May 8, 2018 is a special day in the life of Ernest Mpomba of Group Village Headman Mchacha in Traditional Authority Ngowe in Chikwawa as it gave birth to something that earned her a mosquito net that helped improve her health status.
“Things were just not working in my life. I was frequently falling sick. A month could barely pass without being diagnosed with Malaria. My health was deteriorating,” narrated Mpomba.
Ernest received insecticide-treated net (ITN) from Sam Mpasu, Chairperson of Tikondane Radio Listening Club (RLC) who also happens to be Ernest’s Uncle, thanks to the money borrowed from Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA).
“I have a family of 7 including my sister’s son. Before the introduction of Radio Listening Clubs and Village Savings and Loans Associations, I managed to buy three nets for the 6 of us and when VSLAs were introduced to us it was an opportunity for me to have the remaining net for my sister’s son who joined our family,” Mpasu said.
He added that before the net was bought Ernest was falling victim of malaria now and then.
The Village Savings and Loans Association started with 10 members from Tikondane RLC with contribution of money as small as K200 to K300 but now it has more than 4,000 members.
Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) is implementing Health Communication for Life (HC4L) project in four districts of Chikwawa, Salima, Nkhotakota and Nkhata-Bay.
YONECO is implementing the project under the FHI 360 as a prime contractor of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization which is funding the project.
