SALIMA-(MaraviPost)-Youths in the country’s lake-shore district of Salima are expected to reap economically through forestry management training which Multiconsult Africa has embarked
Multiconsult Africa in partnership with National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC) with support from Tauw Foundation , Netherlands is implementing a project called Conserve with Benefit (C with B Project) at Group Village Headman Chagunda, Traditional Authority (T.A.) Kambwiri in the district.
The project engages New Vision Youth Club which comprises 51 youth members who are into forest conservation in the district.
Among others, the project seeks to support New Vision Youth club in bee keeping, tree nursery management and mushroom production.
As part of the activities in the project, Multiconsult Africa and NYNCC organized a three-day training in bee keeping to equip youth groups with skills that will allow them to keep and manage bees in their forests for honey production.
Team Leader for C-with-B Project, Collins Mitochi disclosed that the project uses youth forest conservation initiatives to provide socio-economic and ecosystem-oriented solutions for the benefit of the youth, communities and the environment.
“It basically aims to enhance conservation of forests while also capitalizing on some forest value chains in a way of empowering youth economically.
“The youth will also venture into mushroom production and engage in initiatives that will aim at creating a safe haven for pollinators that are threatened by habitat loss from depletion of vegetation,” says Mitochi.
NYNCC member Kondwani Mubisa said that the project is a product of one of the resolutions that the youth of Malawi made during their second National Youth Network on Climate Change conference conducted in Lilongwe from 24th to 26th September 2019 under the theme “from-rhetoric-to-action.”
Mubisa indicated that the youth of Malawi pledged to take action in climate change management in the country through resource mobilizations and capacity building of youth clubs and associations in various climate change and environmental management areas.
Chagunda Youth Club chairperson Vicson Gwedeza lauded Multiconsult Africa and NYNCC for the timely intervention on economic empowerment .
Gwedzeza assured the two organisations of his club’s commitment towards utilization of skills imparted.
“We expect to harvest more honey through bee keeping whose proceeds will empower us economically in meeting personal needs,” excited Gwedeza.
The two year pilot phase project, Multiconsult Africa and NYNCC seek to support New Vision Youth Club to venture into beekeeping where the youth will be provided with modern beehives (Langstroth Beehives) and a honey processing and packaging facility that will enable the Youth group to produce and supply honey on the market.