Minister Ben Phiri: World Vision turned vulnerable families into self-reliant success stories
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Dr Ben Malunga Phiri heaped praise on World Vision Malawi (WVM) for its role in turning vulnerable households into productive, self-reliant families, as the organisation officially handed over its Chigodi and Chilenje Area Programmes to Lilongwe District Council after 19 years of transformative work.
Speaking at the closure ceremony on Tuesday at Chigodi Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority Mazengela, Phiri commended WVM for a programme that has benefited more than 22,000 households through sweeping livelihood and resilience interventions since it began.
“Now that the projects have been handed over to the people through the council, they will benefit from public resources, including the K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF), particularly for the maintenance of the infrastructure,” Phiri said.
The Minister confirmed government would continue backing the initiatives, ensuring the infrastructure built through the programmes is properly maintained going forward.
He added that the projects would now be managed under newly mandated project maintenance policies for district councils, designed specifically to safeguard the long-term sustainability of development programmes across the country.
Phiri also commended WVM for its close collaboration with government in pursuit of the ambitious Malawi 2063 development agenda.
Local MP urges communities to “build on the gains made”
Member of Parliament for Nkhoma Constituency, Pililani Buleya, echoed the Minister’s praise, commending the organisation for its long-term commitment to the communities she represents.
“I am very happy with the development taking place in my area and would like to ask everyone who has benefited from these projects to build on the gains made,” Buleya said, urging beneficiaries and local authorities to take full ownership of the initiatives and share the skills they’ve acquired with others in their communities.
US$10 million invested since 2007
WVM Board Director Esther Chafumuka revealed the true scale of the organisation’s commitment to the area, confirming the programmes had received approximately US$10 million in investment since 2007 — equivalent to roughly K17.3 billion.
“We are proud to see how impactful the initiatives have been in these two areas,” Chafumuka said, detailing how the funding had supported a wide range of interventions including feeding programmes, vocational training, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and education initiatives.
With the handover now complete, attention turns to whether Lilongwe District Council and local communities can successfully sustain the substantial legacy left behind, ensuring nearly two decades of investment continues delivering benefits for generations to come.
