Founded on January 7, 2019, Chigandaganda Village Club which trades as a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) envisions to become one such larger cooperative of local chicken farmers.
The group, which is from Group Village Headman Chijere, Traditional Authority (T/A) Timbiri in Nkhata Bay, currently has a membership of 10 people comprising of 8 men and 2 women.
According to the Club`s chairperson Don Chipandula Gondwe, the Chigandaganda VSL got linked to Vision Fund to access a MK600, 000 five-month loan at a six percent interest which they have now repaid.
“We are optimistic about the future because we started at a low note but where we have reached at the moment we are able to see that the future is promising because we have been empowered with required knowledge and skills.
We already engaged Shoprite to supply 1000 chickens and they agreed all what is remained is to sign a formal contract agreement,” singled out Gondwe.
However, Chigandaganda Club is in need of MK12 million to boost its capital if prospects of supplying over 1000 chickens weekly to Shoprite are to be achieved.
According to Heifer International Project Extension Officer Mphatso Makina, there are 360 groups in Nkhata Bay District with a composition membership of about 15 to 25 people.
Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprises (FARMSE) is a seven-year nationwide development programme implemented by the Ministry of Finance from 2018 to 2025 with US$57.7 million joint funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Government of Malawi and private sector participants.
Another VSL that is benefitting from the project is Umodzi VSL from Group Village Headman Viwemi Chimaliro, Traditional Authority Nthwalo.
The 10-member VSL is currently constructing a dam which upon completion will realise MK2.6 million income once the fish is sold as they have already linked market to Fisheries Department.
“We opted for fish farming because we are optimistic that this farming is profitable as we were already linked to Fisheries Department for market access.
Once this dam is fully constructed and operational, we are hoping that we will be self-reliant financially as Umodzi VSL,” said Umodzi VSL`s chairman Dumisani Chimaliro.
Concurring with Chimaliro, Community Facilitator Indira Theu said since commencement of the project on 27th September 2021, Umodzi VSL has endured a number of challenges but still remains firm towards achieving its goal.
“Despite that there is less workforce in constructing this Dam, we are still making progress and most people in this area will realise that development is not an individual venture but collectively as a group.
“This development will improve people’s livelihood in this area as members of this area will embrace financial independence and improve their families too,” she said.
The Dam is expected to cost MK250, 000 which is already available, and once fully constructed there will be about 1, 300 fish which when sold, a profit of K2.6 million.
Meanwhile, FARMSE`s Community Based Financial Organisations (CBFOs) Specialist Kumbukani Rashid said the project has gone far above its targets in promoting financial access among rural people.
She said: “With the capacity that we give them we see that it’s being utilized and people are achieving more even more than what we expected, for example we have been rolling out training in business development where we are promoting households and also groups to develop business for household development.
“About the 50 percent of the VSLA groups that we are working with do not only just do proper VSLAs but they are also engaged in both group businesses and even household businesses and some have actually gone further to engage with high-value markets and are supplying commodities,” Rashid said.
FARMSE partnered Heifer International to implement the MK1, 190,388,719 three-year project which started in 2019 and it will run up to 2022.
