Malawi climate change young leaders donate waste bins to Mponela, sweep market clean

Climate change young leaders–operating under the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) climate change programme–donated three huge waste bins to Mponela market in Dowa District.

They also helped with sweeping in the market, removing the dirt out of it.

The climate change young leaders–drawn from Dowa, Lilongwe, Kasungu and Salima–were accompanied by other youths in their day long activities that received support from MaSP and 2050 Climate Group from Scotland.

In an interview with Nyasa Times after the activities, Coordinator for the Malawi Young Leaders’ Climate Change Project, Hendricks Nkhata, said the gesture, among other things, helped promote the government’s initiative which sees citizens erupting in clean up exercise every second Friday of the month.

“As climate change champions, the climate change young leaders also wanted the community here to understand that cleaning the surroundings is the duty of everyone, a personal responsibility. A clean environment guarantees the the health of the people. We must always have safe machanisms of disposing our waste,” said Nkhata.

He added that the climate change young leaders were also calling for more of such activities by young people so that they contribute to national development and safety of the country.

One of the climate change young leaders, Towera Kamanga, was excited about the activities and urged fellow youths to be taking part in issues of climate change.

“It must start with us to indulge ourselves in activities that aim at guarding our country from the devastating effects of climate change. Nobody else will do that for us. This country is in our own hands as young people,” she said.

And Chairperson for Mponela market, Chilimanthembwe commended the climate young leaders for their gesture, saying the waste bins had come timely for they were having difficulties to dispose of their waste.

The climate change young leaders initiative comprises young Malawians who work in partnership with the 2050 Climate Group, a youthful group advocating for climate action in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has been funding the initiative for two years now with the aim to equip young Malawians with knowledge and skills to solve climate change challenges.

The initiative also empowers the youths to be capable leaders who take action, influence local policy makers and create long-lasting change towards a sustainable future for Malawi.

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