On Wednesday YONECO office in Mangochi hosted officials from NCA/DCA and FORUT Norway whose aim was to appreciate the progress being made in combating drug and substance abuse in the district.
The visitors travelled to Chiponde area where they had firsthand access to some of the successes that are being registered in the fight against drugs and alcohol abuse.
A couple of young people were able to recall how their lives have been transformed due to the interventions that the Empowering Young People to Fight and Drug and Alcohol Abuse Project has brought.
FORUT Norway Secretary General, Ida Oleanna Hagen, expressed her satisfaction with the impact which is being made through the project.
She further went on to say that for a nation or community to change there is need for every person to play a role in that change.
Hagen also said if the globe is to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of good health for all, there is need that everyone should have the power to change their own life and this must also work in the field of reducing alcohol and drug consumption.
In his remarks, Executive Director of YONECO, MacBain Mkandawire, said more needs to be done in terms of looking at how the young people can be empowered economically in order to give them a platform to actively be involved in social economic development.
The visit wound up with a tour of the head office in Zomba where the delegation was oriented on how YONECO operates, with a look at key components such as the IT department the helpline and also the radio.
YONECO with funding from Norwegian Church Aid NCA and Dan-Church Aid DCA is running a project called “empowering young people (10-24 years old) to fight drug and alcohol abuse in Mangochi District.
