Since 1996, DAPP Malawi has been actively improving livelihoods and communities in need across Malawi through its social development projects.
DAPP is implementing 16 projects within education, health, agriculture and community development in 24 districts that span across the country's three regions
Salanao Sedrick, a 24 year old lady is one beneficiary of the young farmer’s club project being implemented by DAPP Malawi in partnership with the Norwegian Association of Disability (NAD) and The Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA)
A mother of a 7-year-old son, Salanao is partially deaf and has problems with speech. She lives with her aunt in Mchocholo village in Traditional Authority Likoswe in Machinga district. “When she expressed interest to join the Young Farmers Club project that started in September, I was not for the idea because people usually leave out people with disability. I was concerned that she wouldn’t feel welcome” said her aunty Joyce Ntambo
Salanao With Her Guardian Joyce Ntambo
Salanao Sedrick
But after she joined the project, Joyce noticed that Salanao was happy and started applying what she was learning in her own field at home. “When she gets home, she asks me to join her in the field where she demonstrates what she has learnt. I am happy that she is learning something and that she has made new friends who come and pick her up when going to the demonstration plot where they are learn various skills from the DAPP farming instructors” exclaimed Joyce.
Joyce also says the farming instructors are warm and always include Salanao in all their activities. She is thankful to DAPP for the project and the opportunities it is giving to people with disabilities “because of the encouragement Salanao gets, she has planted maize this growing season and I know she will harvest and have some to eat and some to even sell and make some money”
The young famers club project plans on working with 285 young farmers annually over the project’s three year life span and is targeting 60 percent female farmers, 40 percent males and 10 percent farmers with physical disabilities in Traditional authority Likoswe.
Based in Traditional Authority Likoswe, Group Village Headman Manguwo in Ntauchira village in Chiradzulu district, Chigwirizano club comprises of 25 members of which 15 are females and 10 males; 3 of the members who have various types of disabilities.
The club is under a Skills for Resilience Project (SRP) also known as young farmers club being implemented by DAPP Malawi in partnership with the Norwegian Association of Disability (NAD) and the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA).
Proud Of What They Have Achieved So Far
Some Members Of Chigwirizano Club In Their Field Of Maize
“When the project started in September 2018, we were happy that it would be empowering young farmers like us with knowledge and skills on the importance of adapting climate smart agriculture, entrepreneurship and agribusiness skills because we did not have any knowledge of these things” said the chairman of the club Mr Innocent Brown
With the help of field officers, the club has planted maize, Cassava and groundnuts this planting season and are expecting a bounty harvest. “We believe that we will harvest more on this piece of land, the crops will be sold in order to purchase more seeds for the next planting season. The field officers have been helpful as they have taught us new ways of farming in line with the changing climate so that we can increase our yield” Said Mr Brown
Apart from farming techniques, the project is also promoting good hygiene and sanitatary practices. People are encouraged to construct firewood saving stoves, dish racks, toilets with drop whole covers and hand washing mechanisms like tippy taps.
Agricultural practices in the project include; conservation farming, soil fertility improvement, sustainable crop production, bee keeping, climate smart livestock production, post-harvest handling, agro – processing, entrepreneurship and agribusiness management, rain water harvesting and the establishment of gardens.
“This project has taught us a lot already and I believe that it will bring lasting transformation to our lives not only now but for the future too” says Mr Brown.
The project Manager for the Trade related facility project under the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Mrs. Linda Munthali has commended the work that DAPP Malawi is doing in the project through its Cooperative farmers in Dowa district.
This was said during a field visit in Dowa district in Traditional Authorities Nkukula, Mpale and Chakhadza where field plots of nine farmers from three of the project’s cooperatives, Mpale, Bzyanzi and Mthete cooperatives were visited.
A Farmer explaining what the project has taught her
Mr Muntali (back roll) during the visit to one of the fields
Speaking at the event was the project manager for the Trade Related Facility Project, Mrs. Linda Munthali who appreciate the great work that DAPP Field Instructors are doing with the farmer’s. “Compared to the other projects that are under this Trade Related Facility project, I have to commend DAPP Malawi because they are doing a good job. The standard and quality of the demonstration plots I have seen today is very good”.
