 4,000 Malawian Kwacha (MK) which was realised from sales of farm produce,” she
explains.The group also got a treadle pump (a manual small scale irrigation pump) on loan at the price of MK 15, 000 (about 73 Euro), of which they have managed to service MK 1,500 (about 7.3
Euro).Sharing their knowledge Both Sarah and Sophilet are now very experienced and are seen by their community as consulting experts in gardening, livelihoods and
leadership. Many neighboring villages have visited the two women to learn more from them and are currently in the process of organising their own community initiatives. Addressing
gender inequality Sarah and Sophilet have also encouraged their community to look differently at issues of gender inequality in Malawi. Men are traditionally seen as the main earners and
as the heads of the household. Despite this, Chikwangula village is becoming used to women such as Sarah and Sophilet taking a more proactive position in the community. There are now 19 women in the
29-strong community group, and these women are leading the way in improving the lives of their fellow neighbours and families.Story compiled by Ephraim Munyala of
Concern.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A Palestinian woman carries her child as they stand in front of the gate of the Rafah crossing border between Egypt and Gaza Strip March 30, 2008, during a protest calling ...
