Lilongwe youths adopt farming techs

People living around Liwonde National Park in Balaka District now have improved access to family planning services courtesy of a partnership between African Parks and Banja la Mtsogolo (BLM). The two organisations have intensified the integration of sexual and reproductive health services with environmental conservation in communities surrounding the park, targeting hard-to-reach areas where access to health facilities has been limited. Community member Lidia Andson from group village head Mbera in Traditional Authority (T/A) Amidu in Balaka said population growth over the years has put pressure on natural resources, forcing many communities to rely on the park for their livelihoods.

She said the partnership has enabled communities are now able to access health services easily as BLM brings services closer to their localities. Said Andson: “We used to travel over 10 kilometre to Mwima Health Centre to access services, including family planning. “Most families were not taking family planning services which led to high population.

But now we are able to access the services and control our families.” She was speaking on Tuesday during the organisation’s joint tree-planting exercise in T/A Amidu. BLM programmes director Claire Graham said the initiative seeks to ensure healthy citizens through the provision of family planning services while encouraging communities to plan for their future. “This approach represents an innovative intersection of public health and environmental stewardship,” she said.

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Liwonde National Park and Mangochi Forest Reserve manager Shaibu Kadewere said the partnership is critical to building community resilience and reducing dependence on protected areas. “We believe planting trees will reduce pressure on parks for firewood. Today we planted 150 trees, but the plan is to plant over 1 500 trees in 2026,” he said.

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