The company has recently constructed a classroom and drilled a borehole at Katole Primary School and Ranken village respectively in Mulanje district.

Speaking on Wednesday after handing over the classroom and the borehole to the community, EPM Managing Director David Reynolds said the relationship between the company and the surrounding community is just good.

He said this is the reason the company does not hesitate to respond to the needs of the community whenever funds are available.

“We are part of the community and we find it necessary to implement developmental projects within and beyond our surrounding communities,” said Reynolds.

Head teacher of Katole Primary School, Sammy Aramson thanked the company for constructing the classroom at the school.

“With this structure, we are close to reaching the country’s recommended 1 to 60 classroom- learners ratio,” said Aramson.

Assistant Coordinating Primary Education Advisor for Mathambi Education Zone Chipiliro Ngochera asked the company to construct a secondary school within the area saying the nearest Bango Community Day Secondary School is at a distance of over ten kilometers.

And speaking after receiving the borehole, village head Ranken said shortage of water is now a thing of the past and he thanked EPM for the gesture.

One of the women present at the handover ceremony, Grace Lloyd, told Zodiak Online that there was only one borehole in the village which was not enough to serve over 200 households in the village.

“To show our appreciation, we will ensure that we take care of this borehole with guidance from the borehole committee,” said Lloyd.

According to EPM’s Corporate Affairs Manager Rabson Kachilele, 10 million Malawi kwacha was used on the classroom project while 9 million Malawi kwacha has been spent on the borehole.