The Malawi Human Rights Youth Network (MHRYN) has said it is happy with the increased number of youths who are participating in the local government system.
MHRYN in collaboration with its affiliate, Thyolo Active Youth Organisation has helped in promoting positive working relationships and accountability between elected duty bearers, the youth and the council through a project called “youth participation and accountability in local government”.
According to MHRYN National Coordinator Ronnie Phiri, the youth have now been incorporated as members in Area Development Committees (ADCs) and Village Development Committees (VDGs) and are now able to participate in pre-budget consultation meetings and budget conferences to ensure that their needs are considered in the council budgets.
“When the project was starting, only one ADCs out of five had a youth representative but now the entire five target ADCs have youth representatives,” he said.
The youth are now empowered to monitor the quality of service delivery and implementation of development projects in their respective local areas and raise concerns where the quality of services is unsatisfactory or where the quality of the project is poor.
The “youth participation and accountability in local government” project is for 8 months and targets Thyolo Central Constituency – Khonjeni and Nchima Wards, Thyolo Thava Constituency – and Thava Wards and Thyolo North constituency – Mikolongwe and Makungwa Wards.
Founded in May 2001, MHRYN is an umbrella organisation of youth nongovernmental organisation whose interest is to promote human rights, democratic governance, youth and young women socio-economic and political empowerment and participation in the democratisation process of the country.
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