A local organisation, Zoe Empowers has distributed farm inputs valued at K118.6 Million to orphans and vulnerable children in Dowa to help them become food secure.
The farm inputs, which include fertilizer, soya beans, maize and pesticides, have been distributed to at least 950 beneficiaries from Traditional Authorities Mkukula, Dzoole, Mponela and Chakhaza.
Speaking after the donation, the organisation’s senior programmes facilitator, Esther Chinkhadze said they had decided to assist the children to ensure that they have enough food in their homes.
“One of our thematic areas is agriculture, and initially, when we were visiting their homes, we noticed that some of them were not food secure,e, so we decided that before we give them our business, we should first of all ensure that they are food secure,” she said.
Chikhadze said her organisation is working in tandem with the Ministry of Agriculture and training the youth in new farming technologies, and she is happy that since the initiative started, it has been bearing fruits.
“We are so much looking forward to seeing their homes transformed and become self-reliant,” she said.
Speaking in an interview, Nelson Diyason, a beneficiary from Tiyanjane group, thanked the organisation, saying the initiative was making him become food secure and self-reliant.
Another beneficiary, Priscilla Makina from the Takondwa group, said before the initiative, she was facing a lot of challenges.
“With the programme, I will be able to pay school fees for myself and also support my relatives,” she said.
The organisation empowers orphaned and vulnerable youth through a three-year empowerment programme in which the youth are trained in various aspects of life and are given microgrants to start businesses of their choice.
The programme also focuses on spiritual strength, food security, education and child rights among others.
By Kondwani Kandiado
