The Zikomo project in the Kawinga district has the purpose of improving household and nursery school food security through increased agriculture productivity along with the conservation and restoration of natural resource base.
OBJECTIVES
- Increase and diversify crop production and productivity.
- Improve access to agricultural inputs.
- Promote development of co-operative and Rural Youth in the working areas.
- Promote livestock production /productivity.
- Promote Gender Mainstreaming into program activities.
- Enhance literacy and numerical capability of adult illiterates.
- Reduce population growth rate and HIV/AIDS incidences.
- Strengthen the capacity of local institutions, beneficiaries and staff.
This report highlights the progress achieved against plans, issues and challenges encountered during the implementation of the project activities at kawinga project area during this period of February up to March 2016, the report also come up with recommendations to achieve the best results in the future.
ACTIVITIES
1) CROP PRODUCTION PROGRAM
This is to ensure an increase and diversification of crop production in the project areas of operation. For the period, the project planned to monitor crop performance in all the centers of Kawinga. So far all the maize fields were visited as planned and the harvesting has already been done in all the centers.
Frankly speaking, 2015-2016 growing season is the worst season as far as crop production is concerned.. The reason for this low production is the drought that has hit all parts of Malawi. The project area has experienced extremely low rainfall starting from November up to the critical period of the rain
season (i.e. the month of February). Maize, the most reliable food crop is drastically affected since the crop requires large quantities of rainfall to do well.
Msadi center will get not less than 3 bags, Nakutepa center has realized 2 bags and Likwanya will get not less than 5 bags of maize this year.
2) ORPHAN & VULNERABLE CHILDREN CARE / NURSERY SCHOOLS PROGRAM
This is aimed at improving nutritional status of vulnerable children, staff and farmers in the project areas of Kawinga in Machinga. During the period, the project planned to monitor all the centers of Kawinga project as third term has just started.
In all the centers there is not enough maize for porridge for the children. Despite this, even more children are coming for classes as usual and number of children joining classes is increasing in all the centers as follows
- Nsadi center from 73 to 89 children
- Nakutepa from 68 to 98 children
- Likwanya from 54 to 60 children
COMMENT
This program will face a big challenge this year as there is shortage of maize in our country and H. E. Prof. Arthur Peter Muthalika has made a declaration Malawi as state of National Disaster. As such, we will be forced to procure maize to run this feeding program in all the centers.
3) LIVESTOCK PROGRAM
This is to ensure improved household protein intake and providing alternative source of income by facilitating access to small ruminant production.
For the period, the project continued monitoring of livestock performance (goats) that were distributed in the first years of the project inception. The program conducted 3 livestock performance meetings to monitor performance of the program in terms of production of off springs, their general welfare, and death of livestock and off spring passed to other beneficiaries.
So far there were 2 death cases of goats at Nakutepa center, and on pass-on of off springs, only 2 new beneficiaries had received their goats at Nakutepa center.
SUMMARY OF GOATS PROGRAM
- TOTAL NUMBER OF GOATS DISTRIBUTED BY THE PROJECT 41
- NUMBER OF DEATH OF GOATS DISTRIBUTED BY THE PROJECT 6
- NUMBER OF SURVIED FROM OF GOATS DISTRIBUTED 35
- TOTAL NUMBER OF OFFSPRING BORN 165
- NUMBER OF OFFSPRINGS DEAD 12
- NUMBER OF OFFSPRINGS PASSED ON TO NEW BENEFICIARIES 37
- TOTAL NUMBER OF LIVESTOCK AS OF NOW IN PROJECT AREAS 188
- TOTAL NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES RECEIVED GOATS 77
More and more people are accessing improved livestock breeds through the passing on program in the project area. And as a result, the livestock farmers are becoming less prone to nutritional diseases since they are now accessing high value animal protein.
The farmers who had finished passing on to other beneficiaries are able to sell some of their goats to those who are interested to rear them and the proceeds are used for general household needs and farmers also benefited from manure for their plots.
4) BEE KEEPING PROGRAM
For the period, the project planned to monitor the performance of the program at Nsadi Village. So far the work was done as planned. The site was visited and the performance is now quite good as most of the beehives have been colonized. But the harvesting has not yet been done.
Impact of bee keeping (apiculture) program
- Club members are able to buy fertilizer through sales of honey.
- The center is able to pay nursery school teacher and buy other foods for nursery school through bee keeping program at the center.
- Honey availability as a source of food supplement and household income has improved through apiculture program at Nsadi center.
5) YOUTH PROGRAM
This is to develop the capacity and productivity of the youth so that they are able to contribute to the sustainable social economic development of rural communities. For the period, the project planned to monitor the performance of all the groups of Kawinga project. So far these groups were visited and are performing their duties perfectly well. Groups of Likwanya and Msadi performed their plays during the opening ceremony of Likwanya Hall. Their performance was quite good.
6) NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
In order to promote sustainable natural resources management, the project planned to monitor the agro-forestry woodlots of Nakutepa and Nsadi centers. The performance is quite good in all the centers and the village natural resources committee (VNRC) of Nakutepa has transplanted over 460 seedlings into their woodlot in the month of March 2016.The vice Board Chair encouraged the villagers to plant more trees even around their homes as source of firewood and wind breakers.
Impact of NRM activities
- Increased awareness on the importance of managing natural resources could be observed
amongst some beneficiaries. The beneficiaries were able to explain why they needed to plant more trees and practice best farming methods.
- There had been an increase in a number of varieties of trees in the area including the agro forestry trees.
- Access to firewood had started to be noticed though at small scale in these two villages (Nakutepa and Nsadi).
7) AUDIT REPORT
During the period we invited Miss. Princess Kalua one of our board members to audit JULY 2014 to June 2015 financial report that we already sent to you so as to have it audited here in Malawi ready for NGO registration. Miss. Kalua had charged us a total of k220,000.00 which we have not yet paid for. She also asked us to pay her k15,000.00 for the fuel she used from Blantyre and we did it. The report will be out
once we paid her money amounting to k220,000.00.
8) LIKWANYA HALL
Likwanya Hall has finally finished. During the period, we were busy finalizing the remained work like fixing of doors, installing solar system, painting and others. This Hall is the most beautiful hall of all the halls that we have in our project area.
As a project, we are inviting our Irish to come and open this hall. We have spent a
total of MK6,390,400.00 out of MK7,020,700.00 that was budgeted both for the hall and for solar panel installation, hence there is a balance of KM630,300.00. Detailed budget and expenditure of this hall are available on separate spreasheet.
9) PROCUREMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT EQUIPMENT
As a project we are planning to procure Video set and decoder to each and every center as they are hiring these from outsiders hence get only 30 to 40% from the collections. As a project we are going to produce total budget for this program very soon, and this will be one of the ways of generating more money for these centers.
