By Myra Elias:
The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare has called for tangible results from its partnership with World Vision Malawi, as the two institutions seek to strengthen interventions targeting women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
Gender Minister Mary Navicha made the remarks in Lilongwe City Tuesday during the signing of a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the ministry and World Vision Malawi.
Navicha said the ministry was committed to ensuring that the agreement translates into practical interventions that address challenges affecting vulnerable populations.
She said the success of the partnership would be measured by improvements in people’s lives.
“It is important for us to work together to reach as many groups as possible and transform their lives,” she said.
Navicha added that reported cases of gender-based violence were declining, attributing the trend to increased awareness.
The minister said this three-year agreement would provide an opportunity to strengthen interventions that address the challenges vulnerable groups face, which include persons with disabilities, women, children and the elderly.
The agreement is expected to provide a more structured framework for collaboration between the government and World Vision Malawi, particularly in disability inclusion, child protection, community development and programmes that support vulnerable groups.
World Vision Malawi Country Director Francis Dube said the MoU would strengthen accountability and provide a more structured approach to implementing the organisation’s ongoing programmes in 10 districts.
He said the agreement would also improve policy coordination and strengthen existing interventions, including school feeding programmes in early childhood development centres.
Currently, World Vision Malawi is supporting 17,000 children with disabilities through its disability inclusion programmes while its microfinance initiatives have reached 139,000 individuals across the country.
He added that the organisation’s school feeding programmes had benefitted 70,000 children, particularly those attending early childhood development centres.
“Moving forward, with this partnership, we look forward to scaling up these interventions to reach more people and improve the lives of the communities we serve,” Dube said.