On the 7th of August 2025, Ungweru Organisation had an engagement with the Area Development Committee (ADC) of Traditional Authority (TA) Chindi which covers Euthini Extension Planning Area (EPA), an area which based in Mzimba District in the northern region of Malawi. Ungweru organized the ADC meeting to present its food security project which it intends to implement in the Area. The engagement also sought to provide a platform through which the ADC can select a site at which the project can be implemented within the EPA. Present at the engagement were local leaders, government officials and Ungweru team.
Presenting the project, Ungweru’s Field Officer, Lawrencia Tembo, outlined the project’s title, “Improving Income, Nutrition and Food Security”, and its core interventions: irrigation farming, high-value crop cultivation, a livestock pass-on programmed, and cooperative establishment.
She guided the ADC to consider three key criteria in their selection: active community participation, strong local interest, availability of a perennial water source, and at least one hectare of farmland. To ensure fairness, Ungweru staff stepped out of the meeting while the ADC deliberated.
Having finalized the deliberations, the chairperson of the Area Development Committee, Mr. Pasca Chibaka, had informed Ungweru Staff and other attendees of the decision which they had made. In his presentation, the ADC chair announced Mtende Village as the site at which the project should be implemented.
“We have chosen Mtende village because in our analysis, we have found that its community members are interested in the project, are willing to actively participate, and that the community has a perennial water source and at a hectare of farm land”, said Mr. Chibaka.
Rachel Chisambi, one of the ADC members and a resident of Mtende Village, was very excited after the ADC had chose Mtende village as the site of project implementation.
“I am very thankful to the donors of Ungweru Organisation for giving us this project through Ungweru Organisation. The irrigation farming and the livestock program will improve the livelihood our entire village. We cultivated only once a year previously, but now we will be able to cultivate twice a year”, said Rachel.
With Mtende Village now selected, Ungweru Organisation will begin preparations to roll out activities in partnership with the community, local leaders, and government agencies. The project is expected to serve as a model for integrated rural development, demonstrating how community-driven initiatives can strengthen food systems and improve livelihoods in Mzimba District and beyond.