Case Story – Luwiza Smart

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Case Stories

Luwiza Smart is a mother of one, she comes from Pondelani village in Traditional Authority Nchiunguza, in Machinga district. She narrates how she came to know about the Screening, Care and Nutrition for the Management of Severe and Moderate Malnutrition in Children Aged 0 to 2 Years project which had been implemented by DAPP Malawi in Traditional Authority Nchiunguza in Machinga district with funding assistance from Valdese Church through Humana People to People Italia.
In June this year, 2019, Community Health Workers visited me at home to screen my child. Following the screening it was discovered that my child weighed 12.3 kilograms. They advised me to go to Nayuchi Health Centre in order to be assisted.

Cooking demonstrations on how to prepare nutritious meals

At the health centre I was informed that my child will be enrolled in the child malnutrition program and I will have to start receiving Likuni Phala (soya flour used to make porridge) for the baby. I had been feeding the baby this porridge for a month and when I went for screening in July, the weight had gone up to 12.6 kilograms. Following this record my child was said to be on the road to recovery and I did not have to feed him therapeutic food anymore.
Through this project we have learnt about six food groups. These are foods which we have to be eating at least every day in our homes and they include carbohydrates, proteins, legumes, fruits, vegetables and oils.

Another thing we have learnt is how to determine if a child is malnourished. What you do is you put the baby on the lap, then with both hands hold the feet and press the upper part of the feet with the thumb, apply pressure for three seconds and release. If small holes appear on the skin, then the child is said to be malnourished. The same technique can also be used in the cheeks to determine the nutrition status in children.
Close to 1750 pregnant and lactating mothers have been key beneficiaries in the project. In addition, approximately 30000 people have been categorised as the secondary beneficiaries within the year.

The project was implemented from October 2018 to September 2019.

Case Story – Psycho-Socio Activities Keep Learners in School

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Case Stories

Petros Tchayasimbi is a volunteer teacher at Nyankhwale full primary school in Mpatsa education zone, Nsanje district.
“I am 24 years old and I come from Chapananga in Chikwawa district. I was trained at DAPP Amalika Teacher Training College (TTC) as a teacher and I completed my studies in 2018.”
Under the partnership that exists between DAPP Malawi and the government of Malawi through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s Education Cluster, I and my fellow graduated teachers from DAPP were tasked to come and voluntarily support our fellow teachers and learners in primary schools and communities that are recovering from the devastating effects of the floods that affected parts of Malawi in 2019.

Learners interacting with the deputy head teacher during volleball lessons after class lessons

Petros a volunteer teacher at Nyankhwale

I joined Nyankhwale primary school on 10 June 2019.
“The teachers at this schools welcomed me so warmly and they have been so supportive, assisting me when I am preparing for my work especially the lessons.”
According to the enrolment records, Nyankhwale school has 772 learners and 10 teachers. Following the devastating floods, some of the challenges that the learners whose families were affected had been missing school, reporting late to school while others had been psychologically affected from the trauma.
The idea of the Education in Emergency program by the Education Cluster in the Ministry of Education is to offer psycho-socio support to children and community members that were affected during the floods.
Some of the activities that the Volunteer Teachers are using to assist in the recovery from the psychological trauma include engaging learners in sporting activities to ensure that no learners are left behind.
“During school days, especially in the daily assemblies that we have here at Nyankhwale, we use music and dances to cheer up the learners before classes and this is something that the learners find interesting,” said Ntchayasimbi.
The deputy head teacher for the school Mr Felix Dobo said the introduction of this project has been encouragement and now some learners who used to miss school have started going to school again.
“We are actively working with the school’s Mother Group committee to mobilise parents and guardians to send their children to school,” he added.
Through the Education in Emergency program, DAPP Malawi has deployed 25 teachers who are voluntarily working in eight districts of Mangochi, Balaka, Zomba, Phalombe, Mulanje, Thyolo, Chikwawa and Nsanje.
DAPP Malawi through its four TTCs groom teachers who are specifically trained to teach in rural Malawi primary schools.
The teachers get equipped with skills that allow them to excel in rural settings; prepared to become change agents who play leading roles in community building efforts.
To date, DAPP has trained over 2991 teachers in its four Teachers Training Colleges of Amalika, Dowa, Chilangoma and Mzimba.

