Balaka, 2019: Thirty year old Chimwemwe Matope, a mother of three, is a tomato, bean and onion prosperous seller at Mthandizi market at Balaka boma. She ventures into the business to make sure her family has food on the table and manages to support her children’s education.

“I started this business six years ago when we sold our tomatoes and beans in the open grounds or poorly constructed shelters where we stood the scorching heat from the sun, chilly days.

Heavy rains could soak our merchandise and forced us to give ourselves a sales’ breaks we never planned but I and some colleagues could not still abandon our business,” Matope recalls her difficult beginning.

A turn of events occurred in 2016 when Balaka district council with support from National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) constructed the market shelter where business runs without any interruption.

From the proceeds I support my three children, one, my first born daughter is in form 3 at St. Louis Secondary school, second born sat for standard 8 exams at Balaka primary school and the last born is in standard 2 at Ngwangwa primary school.

Above all, we constructed a 3 bedroomed house where we live with our children. My husband has a hardware shop where he sells bicycle spare parts and house construction materials.

Matope hails from Mpezeni village, Traditional Authority Sawali in Balaka District.

According to chairperson for Mthandizi, John Banda the market serves vendors ranging from 370 to 400 and says the space in the new shelter is still not enough because vegetable sellers still lack shelters and when rains come they stop selling.

Banda recalls Malawi Local Government Accountability and Performance (LGAP) wanted to build a vegetable shelter but only drilled a borehole to enhance hygiene in the market.

However, “We are very appreciative to the district council and NLGFC for putting up the facility (tomato, onion and legume shelter),” says the chairperson.

Director of Public Works (DPW) Mr. Chifuniro Katengeza says “It is true, there is really need to construct shelter for vegetable sellers but due to financial constraints we have not been able to construct that facility. We will put this into our plans and will be considered later.”