Over 500 households have received, Personal Protective Equipment, hand washing equipment and awareness messages on Covid-19 through the ‘Kuteteza’ project which the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust (MLWT) is implementing in Mangochi, Chikwawa and Blantyre rural.

Principal Investigator for the Kuteteza project, Dr Donnie Mategula told YONECO FM online that the project is targeting the elderly that are 60 years and above since they are at higher risk of contracting and dying from the Covid-19 virus.

Dr Mategula said they are also encouraging the villages to arrange their own strategies on how to protect the elderly.

“We are making local arrangements to have someone within the house to assist the elderly person to access some services thereby limiting movement for the elderly and reducing the risk of contracting Covid-19.”

“As a project we are providing basic hygiene needs including buckets, soap and facemasks equipment including soap and facemasks.”

The Kuteteza project began in April 2020 when the first cases of Covid-19 were registered in Malawi.

Dr Mategula stated that, their target is to have the Kuteteza concept in the National Response plan on Covid-19 so that the elderly are protected across the country.

One of the beneficiaries of the project, William Baluku said he has improved his hygiene and he stays protected from the Covid-19 pandemic because of the materials that he received through the Kuteteza project.

In the meantime the Group Village Head Chisambanuka from Traditional Authority  Mponda, one of the areas in which the project is being implemented, expressed gratitude to MLWT for shielding the elderly in the area from the novel Corona Virus.

She said she has been teaching her subjects on the dangers of the disease.

The K50 million project is expected to phase out in May 2021.