By Elizabeth Chilopa

Dedza, August 14, Mana: Dedza District Council Principal Nutrition, HIV and AIDS Officer, Lottie Makina has hailed the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for funding the second phase of the Living Schools Project saying this will strengthen nutrition status of learners and promote education in the district.

Speaking during a District Nutrition Coordination Committee meeting on Friday, Makina said the project is essential in the district as many students are facing health related issues due to malnutrition.

"As a result, they find it difficult to learn and fail to complete their studies. With this programme, we have been able to help them overcome some of these issues so that they could stay in school," he said.

He, therefore, thanked UNICEF for approving funds amounting to K36 million for the district to implement the second phase of the project saying the project has already begun transforming communities where the schools are located and strengthening the education system in the district.

Chairperson for Dedza Civil Society Network, Heston Nalikole stressed the need for the council to find means of sustaining the project as it has the ability to promoting health and education among learners.

“There is a lot of idle land in school campuses which is usually encroached by surrounding communities. If we could use this land for agriculture practical and food productions for our schools, we could cut procurement costs for boarding schools and other feeding programmes," he said.

The Living Schools Project aims to improve the resilience of schools and support their adaptation to climate change. It addresses issues of health, water and sanitation, environmental awareness and tree planting with an emphasis on multipurpose and fruit trees for nutrition in schools.

In Dedza, the project is being implemented in three primary schools of Mapuyu, Mtemwende and Fumbwa under Traditional Authority (TA)Tambala.

Mana/ec/bm/ccm/pk