Malawi youths ‘must solve own problems’ – NGO

Youth ‘n’ Hopeful, a recently registered non-governmental organisation has said it is time for Malawian youths to start suggesting solutions to their own problems arguing the youths are no longer the leaders of tomorrow but rather of today.

Deputy executive director of the organisation Hodges Zacharia told Nyasa Times in an interview Friday that from early next year they will “start engaging youths so that they can help turn tables of the country’s socio-eco-political being.”

Zacharia said it was unfortunate that time and again the country’s youths blamed government for not being there for them when “they can actually solve their own problems.”

He said his organisation “visualizes a world that can be transformed by developments initiated and sustained by youths across the globe. We see ourselves reaching out to as many youths as possible in various institutions, communities and countries in order to facilitate a platform for sharing innovative and development oriented ideas.

“These ideas will then be linked with hands-on projects that others will emulate nationally and internationally. We will work to have at least one significant project in every African nation by 2025. Our work will be guided by a vision that the world should be that of equal success to basic needs and a world that has met and surpassed the challenge of every millennium goals.”

Zacharia announced that the organisation has since launched a competition, Ideas for Sustainable Development, which calls for youths in Malawi to suggest solutions that would solve the country’s health woes.

“We’ve decided to focus on the project considering the fact that the country’s health system leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, as a country we’ve failed to achieve in health which is goal number three of the MDGs. For the pilot phase, we will start with College of Medicine and then later do the same in the rest of the universities. Our organization will support innovation by the students and support them in the implementation of their ideas at a larger scale,” he said, adding they will also implement projects to support street kids and encourage the spirit of volunteerism among the youth of the country.

Malawi has presently a population of over 16 million with sixty per cent of it comprising youths. However, youths have always been sidelined as backbenchers as far as issues of national importance are concerned.