MALAWI: Three Countries take stock on UKAM-SCIAF programme
Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) is hosting officers under United Kingdom Aid Fund of Scottish Catholic International Fund (UKAM-SCIAF) programme being implemented by three countries that are Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Malawi.
The meeting which is being held in Dedza has brought together Programme, Finance, Agriculture and Community Mobilization Officers as a way of sharing knowledge through what they term international exchange learning.
Opening the workshop on Tuesday, Secretary General for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, Rev. Fr. Henry Saindi said he was delighted to note that, the International exchange learning workshop has brought three country-partners together to reflect and share experiences on programme implementation.
“We are all gathered here to reflect and take stock of progress of UKAM-SCIAF Programme. This is a rare opportunity presented to us to ponder on milestones we have so far registered having kick-started the interventions back in 2015. What has worked? What has not worked? It presents opportunities to learn from each other on what is working best in your respective localities,” said Fr. Saindi.
He said by the end of the workshop, perticipants are expected to create a platform for checking with each other on progress of the agreed milestones.
Fr. Saindi said that, the workshop which aims at building the asset base of the extreme poor and their capacities to improve food and income security, will as well link smallholder farmers to markets and other service providers, to increase community resilience to the shocks caused by climate change and to improve the socio-economic conditions of women.
“You are aware that one of the persistent calls Pope Francis has made to international bodies is that of ending hunger in Africa. Just recently, when the Holy Father visited Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, to mark World Food Day, his call was “It is time to end hunger,” said Fr. Saindi.
He said Pope Francis hinted that, “The current situation demands greater responsibility on all levels, not only to guarantee the necessary production or equitable distribution of the fruits of the earth but above all to guarantee the right of all human beings to be nourished according to their own needs.”
He noted that, all people must be able to participate in decisions that affect them and be able to realize their aspirations without being apart from their loved ones.
According to Fr. Saindi, UKAM-SCIAF Programme must be considered as a direct response to Pope Francis’ call to end hunger in respective countries.
“But we are all aware that a project of this magnitude is not easy to implement and consideration must always be made on the opportunities we have set forth to support the marginalized communities to reach their human potentials, that is, to live healthily, to be educated and to fully participate in the life of the community and the gender-centred approach and the environmental approaches in line with the Laudato Si’.
“Regarding Climate Change, Pope Francis has warned of increasing nonchalance towards the balances of ecosystems. He called for a change in lifestyles, in the use of resources, in production criteria, including consumption,” he said.
Fr. Saindi said that, the Church always reaffirms its commitment to support development endeavours that speak about God’s love to reach out to the poor, the needy and the marginalized hence participants to the workshop should strive to development according to the mind of the Church.
“I, therefore, would like to challenge you again in this workshop to reflect on the meaning of the word development basing on the Catholic Social Teaching as too often, wealth creation is used as the milestone against which development is measured. But authentic development is much more than economic progress,” said Fr. Saindi.
In Malawi, UKAM-SCIAF programme is being implemented in the diocese of Dedza and Chikwawa.
∽End∽
By Prince Henderson, Communications Officer ECM