DAPP Malawi has been working in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Tourism in implementing the Trade Related Facility (TRF) project since December 2018. The project aims at improving living standards of small scale farmers through strengthening competitiveness of the country’s oil seed exports and promotes the production, value addition and export of oil seeds particularly sunflower, soya bean and groundnuts products.
The project is being implemented in Dowa district targeting 500 farmers in seven farmers’ cooperatives namely Bzyanzi, Chimwankhuku, Mthete, Tsogolo, Dzoole, Katingwe and Mpale in Traditional Authorities Msakambewa, Nkukula, Dzoole and Mponela and will phase out in December 2019.
Machinga District council has welcomed the DAPP Malawi’s Screening, Care and Nutrition for the Management of Severe and Moderate Malnutrition in Children Aged 0 To 2 Years project which will be implemented in the district for a period of 12 months. The project’s objective is to contribute to the reduction of infant mortality due to severe acute malnutrition in children aged 0 to 2 years in Malawi while particularly targeting Machinga district. The activities will be implemented in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nchinguza , an area prone to faminine hence it records higher cases of malnutrition. The project is expected to reach out to 1,750 pregnant and lactating mothers as the key population and 30,000 to 35,000 people as the secondary population between October 2018 and September 2019.
Cooking Demonstrations On 6 Food Groups Will Be Organised
Families Will Establish Backyard Gardens
Speaking during the District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting, the acting Director of Planning and Development for Machinga district Mr. Morson Magombo said the district is pleased to welcome and approve the project in T/A Nchinguza and they expect that it will benefit the community as it is an area prone to famine and that most NGOs (Non-governmental organisations) shun implementing projects in the area. According to the partnership agreement between DAPP Malawi and the Valdese Church through Humana People to People Italia, the project is expected to increase malnutrition screening, access to nutrition services and reduce acute malnutrition in children. Activities to be implemented in the project include community counselling to pregnant and lactating mothers including those with malnourished children, supplementary feeding demonstrations, correct breastfeeding as well as cooking demonstrations on the six food groups targeting care groups. In addition, Health Surveillance Assistants, Community Health Workers and volunteers will be trained in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and they will work hand in hand with the targeted population to ensure referrals to rehabilitation services and provision of supplementary foods which include Likuni phala to malnourished are done. DAPP Malawi implements project in areas of health, education, agriculture and community development in order to create communities that are self-sustainable and have improved quality of life.
Agnes Chipamba, a DAPP graduated teacher, has been tirelessly promoting the establishment and maintenance of vegetable gardens at Kanjira primary school in Mzobwe zone IN Lilongwe rural where she is a teacher under the DAPP graduated teachers network known as 400 primary schools program. The program focuses on providing opportunities to graduated teachers from DAPP Teacher Training Colleges who work in government primary schools to stick together and support each other voluntarily in changing the schools where they are placed. She was among the 4 chosen teachers in September 2017 by Slow foods International, an organization which promotes the importance of eating local foods and issues of sustainable food production, to attend the 2018 Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto vegetarian option forum which focused on the importance of a modern plant based diet as one way of protecting animals, the environment and health.
Agnes With A Placard That Says To Love The Earth
Agnes, Left, And Fellow Malawian Representatives
With this year’s theme #FOODFORCHANGE, Agnes represented DAPP Malawi at this year’s Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto in Tarin, Italy from the 20th – 24th September 2018 where she was given the opportunity to explain her techniques in vegetable garden establishment and the preservation of local vegetables.
“This celebration of local foods gave me the opportunity to not only share my skills and knowledge, but to also learn from my fellow attendees on what I could do better as a teacher to improve Malawi’s food systems. I learnt how to conserve local vegetable seedlings in order to ensure that they don’t become extinct as well as new vegetable garden maintenance techniques in times where schools are on holidays just to mention a few” says Agnes
The Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto is an international gastronomy exhibition which takes place every 2 years with delegates from more than 150 countries in the world. The event comprises of a large market with activities like conferences, forums, workshops, tastings and cooking lessons.
