YONECO Empowers Mzimba Communities

Youth Network and Counselling (YONECO) District Officer for Mzimba, Dunleck Pande has said communities need to develop mechanisms on how to follow up government funded development projects to avoid abuse.

Speaking after an interface with members of Titemwane Radio Listening Club Sunday at Enukweni in Mzimba, he said a number of government funded programmes were not concluded because people entrusted to run those abused funds.

Pande said strengthening radio listening clubs was essential in the promotion of community development accountability.

"For our communities to develop, we need them to have necessary skills and knowledge on how they can monitor and follow up on any development that is taking place in their areas.

"Communities need to take to task and question duty bearers on any issues pertaining development programmes1 from them," the District Officer said

Pande said failure to empower communities on such issues is counter development as some people divert project funds.

"This is why YONECO decided to strengthen community development monitoring by imparting such knowledge to radio listening clubs so that they put to task whoever is entrusted to lead their development programmes,” he added.

Chairperson for Titemwane Radio Listening Club, Nyson Dzimbili hailed YONECO for the initiative to empower them on how to monitor and investigate development progress in their areas.

"We have undergone trainings on how we can be monitoring development programs in our area and I can say that we are now able to see what is happening to various project funds.

“We are able to face various authorities and question them whenever we feel there are gray areas in any development that is taking place," he pointed out.

YONECO is running a three year Open Contracting Project in two districts of Mzimba and Phalombe with funding from HIVOS.

Through the project, YONECO is empowering radio listening clubs on how to monitor and follow upon government financed projects at community level to ensure accountability and transparency.