Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Food Security series - LICEN

The Local Initiatives for Empowerment in Ntcheu (LICEN), works in the Ntcheu District and is supported by ADRA Australia and the Australian Government.The project addresses household vulnerability in terms of food security and health through capacity building of households and local institutions to improve food security and nutrition. Targeted households are provided with farm inputs and training in improved farming and food utilization. The project also focuses on strengthening local community institutions through formation of village cluster committees that will in long term provide guidance to their subjects in resilience to shocks and coping strategies to sustain food availability. These groups are linked to the Village Development Committees and other institutions in the government decentralization structure. Above all the project ensures that these community structures are empowered to facilitate development processes and support the VDCs in implementation and monitoring of development activities in the area.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Food Security series - WEP

One of the focus intervention for ADRA Malawi is Food Security. The Women Empowerment Project (WEP), works in Mulanje and is supported by ADRA Swedan and the Swedish Government.

The main objective of the project is to assist in removing barriers to the development of communities through focusing on gender issues and promotion of human rights, improvement of health and creation of income generating activities. The project aims at supporting women to become self reliant.

Food security is one of the fundamental elments of the project. Targeted households are provided with improved seed varieties and are trained in improved farming technologies; are equally supported with animal production training and goats. In addition, households ara trained in improved food preparation methods to improve their nutritional status.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Food Security series - LEFAM

One of the focus intervention for ADRA Malawi is Food Security. The Project Let’s Fight AIDS in Malawi (LEFAM), works in Machinga, Lilongwe, Dowa, Mchinji, Mulanje, Phalombe and Chiradzulu Districts, and is supported by ADRA Denmark and DANIDA.
The Food Security primary focus, in this ADRA project, is to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on at indivdual, household and community levels. One way of achieving this is promotion of food security through increased food prodution and improved utilization. Target households are organized into farming clubs which are supplied with supplied with improved seed varieties, particularly drought resistant crops and fertilizer. The clubs are assisted to establish communal gardens and are trained in improved farming methods. The project works in collaboration with government extension workers to provide farmers with ongoing technical support.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

LEFAM strategies on IGAs

Let’s Fight AIDS in Malawi (LEFAM) project continues to embark on saving more lives and economically uplifting the lives of many people who are suffering due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
One particular component that LEFAM has earmarked is the Income Generating Activities (IGA). This is one way of making sure that communities have the economic muscle that would result in self- reliant.
In order to achieve this LEFAM conducted a three day workshop on IGA design and Implementation from August 6 to 8, 2008 and was facilitated by two expert consultants in IGA design and implementation. The workshop drew all core project staff, Project Manager, District Coordinators, Field Assistants, Training Officer, Communications Officer, Accounts Personnel, and Procurement and Logistics Officer.
The workshop aimed at bringing out the best design and implementation strategy for IGAs and how LEFAM together with communities would best implement the IGAs to attain the intended objective; economically empowering People Living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and the vulnerable children to improve their living standards in society.
With lessons learnt from previous IGAs, the team came up with different strategies that would be an improvement of the previous IGAs. This would be a sure way to safeguard that the intended IGAs are implemented successfully.

Author: Chikondi Madikiza-Madumuse