By Martin Gela Jnr
Youths from Nsanje and Chikwawa districts in the southern part of Malawi have acquired vocational skills courtesy of the Shire Valley Transformation Movement College.
Initially formed to protect people’s livestock and encourage communities to encourage people to embrace climate-smart agriculture to improve food security, the movement decided to train the youth in vocational skills to empower them economically.
In an interview on Wednesday, Group Village Head Mada of Traditional Authority (T/A) Lundu said the training will help young people to refrain from stealing livestock such as goats and cattle due to unemployment.
When the youth have vocational skills, they can open businesses and generate income. Secondly, they can employ their fellow youths to work in their businesses.
Mada said due to extreme weather conditions such as drought and floods in the Shire Valley, communities fail to harvest enough to eat; hence, the youth resorting to criminal activities.
One of the trainees, Steven Kandiyero from Nyamphota Village said he acquired motorcycle repairing skills.
I will earn a living through repairing motorcycles. I encourage my fellow youths to also acquire entrepreneurship skills instead of indulging in risky behaviours.
Another beneficiary, Stella Mashalubu, from T/A Chapananga said she learned tailoring, fashion and design. My life has changed after the training. I can buy basic necessities for my family now.
Shire Valley Transformation Movement College Executive Director John Ogesi Seda said they first recruited 35 youths from the two districts.
Our assessment shows that the theft of livestock is rampant due to unemployment among the youth in the two districts. So, to address the problem, we decided to empower them with vocational skills.
The movement plans to scale up the informal programme to reach more youths in the Shire Valley.
This article was first published by Nation Publications Limited in Malawi.