People reap from livestock in Ntchisi
By Muyanga Ziba
Lezina Kapudzula in Mwera Hills in Ntchisi is getting more than most senior civil servants in Malawi . With an income of K26, 000 a month from the proceeds of milk sales, she is able to buy all necessities.
Previously Lezina says she was surviving on handouts by non governmental organizations.
“I remember vividly the famine which killed many people in Ntchisi in 1992. It is just by the grace of God that you see me today, she says.
However, lives of many families in Mwera were transformed when Small Scale Livestock Promotion Project, a non governmental organization came into the area.
The Project started giving farmers milk cows, most of whom were women.
Farmers started selling milk in Ntchisi, Mponela and Lilongwe. They also used manure for their gardens.
Within two years most families in the area owned cows .Economically challenged households have now built houses and have sent children to good schools.
According to the Director of the organization, Sute Mwakasungula, over 100 farmers have benefited from the project saying plans are underway for more than 1000 farmers the whole country to benefit from the project.
He said his organization the need to empower people to be independent economically hence the intervention.
“What we do is to give farmers cows. After they have given birth we take the calf and give it to another farmer. In this way it means the farmer has paid the loan,” he said.
He said Lezina’s calf was given to another farmer in Nsalu in Lilongwe.
Mwakasungula said farmers started having much milk and decided to start their own dairy cooperative which buys milk from them.
He said they managed to buy the machines for cooling the milk, for pasteurizing the milk as well as those used to manufacture yoghurt.
The plant has well qualified personnel five in number .They buy the milk and help farmers to market it to far away places.
The project has been sponsored by Bother of the Republic of Ireland. The project is found in Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Thyolo Plans are underway to expand it to other areas of the country.
Dauden Robert was over the moon on plans they have for their Dairy Cooperative.
“People are now able to drink yoghurt made in Ntchisi. We want to have more products made for export to put our country on the map,” he said.
He said SSLP has made the much talked about economic empowerment of the rural areas a reality.
“People talk about the budget. Although we see it tickle down to rural areas through fertilizer subsidy, however SSLP has made much impact. I do hope other NGOS should follow suit, he said.
He said over 500 litres of milk are sold every day.
“Have you not seen corrugated iron sheets in this area? All this is because of the proceeds from milk,” he said.
The Diary Cooperative has also become an integral part of the lives of the people. Most people converge to discuss personal business. Some just come to see how yoghurt is manufactured.
Clement Chiguru from Lilongwe said in an interview the milk from Mwera tastes better than most milk products in Lilongwe.
“That is the reason it finishes very fast in Lilongwe after delivery,” he said.
Recent statistics indicate that Malawi has grown economically by 8 percent. Moreover statistics indicate that more people are now living above the poverty line.
This is only possible through direct intervention in rural areas.
According to Goodall Gondwe, the Finance Minister, the 2007/2008 is a pro poor budget because it has programmes to tackle poverty at grassroot level.
The opposition has however said the budgets passed in parliament do not tickle down to the rural areas because of lack of commitment by government to address poverty at a local level.
Organisations like SSLP are therefore helping the local communities to empower themselves other than waiting for the government to do for the people.