By Vincent Gunde
A Faith Based Local Non-Governmental Organization-Action for Progress, has expressed commitment for continued working in partnership with the Dowa District Council to fulfill its mission of actively serving all people by improving living standards in communities.
Action for Progress is complimenting government efforts in the thematic areas of Health, Education, Agriculture, Disability and Humanitarian response in the two districts of Lilongwe and Dowa in its core values of Integrity, Service, Love, Honesty and Care.
The organization is implementing its interventions in Dowa district in the areas of two traditional authorities Chakhaza, and Chiwere in Agriculture, Health and Education with a vision of creating progressive, self-sustained communities free from social, spiritual, economic, and Environmental depriviation.
Presenting the project to the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa, the organization’s Executive Director Wilson Isaac Tembo, said Action for Progress will construct health facilities in hard to-reach areas, and distributing medical supplies and equipment to government health facilities.
Tembo said Action for Progress will support smallholder farmers towards food security, supplying teaching and learning materials, empowering vulnerable community groups and providing mobility means for people with mobility challenges.
He said the project under Health program will supply medicines and medical equipment, supporting pregnant mothers by providing baby delivery kits through local health facilities and reducing maternal and infant mortality rates by ensuring safe child birth experiences.
The Director said in Agriculture and food security programs, the project will empower 2000 farmers in T/As Chiwere and Chakhaza to improve agricultural practices and increase productivity, constructing warehouses for crop storage, among others.
He said in the Education programs, the project will among others, supply sanitary pads to girls in schools, empowering students and foster a conducive learning environment and supplying supplementary textbooks to schools.
Tembo said the project in disability and humanitarian support, will enhance the quality of life for orphans and elderly individuals by addressing their basic needs and regular distribution of nutritious food packages to ensure adequate nourishment.
“The project has distributed over 3000 tricycles since 2019 enabling greater access to education and empowering recipients to participate more actively in their communities,” said Tembo.
He said the project has registered successes in supporting over 100 people with physical challenges with wheel chairs in Dowa district, supported over 80 primary schools with supplementary textbooks in T/A Chakhaza and Chiwere, and supported 200 smallholder farmers with loans and these families are food secure.
However, Tembo said the project has met challenges in the course of implementation such as high default rate in Agriculture loan program, low usage rate of warehouses by farmers and lack of proper libraries in primary schools where books can be kept safely.
