As the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) is ready to implement the pilot Enhanced Public Works Programme (EPWP), communities led by their chief in Kasungu’s Mphazi catchment area have committed to be best performers in the programme.
Group Village Head Sinde of Traditional Authority Chidzuma in the district told NLGFC in an interview that his people are ready to implement sub-projects in the EPWP and want to transform the area which is facing problems caused by environmental degradation.
“As a traditional leader I have always been ready because when the programme was introduced I and the people received it. Right now we have committees, by laws and projects and now we are eager to do the work,” said GVH Sinde.
The chief was all pumped up after watching a documentary on Njira Watershed Management which shows how people in Balaka and Machinga came to deal with environment degradation in their areas.
“We have seen how they have done it, but for us we will do much better because we are united and committed to work and improve our area,” he said.
One of the community members Rose Phiri said she cannot wait for the implementation of the programme in the area as she has learnt from the documentary that money they get after working in sub projects can be saved or invested.
“Money that community members who have been selected to work in the sub projects can be put to good use by starting small businesses and joining village savings and loans, in the end acquiring assets for our households,” said Phiri.
EPWP national coordinator Stanley Chuthi said implementation of sub projects in the programme begins this August.
“EPWP provides social protection to poor people as such we will proceed with implementation and will make sure that we follow all the preventive measures of Covid-19 as put by government,” said Chuthi.
The climate smart EPWP focuses on conserving natural resources in order to create quality and sustainable community assets through a holistic catchment management approach.
It is being piloted in Kasungu, Lilongwe, Dowa, Nkhotakota, Karonga, Chitipa, Chiradzulu, Blantyre, Balaka and Phalombe.
Story credit: Vincent Khonje, District Information Officer, Kasungu
