BY SAMUEL KALIMIRA:
Mzuzu Rotary Club has announced that it has secured $68 million to run vocational training programmes for 100 people living with albinism.
The programmes, which also target vulnerable communities, will involve experts from Lancaster Rotary Club in Pennsylvania, the United States, and students from Optometry Department at Mzuzu University.
Speaking when members of the club inducted their new president Mbachazwa Lungu, immediate past president Moses Mkandawire said the funds were approved by Rotary International on July 27.
He said the funds would address challenges faced by people with disability, especially those who have sight problems.
Mkandawire said people living with albinism will receive low-vision evaluations and low-vision aids.
“We observed that people living with disability face a lot of challenges, apart from current killings which the country has registered. We already condemned the malpractice.
“We thought we should complement the government’s efforts by supporting their lives so that they live healthier and positively contribute to the country’s development. We have hope that the programme may roll out come September this year,” Mkandawire said.
He said, during his term of office, he has managed to secure funds for water and sanitation projects at Embangweni in Mzimba District and Livingstonia in Rumphi District.
He said, apart from supporting students in community day secondary schools, Mzuzu Rotary Club has supported nursing students at Ekwendeni and Nkhoma colleges of nursing.
Meanwhile, Lungu has said he will continue with programmes initiated by Mkandawire.
“My new cabinet will sit down and strategise on how we are going to implement the programme to support people with albinism. It is a big project and it needs critical supervision, which we are going to provide,” Lungu said.
He said the other project he will prioritise is that pertaining to construction of a rotary village whose site has been allocated by Mzuzu City Council.
The village will host orphans and offer recreational programmes by Foundation for Children’s Rights.
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