MHRRC Expands "Fighting Inequality" Project to Dowa, Ntchisi, and Nsanje
Community mobilization and awareness campaigns on funding baskets, citizen budgets, developmental plans, and social protection programs will be key interventions.
DOWA, Malawi— The Malawi Human Rights Resource Center (MHRRC) is set to implement a one-year project titled "Enhancing Citizens' Participation in Local Governance and Development Processes 111 (Fighting inequality)" in the districts of Dowa, Ntchisi, and Nsanje, writes Vincent Gunde.
The project, previously implemented in Dowa and Ntchisi, has been scaled up to Nsanje under the Joint Country Programme (JCP)-Malawi, supported by Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid (NCA-DCA).
The project aims to enhance pro-poor budgeting and expenditure, as well as promote accountability and transparency among duty bearers in the management of resources allocated to the sectors of Education, Health, and Social Security. It seeks to strengthen both the supply and demand of social and development needs to achieve sustainable results and lasting change for the citizenry.
Noel Msiska, MHRRC's Capacity Building Associate, introduced the project to the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa. He highlighted the goal of the project, stating, "The project has a goal of contributing towards fighting inequality through enhanced pro-poor budgeting allocation and expenditure in the sectors of Health, Education, and Social Protection."
Msiska emphasized the importance of meaningful engagement between rights holders and duty bearers in social service delivery and accountability for development resources in the targeted districts.
Msiska also expressed concerns about citizens feeling remote and disconnected from the processes that impact their lives, leading to a sense of disempowerment. He stressed the need for a meaningful engagement of rights holders and duty bearers in social service delivery and accountability to address equity issues.
The Joint Country Programme (JCP) supports decentralization policies to ensure the project's success in the targeted districts.
The project will focus on strengthening institutional mechanisms to improve access to government officials and enhance access to educational opportunities, healthcare, and social services.
Community mobilization and awareness campaigns on funding baskets, citizen budgets, developmental plans, and social protection programs will be key interventions.
MHRRC will allocate an overall budget of MK386,947,643.37 to implement the "Fighting Inequality" project in Dowa, Ntchisi, and Nsanje. Each district will receive an average of MK90,287,763.37 for the project.
The expansion of the "Fighting Inequality" project reflects MHRRC's commitment to addressing inequality and promoting citizen participation in local governance and development processes in Malawi.