YONECO has distributed Orange Fletched Sweet Potato (OFSP) vines to 45 Young People Living with HIV (YPLHIV) in Ntcheu district as one way of boosting their immune system.
OFSP is a special type of bio fortified sweet potato that contains high levels of beta carotene hence helps to boost human immune system.
In her remarks, the Programme Support Manager for YONECO, Sewenthe Chipofya urged all the young people who benefited from the gesture to work hard in their gardens for them to have bumper yields. Further to this, the young people were also requested to properly multiply the vines and share with others as well.
Innocent Chaduka who represented Ntcheu District Youth Officer commended YONECO for targeting YPLHIV as most organisations working in the district are not working directly targeting this group of young people.
The gesture was done with financial support from Egmond Trust through a one-year project called Investing for Impact on HIV and AIDS among the Youth. The project is targeting young people within the age range of 10-29 in the areas of Group Village Head Chikhasu, Manjawira, Matale, Senzani and Mkonde in Sub Traditional Authority Tsikulamowa in the district. The goal of the project is to address the impact of HIV among youth and preventing further HIV infection and one of its outcomes is to improve nutritional status of YPLHIV.
