By Vincent Gunde
An independent development and humanitarian organization-PLAN International Malawi (PIM) has partnership agreement with the UNHCR to implement Moondance Foundation project to July, 2028 targeting children, adolescents and young people aged 12-24 in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa district.
PLAN International Malawi (PIM) believes in the power and potential of every child, suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination, young people particularly girls are mostly affected.
The organization has a foothold in 14 of the 28 districts in Malawi and through the partnership with the UNHCR, it is providing livelihood, SRHR and protection services to refugees and asylum seekers living in the camp and surrounding host communities.
PLAN Malawi’s Project Manager Laurence Maulidi, said as of March, 2025, the Dzaleka Refugee Camp was hosting 58,639 individuals in which 33 percent are children and young people saying the camp was originally planned to host a maximum of 12,000 people.
Maulidi said the project will increase resilience and income of young people through enhanced entrepreneurial skills, agricultural productivity including adaptation to climate change for the affected population.
He said the major activities under livelihood sector include strengthening afforestation programmes through tree planning and natural regrowth promotion, identification and revamping village natural resource, and promotion of bee-keeping, among others.
On Sexual and Reproductive and Health Rights (SRHR), Maulidi said the project among others, will strengthen capacities of community based structures to deliver quality and participate in gender based violence services, and training of peer educators on comprehensive sexuality education.
The project will also train community leaders including chiefs in peaceful coexistence and hold community meetings to share complaints and feedback generated,’ said Maulidi.
In her remarks, Dowa District Council’s Director of Planning and Development Mercy Mpakule, called on partners implementing new interventions in the district to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the council and the CSO Network for the district.
Mpakule appealed to partners to share quarterly project reports of what they are doing in the district to enhance cooperation, transparency and accountability for the good of all the Dowa people.
PLAN Malawi will implement Moondance Foundation project in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp with funding from Moondance Foundtion (UK) amounting to MK1,659,328,421.08.
