People of Mangochi have expressed gratitude over Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project saying that the project has provided infrastructures that will improve services and mobility in the district citing construction of educational, health facilities and bridges.
The people expressed their gratitude when a team from the National Local Government Finance Committee and Mangochi District Council on Wednesday toured some of the projects implemented under GESD in the first phase.
The NLGFC and Mangochi District Council team visited Sokole Under-five Clinic and a concrete bridge under construction at Dzewe, Mputa Village in Traditional Authority Nankumba and newly constructed Nkope Teacher Development Center (TDC) in Nkope Educational Zone.
Sainati Milambo who comes from Group Village headman Sokole expressed happiness saying the under-five clinic has sorted out challenges which community members were facing citing poor child health services that resulted into death of under-five children.
She said mothers were forced to travel long distances to Nankumba Health Center to seek under- five children clinics and other outreach services.
“Many of our children have been denied health services due to long distance to Nankumba Health Center, we could take children to the health center when the condition is worse and lack of such services have resulted into death of children,” Milambo added.
She therefore commended the Mangochi Council for constructing the under-five clinic expressing hope that this will improve child health, adding that children are now accessing anti-malaria drugs and other medical attention.
“We’ve been looking forward to an under five clinic, we no longer walk long distance to seek under five clinic,” she said as the new clinic which operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays assists 10 villages.
Community members participated in the construction of the facility by clearing the land; fetching water and also community structures for example ADC, VDC were always on the site to ensuring timely and quality structure.
The community members around the newly built clinic have assured the Mangochi District Council that they will take the clinic and will guard it against vandalism to ensure it effectively offer services,
Deputy Head teacher at Nkope Primary School, Halford Mbinda said the construction of the new TDC will improve educational services in the Nkope Zone where most of teachers discussions were held on a borrowed open shed while the Primary Education Advisor operated from a small office not conducive for his administrative duties.
Nkope TDC is right at Nkope Primary School and with the little shed which is used to accommodate teachers’ meetings, Mbinda said most of teachers meeting were held in classrooms in times of bad weather thereby inconveniencing learners’ classes.
“The coming of the TDC will help us to execute our duties in a conducive environment and this will no longer bring inconvenience to learners,” said Mbinda who looked forward to see the PEA in his new office and teachers in their new resource center once the facility is open for use soon.
He therefore commended Village and Area Development Committee for supervising the TDC construction project to its completion stage.
Mangochi District Council, Director of Planning and Development, Newton Munthali attributed to the successful of the first phase of the GESD project to the good coordination between community leaders and the council.
He added that some GESD supported projects are yet to be completed due to challenges which include tropical cyclones which forced contractors to suspend construction of some bridge projects such as Dzewe bridge project due to volumes of water along Dzewe River.
“The council had nine projects under GESD and as we speak we have finished almost all projects except a 20 metres Dzewe concrete bridge that connects Nkhalango and Mputa villages,” said Munthali.
The Director added that the K43 Million Dzewe Bridge will also assist learners from Nkhalango village who cross the bridge to attend classes at Kalowa Primary School at Mputa village.
The Government of Malawi embarked on a five year GESD Project with financial assistance from the World Bank to strengthen local authorities’ institutional performance, responsiveness to citizens and management of resources for service delivery
Contributor: Ernest Mfunya
