Livelihood project gives Salima community hope

Communities in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kalonga in Salima District have expressed optimism that the livelihood project under World Vision Malawi will transform their lives. Under the project, people learn modern farming technologies, acquire vocational and entrepreneurship skills, hone mindset change skills as well as join village savings and loans groups to become economically independent. In Mapiko Village in T/A Kalonga, 52-year-old Mary Kaliveni embraced irrigation farming under the project to improve food and income security.

As a member of Mchengeleza Irrigation Scheme, she said life has improved due to farming. “When World Vision Malawi constructed the scheme in 2018, 64 farmers [38 women] mobilised themselves to use the facility. “I grow maize and other cash crops which I sell fresh to generate more profits.

We sell the maize at Chinguluwe Market or to vendors who come right here at the scheme,” said Kaliveni. Kaliveni is an example of many farmers at the scheme who have found gold in farming. “Before the scheme, my six children and I used to go to bed on empty stomachs.

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That is history. Farming gives me food and money,” said Kaliveni. The scheme’s chairperson Innocent Damson said World Vision Malawi installed solar panels, two tanks—each holding 10 000 litres of water—installed pipes and dug secondary canals in the field.

“World Vision trained farmers on how to take care of the facility and encouraged them to embrace climate-smart agriculture technologies,” he said. Damson encouraged other people to embrace irrigation. Besides irrigation farming, the organisation also distributed goats to 98 people in group village head Mkhula on a livestock pass-on project in 2023.

Elijah Mathias, a father of four children, was one of the beneficiaries in the first phase. “I passed on the goats to other beneficiaries in March and June 2024. Goats give me manure and money when I sell them as well as meat,” he said.

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