YCF pushes for youth representation into Malawi NGO board
Youths’ empowerment lobby group in Malawi, Youths Consultative Forum (YCF) is demanding Malawi’s umbrella body for the NGOs, the Council for Non Governmental Organisations in Malawi (CONGOMA) to consider proposing names from youths organisation to be included into the NGO board.
CONGOMA is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting from Thursday, October4, through Friday, October 5, in the capital Lilongwe where it will also propose names to be appointed into NGO Board of Malawi by the Head of State.
“This is the time we think youth representation in decision and policy making bodies should seriously be considered”, reads the YCF’s statement made available to Nyasa Times.
Youths in Malawi have since time immemorial expressed concern over lack of meaningful representation in structures that formulate policies and programmes that affect them and their respective communities
The statement says this is contrary to the fact that youth constitute over 60 per cent of the total population estimated to be over 15 Million people.
“Therefore, this is an opportune time for youths to call for their representation in the NGO Board considering that the majority of youth leaders and organisations are in the NGO sector and that the NGO Board is a perfect forum to influence the creation of an enabling environment for meaningful youth participation in Malawi”.
The organisation is asking CONGOMA to demonstrate what it calls “its motherly commitment” to youth development and empowerment by making sure that youth voices and actions are mainstreamed in NGO operations in Malawi through effective youth representation in structures like the NGO Board.
“We therefore suggest that the NGO Board should have at least one youth representative who is currently doing youth work and is below the age of 35 years. CONGOMA should reflect this call in the list of the proposed names and that the appointing authority is made aware of this cry from the youth”, reads the statement.
YCF is therefore calling upon the NGO’s mother body to allow youths to mobilise among themselves and nominate names that should be delivered at the AGM.
“YCF is ready to facilitate the lobbying process and make sure that youths have a real and effective representative in the NGO Board. It should start with our mother, CONGOMA for sure”.