Case Story – Maggie Chizinga

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Case Stories

Maggie Chizinga is a married young mother aged 26 with one child. She hails from Engalaweni village Traditional Authority Mbelwa in Mzimba district. Maggie was a tailoring student under the Satellite four months course offered to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) at DAPP Mzimba Teachers Training College (TTC).

Before joining satellite course, she was living with her husband and relied on him as the sole provider of their home.
Because her husband relied on piece works that he got every once in a while, Maggie and her family were struggling. Maggie was thinking that she cannot do anything to help her family since she was hopeless. After joining the satellite course, Maggie is now happy since she is now able to buy food and basic needs. She is even supporting her husband in paying house rentals.

Start Up Tools Given To Graduated To Start A Business

Graduates Learn How To Sew Various Items

Maggie is doing her business of tailoring and has now diversified into other businesses of selling doughnuts and sweet beer. She is now happy and her life has changed.
“I am using the skills I learnt during the 4 months course at Mzimba TTC and they are benefiting me and my family greatly “ she said .
Her dream is to open a big tailoring shop in the near future and employ other girls who have no source of income.
Maggie is also a member of a village savings bank where she has so far saved MK190, 000.00 (228 Euros) of which she says she wants to buy two machines and open a shop.

Case Story – Peter Kankhonya

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Case Stories

Peter Kankhonya hails from Chikwaza village in Thyolo district and is one of the Chikowa club members under DAPP Farmers club macadamia project in Thyolo district.

Through the project’s extension workers, he and his fellow club members have been trained by “their” Farming Instructor in Macadamia farming and garden farming. Through the training Peter has acquired various basic skills to be part of conserving the environment such as constructing fire wood saving stoves.

Some farmers under the Macademia Project

Mr Kankhonya says he has also been trained on the 2 cropping seasons which are rain fed and winter farming and leant topics including land preparations and planting, pest and disease control and harvesting.

“Taking good care of macadamia trees, the importance of Village saving and loan groups as well as hygiene and sanitation techniques have been taught to us,” he says.

“The project has really improved my life and that of my family economically. I will be selling the Macadamia nuts for 45 years. My vision is to see my children achieve their education goals and I will use part of the nuts proceeds to send them school. I thank DAPP Malawi for bringing such kind of project to my area and also to the farming Instructors for giving us such kind of trainings, lessons and skills,” he said.

Case Story - Monica Patrick

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Case Stories

Monica Patrick of village Headman Soka, Traditional Authority Dambe in Neno District is a 44 years old woman divorced woman with five children.

She had never had a pit latrine but after attending a village meeting which was conducted by DAPP field officers under the DAPP Child Aid project which aims at complementing the government of Malawi’s efforts through community empowerment in making decisions and taking actions to improve the wellbeing and upbringing of children which helps to create and ensure a safe and conducive environment for children, she learnt a lot and made a personal decision to construct her own pit latrine in her house hold.

Hygiene practices are encouraged in the project

Children are also encouraged to use the Latrines

In the meeting I learnt that if I continue using my neighbors' latrine it will bring shame to my family. “In addition to that, I learnt that having no pit latrine in my household would attract diseases like cholera and diarrhea”. Because of this she decided to dig the pit by herself.

She molded the bricks and started to construct the housing with assistance from one of her children. She managed to make the roof and her children thatched it with grass. Then installed the toilet drop hole cover and Tippy tap with soap.

“Since then my household is free from diseases caused by poor hygiene and sanitation. I am now glad that my village is now open defecation free thanks to DAPP” said Monica.

Case Story – Luwiza Smart

Cooking demonstrations on how to prepare nutritious meals

My child well

Case Story – Psycho-Socio Activities Keep Learners in School

Learners interacting with the deputy head teacher during volleball lessons after class lessons

Petros a volunteer teacher at Nyankhwale

Case Story – Maggie Chizinga

Start Up Tools Given To Graduated To Start A Business

Graduates Learn How To Sew Various Items

Case Story – Peter Kankhonya

Mr. Kankhonya

Some farmers under the Macademia Project

Case Story - Monica Patrick

Hygiene practices are encouraged in the project

Children are also encouraged to use the Latrines

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