IM Swedish Development Partner Secretary General, Gabriella Fredriksson, has advised women and young people from the traditional authority of Kachere in the Dedza district to always stand up for their rights, with a plea for them to work hard in initiatives that improve their livelihoods.
Fredriksson made this plea on Wednesday during her visit to Group Village Kachere, which is one of the three Group Village Heads where the Youth Initiative for Community Development (YICOD) is implementing interventions aimed at promoting resilience, enhancing nutrition, and economically empowering rights holders through core support from IM Swedish Development Partner.
In her remarks, the Secretary General emphasized the importance of knowing and defending one's rights, stating that rights are at the core of everything people do.
“You should always know your human rights and be able to stand up for them. Rights are fundamental to everything,” she said.
During her visit, Fredriksson, accompanied by her team, also visited vegetable gardens tended by rights holders using mini-drip irrigation systems. This equipment is easy to use, requires less labor, and is not time-consuming, allowing individuals to engage in other activities while the vegetables are being irrigated.
Gabriella and her IM team visiting one of the gardens that uses mini-drip irrigation
Additionally, they appreciated a field where young people have planted orange-fleshed sweet potato vines for multiplication.
Fredriksson also encouraged the young people and women to make use of the interventions that YICOD is implementing in the area to improve their livelihoods.
“Let’s work hard on initiatives that aim to uplift our livelihood as we build resilience toward climate change. IM would like to see the change and is pleased with what you are currently doing,” she said.
Later, the Secretary General and her team visited the Tikondane Savings and Loans Group to understand how they conduct their business meetings, including their processes for handling and storing cash, documenting savings and loans, and maintaining records.
One of the women, Florence Kamtambe, who belongs to the Khumbo Lathu Women’s Care Group, stated that they plan to purchase more mini-drip irrigation kits once the vegetables mature, so they can harvest and sell the surplus.
“These mini-drip irrigation kits have reduced the labor we used when we relied on watering cans. Our plan as a group, which has 30 members, is to buy more kits from the sales we will make after selling the vegetables we are growing here,” she said.
Stelia Konyani, chairperson of the Tikondane Women's Savings and Loans Group, explained the numerous benefits members receive from the group, including the ability to support their families.
“Through these savings and loans groups, we can obtain loans and start small-scale businesses that help to support our families, ensuring we can afford to consume foods from all six food groups,” she said.
Before interacting with the rights holders, the IM Swedish Development Partner team engaged with YICOD staff to share knowledge and best practices in programming to improve the livelihoods of rights holders.
YICOD Executive Director Andrew Bwanali speaking during the engagement between YICOD and the IM team
In his remarks, YICOD Executive Director Andrew Bwanali thanked the IM team for their core support, stating that it is crucial for the organization’s capacity building and the improvement of the livelihoods of rights holders.
"I would like to thank you for this core support, which has already started to bear fruit for YICOD and the rights holders. Our organization has learned a lot through this support for our strategic plan,” he said.
Through this core support, YICOD is implementing various interventions in the three Group Village Heads under the traditional authority of Kachere: Mkhoma Wanthu, Fosa, and Kachere.
