Govt abandoned beneficiaries of Kudzigulira Malo project: No water, education and health care service!  

The Kudzigulira Malo Project, launched in 2006 with the intention of improving the lives of thousands of families, has left a trail of unfulfilled promises and unimaginable hardship.

Over 15,000 families from the tea-growing districts of Thyolo and Mulanje relocated to new areas under the World Bank-funded initiative, hoping for a better life.

But 13 years after the project ended, many of these families find themselves stranded in Mangochi, Machinga, Balaka, and Ntcheu—living without access to basic services like water, health care, and education.

Desperate for Water: A Cry for Help

For Fred Kapasule, a 65-year-old man from Msikidzi Village in Mangochi, the search for water led to a harrowing ordeal. Kapasule was abducted by a nyau cult on his way to check on his wife, who had gone in search of water.

For days, he was beaten and forced to eat raw chicken as part of the cult’s initiation rituals. His wife eventually paid a K3,000 ransom to secure his release. But for Kapasule, this experience was just the tip of the iceberg in a journey filled with hardship.

The primary issue remains the severe lack of clean water. Ester Maloya, a 45-year-old mother of four, shared that her marriage fell apart due to the struggles caused by having to walk long distances to fetch water.

Many others, like Elena Robert, were forced to return to Thyolo, unable to sustain life in the new settlements due to the lack of reliable water sources. Despite their cries for help, government officials like James Manda, the acting water development officer for Mangochi, admitted they had not been aware of the issue, with assessments yet to be conducted.

However, WaterAid Malawi has stepped in to provide some relief by constructing 15 new boreholes and rehabilitating 75 others in the affected areas. George Kaluba, WaterAid’s interim head of programmes, emphasized the need for government intervention, especially in areas like Nankumba, where water scarcity remains dire.

Education Woes: Walking Miles for Learning

Access to education is another uphill battle for the families relocated under the project. Children are forced to walk up to 7 kilometers to attend the nearest school, and many drop out due to the long distance and other challenges.

Gladys Mathesa, a former student with dreams of becoming a doctor, was forced to drop out of Standard Eight after she was attacked on her way to school. She was just 17 when she got married and now has three children of her own, two of whom are already trekking the same long distances to get an education.

In response to this, the community came together to build Namwiri LEA School, which opened in 2019 to serve Standard One to Five students. But this school remains rudimentary, with no proper infrastructure, such as teachers’ housing or adequate classrooms. The Namwiri school committee has repeatedly asked the government to intervene, but their calls for support have gone unanswered.

Health Risks: A Death Sentence in the Wilderness

For Tereza Patrick, a 40-year-old mother from Matungululu Village, lack of access to proper health facilities almost cost her life. In 2015, she delivered her baby on the banks of a swollen river while trying to reach a health center eight kilometers away.

Despite promises from the government to build local clinics, she and other residents still have to travel long distances for basic healthcare, at great personal risk.

The village head of Matungululu emphasized that government promises for a clinic have been ignored for 18 years, forcing families to continue their arduous journey to the nearest health centers. This has led to avoidable deaths and dangerous situations for mothers and children alike.

A Government Abandoned

Despite the overwhelming challenges faced by the resettled families, the government has failed to provide adequate support. Government officials, including Bisai Mtayamanja, the acting district commissioner for Mangochi, have acknowledged the problems but have not yet proposed any concrete solutions. Families have repeatedly appealed for action, yet infrastructure, basic services, and necessary resources remain out of reach.

The Kudzigulira Malo Project was meant to uplift these families and provide them with a better life. Instead, it has left them stranded in an unforgiving wilderness, unable to access basic services like water, healthcare, and education. It is a story of unfulfilled promises, with the government failing to live up to its commitments, and NGOs like WaterAid Malawi stepping in where the state has neglected its responsibility.

The failure to address these issues means that the families who once hoped for a better life are now forced to live with the consequences of the broken promises of the Kudzigulira Malo Project. If the government does not act swiftly to address these grave challenges, the suffering of these families will continue.

*This story first appeared in Nation On Sunday. 

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