The Malawi Government has emphasized the importance of coordination among stakeholders in the disaster risk management and climate change sector to effectively address the impacts of climate change in the country.
Speaking at the official launch of the Climate Just Communities (CJC) Program Malawi at Mtanda Woyera Parish, T/A Ndindi in Salima District on Friday, Richard Pelekamoyo, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, highlighted the collaborative efforts required to mitigate climate-induced disasters.
“Climate Change is a challenge worldwide, and government alone cannot manage to address all challenges, that is why we have international and local partners.
“We have policies that help us to address some of the challenges, but we need communities that are affected in one way or another to be part of the programming in addressing some of challenges the country is experiencing in relation to climate change,” explained Pelekamoyo.
The CJC Program Malawi, launched with the aim of prioritizing sustainability and long-term resilience, seeks to empower communities to address climate change beyond the project’s duration.
Pelekamoyo emphasized the necessity of community participation in finding solutions tailored to their specific needs.
“Through these projects, like I said, there are a number of initiatives that are basically requiring communities that are affected to participate. It’s these communities that have got issues with a number of issues that are coming through. And it’s from the same communities that we can get ideas that can help us to address some of the challenges,” he stated.
In her words, Nandi Hall, Senior Director of Sustainable Growth at DAI Global UK, highlighted the program’s focus on placing the most vulnerable communities at the center of decision-making processes.
According to Hall, Malawi is one of the worse impacted countries by effects of climate change contributing least to the issue of climate change.
“The most vulnerable communities are the ones who are most impacted by the change in climate. It’s really essential that we provide community-led solutions to climate just interventions. So that’s why this project is designed to be really locally led so that they can respond to the impacts that they feel,” she explained.
Representing the eight local partners, Water Relief Malawi Country Director, Mathilda Matheta, emphasized their role in ensuring district councils’ involvement at every stage of the project.
“Our major role as implementing partners is to ensure that the district councils are involved in all the steps of this project starting from planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation,” Matheta affirmed.
Matheta added that the partners will involve community structures in the project’s implementation, saying, “We will also make sure that we involve all the structures at local level, at community level, we involve the chiefs, we involve the different committees and by doing that we are sure that this project will be successful.”
Senior Ndindi from Salima district expressed gratitude to DAI Global UK for considering his area for the CJC Project, given its diverse climate change impacts.
Senior Chief Ndindi pledged to work with local authorities to ensure the project’s success and sustainability.
The launch which was held under the theme, “Communities Standing up for Climate Justice” was spiced up by various traditional dances, drama and poems.
The CJC project will be implemented by DAI Global UK in seven districts Salima, Karonga, Balaka, Zomba, Neno, Phalombe, and Chikwawa.
DAI has partnered with Malawi Government, Civil Society Network on Climate Change, The Link Community Development, CADECOM Karonga, Centre for Integrated Community Development, Evangelical Lutheran Development Service, Water Aid, Water Witness, Organization for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Initiative
