Lusaka — THE Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative (MMCI) has embarked on two pilot projects to dry mushrooms in Kasempa and Ndola rural.

First lady Maureen Mwanawasa said after she toured the Technology Development and Advisory Unit (TDAU) of the University of Zambia yesterday, that the two areas during the rainy season had a lot of mushrooms, which could be dried and preserved.

She said this would help people to sell and secure some for food security.

Maureen said her organisation had been trying to change the attitude of women clubs for them to do activities that gave them profit and enabled them pay for health services, send their children to school and attain food security.

She said her visit to TDAU followed an enquiry for a mushroom solar drier, manufactured by the unit.

"Empowerment of Zambians has been the priority of the government and the challenge is for us to find answers to some of the problems," she said.

TDAU manager Dr. Mukombo Tambatamba said the unit was open to challenges and that they were looking forward to national challenges.

The unit manufactures solar driers (for vegetables) solid packaging machines, freezit making machines, interlocking blocks - making machines, triddle pumps, diaphragm pumps, hammer mills, hand carts, ox carts, bicycle trailers, stretcher beds and various other hand implements.