NGOs Warned on Projects Implementation

Nsanje district council has cautioned local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) against taking the lead in the implementation of various projects in the district, saying failure to adhere to such policy direction will leave the council with no choice but to disapprove their projects in future.

The Council's Chief Planning Officer, Smith Mnenula, has dared the NGOs to support government sectors to do their job for sustainability purposes, saying the council has fared badly in sustaining various projects implemented in the past because the partners were on the driving seat.

Mnenula issued the warning yesterday during a presentation of a K163 million one-year project dubbed Risk Communication and Community Engagement amidst Covid-19 by Story Workshop.

The project seeks to address nutrition problems among under five children in the country's five districts of Nsanje, Blantyre, Phalombe, Dowa and Lilongwe.

"This goes to you and all other partners. You are supposed to complement government efforts.

" We have our structures, let the technical people lead and not you, you are a partner.

"It’s a policy issue, in future we will not be approving projects where NGOs would be leading," said Mnenula.

Story Workshop Projects Manager, Ambele Gogwe, however assured the council that the organization is working with government structures citing the District Health Management Team (DHMT).

"Actually, I said in my presentation, we are working with the technical people for sustainability purposes. For example, we have been engaging the line sector in as far as the issues we are going to address are concerned, so we will not be doing things on our own," explained Gogwe.

She added the organization will also work with other relevant stakeholders for smooth implementation of the project.

Gogwe told Zodiak Online that the project will among other things use a door-to-door approach and radio programs in a drive to educate parents and care givers on maternal infant and child feed practices.

In Nsanje, the project will be implemented in the area of Traditional Authority Mlolo to the tune of K9 million according to Gogwe.

She says the area is being targeted because of high malnutrition levels among under five children.

The Chief Planning Officer's call comes amid concerns that the district has been receiving billions of kwacha for implementation of various developmental projects which apparently have not benefited the communities as expected.

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