World Vision has handed over various development programs to the community in Lipiri area, Traditional Authority Kayembe, Dowa District after 18 years of implementation.
The organization initiated various development activities in the area with support from donors from New Zealand since 2006.
Speaking during the handover of the programs to the community in Lipiri Area Program in Dowa on Thursday, World Vision National Director, Francis Dube said the interventions in the area came following various challenges the community faced in accessing safe water, education with low school enrollment, Early Childhood Development (ECD), health and livelihood among others.
"We are witnessing the development journey that has transformed the mindset of people in social and economic areas in Lipiri area," he said.
Currently, Dube said, 98 per cent of people in the area have access to clean and portable water from sustained water systems as a result of drilling of 129 boreholes and reticulated water system.
Other achievements include reduction of stunted children from 49 per cent in 2013 to 22 per cent through the adoption of diversified feeding practices, building if a girls hostel, Water and Sanitation (WASH), Livelihood and Resilience.
Dube therefore pleaded with government and stakeholders to help sustain the development interventions that the organization and the people of area have built for 18 years so that they could benefit even the next generation of children.
Receiving on behalf of the community, Deputy Minister of Education, Nancy Chaola Mdooko commended World Vision for its dedication to improving the lives of people.
"From improved healthcare to economic empowerment and infrastructure development, the area has been a testament to the power of collaboration," she said.
Mdooko added that the area has demonstrated that with targeted interventions and strategic partnerships, remarkable progress can be achieved.
The Deputy Minister urged stakeholders to continue prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable, to empower them and to create an environment conducive to growth and prosperity.
