In an effort to enhance child protection, Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) on Monday donated 40 bicycles to volunteers working as case management workers in Ana Patsogolo project in Traditional Authority Mwambo in Zomba district.

YONECO board chairperson Professor Dixie Maluwa Banda said for the volunteers to reach out to the vulnerable groups they need to travel hence the donation.

“This is to help mobility from one place to the other, like taking people to the hospital so these bicycles may be needed in such cases,” Banda said.

He therefore asked the community volunteers to own the bicycles, for its intended purpose to be fulfilled
One the volunteers Florida Daudi thanked YONECO for the provision of bicycles as it will help them in following up cases in time.

District social welfare officer for Zomba Christopher Ndaona described the donation as a game changer in reducing some of the challenges that the case management workers were facing.

Ndaona commended YONECO for bringing in Ana Patsogolo project saying it has increased the coverage by filling in gaps that were there before.

“As government we have been failing to reach each and every child because of coverage issues for example here in TA Mwambo it was just too big for four child protection workers that we had to cover.

“YONECO has come in and added nine volunteers as case management workers which are now making the work easier,” he said.

Youth net and counseling is implementing Ana Patsogolo project in two districts of Blantyre and Zomba focusing on issues affecting orphans and vulnerable children with funding from USAID.