Speaking during the launch held at Chikwawa Community Ground, District Commissioner for Chikwawa, Nardin Kamba said the CYFCI strategic Plan contains six pillars that should be followed for the children and youths to have equal access and advantage like everyone in their communities.
“Looking at challenges the children and youths are facing this strategic plan contains six pillars namely, Child and Youth participation, Access to quality and essential social services, Safe, Secure and Clean environment, Family life, Play and Leisure and Right to be involved and heard, “He said.
“Mainly we want our children and youths to have good education, access to health services and involvement in all interventions the government is implementing in the district,” He said and added that those areas which will follow and do better with what is in this strategic plan will be awarded as the council will track the achievements of outlined objectives.
He further said, in this strategic plan each pillar has different activities which have been listed to be implemented that will bring a desired change in the lives of children and youths, in addition each pillar has output and targets to be achieved by a period of five years.
Council Chair, Khofati Malunga said that this strategy will bring change knowing that children and youths were not involved in many interventions and adding that even leaders themselves did know importance of involving young people when making decisions or development plans.
“The big challenge is lacking knowledge from both leaders and the youth themselves, this strategic plan introduced by Unicef will help all of us to know our roles and importance of involving youths in all interventions plans happening in the district,” he said.
He further commended the coming of this initiative knowing that the country is full of young people and they are not being involved in development programmes and the coming of this strategy will help our district council to engage youths in decision making hence more development.
Youth Network Chair, George Amos, from Group Village Head (GVH) Njereza, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kasisi said the coming of strategic plan will help to ease challenges which young people are facing.
“We are facing challenges like unemployment, early marriages due to poverty, child abuses like rape and Child labour, lack of essential health services and not being involved in development decision making,” He said.
He further commended the coming of strategic plan hoping that it will help to solve challenges which young people are facing and adding that youths should be heard and protected and this will help them to acquire different skills and be safe dependent.
According to Unicef this initiative is their mandate to help children to have friendly communities. This strategy is to work with councils to fulfil the rights of children. The council should use this strategy on ground not only in papers, Chikwawa is the first council and should be an example to other districts.