Nkhata Bay Natural Way Day One
Today marks the kick-off of the four year Nkhata Bay Natural Way project in Malawi.
The full team on the ground are starting their first day of work on the delivery of this ambitious project, which will benefit marginalised communities in 110 villages in one of the poorest regions of the country.
The Nkhata Bay Natural Way is a joint project, in partnership with Temwa and Deki Ltd, with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and JJ Trust.
Four main objectives
The Nkhata Bay Natural Way has four main objectives:
Improve food security and nutrition
Improve community stewardship of forest conservation and management
Increase income for disadvantaged households through the establishment of forest-friendly businesses and micro-enterprises
Strengthen local governance structures
After months of planning and designing to ensure the needs of beneficiaries will be met and securing funding to deliver the activities, the team will be starting a number of activities over the coming weeks. The first stages will include mobilising the community and consulting with stakeholders to ensure they are fully involved in the activities over the next four years. More detailed, local baseline surveys will also be undertaken and the selection of project participants will start.
Selecting 3,300 participants for direct involvement
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. 61.2% of the population live below the poverty line, and 16% of 15-49 year olds are HIV positive. The Nkhata Bay Natural Way is designed to benefit the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. 3,300 direct beneficiaries will shortly be selected, impacting the lives of 24,640 people. The targeted groups are large households with 8 or more dependants, orphan hosting or female headed households, or those with a member who has HIV/AIDs, and young people between 18-35 years old. 56% of participants will be women.
The Nkhata Bay Natural Way team
The project officers starting work today, who will be responsible for the delivery of activities in the different villages are: Beatrice Msakwiza, Paul Kapesa, Chasika Chizumira (Sydwell), Eflinah Sulu, McWilly Kamata and MacSammy Mkandawire. They join Benson Chiumia, the Nkhata Bay Natural Way project manager in Malawi.
ITF wishes the team a productive first day, and many more to come!
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