DAPP presses for increased access to quality inclusive education
The Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) has challenged authorities to ensure increased access to quality inclusive education and economic growth in the rural areas of the country.
DAPP Malawi is a local member of a network of 32 locally registered and managed organizations that exists in 43 countries and works with communities with an aim of improving food security.
It is also one of the implementing partners of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD)-funded project called Financial Access for Rural Markets and Social Enterprises (FARMSE).
Under this project, DAPP Malawi is training village savings loan (VSL) members in areas of development of business plans as well as linking these groups to financial institutions like banks and microfinance where they can open their accounts.
And speaking during a media tour in Trandition Authority (T/A) Malengachanzi in Nkhotakota, DAPP Malawi Project Manager Johnstone Chitupira said quality inclusive education and economic growth are prerequisites for sustainable national development.
“DAPP Malawi is passionate about eradicating poverty among Malawians and that is why we’ve partnered with FARMSE in order to achieve our goal. We have, so far, linked 890 community based financial organisations to the banks so that they can start accessing loans,” said Chitupira.
He add, “Through our help they have managed to purchase a maize mill, as of now they have also acquired 23 million kwacha from the banks which will be used to procure materials for constructing their factory house.”
General Secretary for Chinyambome Banki Mkhonde, Muhammad Umande, said the partnership between DAPP Malawi and FARMSE has enabled them to access loans, which the members have used to venture into various businesses.
“So far, we have managed to raise about K7 million on our own, which has been used to purchase a maize-mill and we have also built a factory house which helps us to generate revenue. We also processing some trees like Moringa,Tonic roots and other trees,” said Umande.
He added that through the group, he managed to build a modern house at K3 million, which he described as a huge boost to his life.
DAPP have about 890 groups in Nkhotakota and 610 groups in Nkhatabay which is great achievements for the three years project.
The Project is implemented by the DAPP in two district Nkhotakota and Nkhatabay with financial support from FARMSE to the tune of K432 million.
DAPP started as a clothes sale business to generate funds for the first child aid social project in Chikankeni Chiradzulu District.
FARMSE Communication and Knowledge Learning Specialist, Golie Nyirenda, said at the core of the project is to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods and enhance the resilience of rural households on a sustainable basis with its objectives to increase access to use a range of sustainable financial services by rural households and micro, small and medium enterprises.
Nyirenda added that FARMSE also provides support value chain development to smallholder and the extremely poor to create employment in the rural areas and support creations of conductive environment and strengthening of institutional framework for rural finance.
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