Youth group cleans drainage to prevent flooding
Executive director of the Living Way Center (LWE) in Chipoka, has urged young people to turn their exuberant energies towards their community’s development.
SALIMA, Malawi- In a quest to remove water safely and effectively from living areas and hence improving the living environment, a youth-based advocacy group Chipoka Times joined hands with the community to maintain the depleted water drainage system at Chipoka Post Office in Salima district, writes Alinafe Nyanda.
"We seek accountability, equality and fairness towards good governance and young people can play an effective role towards this quest, if the atmosphere is conducive enough," said Ommah Bin Mussa, one of the members.
The initiative called ‘Tiyambe Ndife’ among other things aims at preventing standing water, flooding, erosion and to ensure that vehicular as well as pedestrian access is possible at all times, particularly for access in medical emergencies, Mussa said.
Mussa said the initiative responds to the local need to continue using the road during heavy rains, and was designed through participatory process in collaboration with community representatives.
He said insufficient infrastructures for safe water, hygiene, and sanitation are recognized as major factors that contribute to water born diseases such as Cholera.
“As a concerned group we are working on a major action plan towards the community socio-economic improvement and make Chipoka a better place to live in a process,” Mussa said.
On his part, Yunusu Bannda, executive director of the Living Way Center (LWE) in Chipoka, has urged young people to turn their exuberant energies towards their community’s development.
Banda said communities had a lot of young people with productive ideas and skills crucial to community growth and asked them to get involved.
According to Banda government must not be seen as the sole agent of development but that the citizens must cultivate the spirit of self-help to move the nation forward.