By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, August 31, Mana: Blantyre District Council through World Bank funded Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP) has disbursed about K119,366,518.51 into Community Environmental Conservation Fund (CECF) to support communities in the district to participate in various activities that are meant to restore degraded land.

Communities under Kapichira Catchment, where the project is being implemented, will access the funds, on revolving basis, to engage in income generating activities other than charcoal production and selling to support their livelihoods.

Speaking during the disbursement of the funds to participating communities at Traditional Authority (TA) Kunthembwe, MWASIP District Coordinator, Owen Malimba, said the money will support communities to implement sustainable land management activities in 48 villages in TAs Kuntaja and Kunthembwe.

“This money is very important to the communities because it acts as a motivating factor for them to continue implementing different activities under the project such as soil and water conservation, gully reclamation among others. The money will address immediate community livelihood needs,” he said.

One of the participants, Judith Fumulani, who is also Vice Chairperson for Mulanga Catchment Management Committee in TA Kunthembwe said the money has come at an opportune time when communities have known and understood effects of climate change and importance of conserving the environment.

She pledged to continue participating in sustainable land management activities under MWASIP saying participating communities are looking forward to receiving the money to go into businesses in order to improve household income.

“We are motivated with this gesture. As the Vice Committee Chairperson, I will encourage those that are not participating in the project to start participating in MWASIP interventions as MWASIP is here to improve communities ‘livelihood,” said Fumulani.

CECF is a conservation benefit sharing initiative implemented by MWASIP to address immediate community livelihood needs.

MWASIP, which runs from 2020 to 2026, is being implemented in Blantyre, Neno, Balaka, Machinga, Zomba and Mangochi.