By Prisca Promise Mashushu
Youth for success and Development (YASD) is implementing logic project which aims at breaking socio-economic barriers among youths and women through the green innovations project.
Executive Director for YASD, Edward Chidombe Msiska, made the disclosure in Area 25 during the distribution of farm working equipment to help people in agricultural operations.
“We believe the green innovation skills are a pathway to empowering local communities especially youths and women in order to drive the Malawi 2063.
“So far YASD has trained about 160 youths and women to become green champions of innovators to train other local people in different communities on how to make manure and fertiliser from urine, making fire briquettes, tumblers, agroforestry and crop production to help promote food security,” Msiska explained.
One of the beneficiaries from local green innovation champions project, Gift Chisale, explained that the organisation has helped youths in his area to learn how to produce manure and fertiliser from urine and locally available resources which will help them boost crop production.
“The coming of local green innovation champions project under YASD has helped us to gain knowledge on entrepreneurship skills, business and agricultural development that will go a long way to uplift our lives as youths.
“We are now able to make tumblers, fire briquettes and manure which we are currently selling. Also, the mature and fertiliser will help to boost our crop production without necessarily depending on buying organic fertiliser,” he explained.
Chisale further said that the coming in of the project has also helped many people to provide for their families, pay school fees for their children and run different businesses in their respective areas.
The organisation is also planning to provide loans that will help youths and women in boosting farming activities that they are involved in.
So far, YASD has also made a donation amounting to K14.7 million in different parts of the Central Region including Dedza and Lilongwe to help youth and women in farming activities.
Some of the items donated to farmers include; water canes, shovels, safety wares hoes, work suits, gloves and pangas among others.