CANCELLED - Church Missionaries to hone skills in high value fruit production
Dutch missionaries will conduct a leadership training around Mtakataka in fruit and nurseries establishment, scaling up fruit production using already existing trees including manure production
REVEREND Helman Mwale his congregants are expected to benefit from the training as part of enhancing food and nutritional security (Photo- Courtesy of Reverend Helman Mwale)
MTAKATAKA, Malawi (Planet Defence) – The Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) at Mtakataka will conduct a leadership training from 11th – 13 August, 2023 where surrounding communities will be capacitated in fruit nursery establishment, scaling up of already existing fruit trees with budding and grafting including manure making as part of enhancing food and nutritional security among the grassroots.
The main facilitators of the training are two Dutch missionaries namely; Peter Bos and Johannes Aucamp who have been friends of Mtakataka CCAP for quite some time. Bos is well known specialist in bacterial infections while his colleague Johannes Aucamp is a Reverend as well as missiologist. Aucamp has taught students at Munkhanyo Theological College in South Africa.
The Dutch friends previously opened a nursery school and also played a role in opening up prayer houses along the Lake shore in Dedza.
Locally, a Malawian trainer Peter Chihana, Principal of Think Big Schools in Kasungu and Mzuzu respectively will also be one of the facilitators. Chihana is well versed in budding and grafting and reproducing of organic fertilizer.
Mtakatakata CCAP presiding Reverend Helman Mwale explained in an interview that following the training, people may start harvesting fruits within one year period instead of waiting for five years.
“Participants will be taught how to produce 60 suckers from a single banana plant. Additionally, they will learn to improve soil fertility, by increasing organic manure with one bag of artificial fertilizer. Chihana is capable of making 10 more bags of the same. He has managed to harvest 400 bags of maize using this formula,” Mwale explained in an interview.
As a Church, says Mwale we are extending this invitation to friends and trustworthy people who can be trainer of trainers by being exemplary to the community they live. Both the training and food is free of charge but you only need to come with your spouse bring plates and beddings.
“We are also extending an invitation to our neighbours who may wish to join us along the shore of lake Malawi here in Dedza,” summed up Mwale who is also fisheries champion under the Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi, a USAID funded project working in partnership with the Department of Fisheries in an interview.
Editor’s Note - This planned leadership training has been cancelled due to other factors until further notice.
Oooooh a very nice project. I haven't attended the meeting for I was still in Lilongwe.
Thus wonderful, as Reverend Mwale is feeding the people around his congregation he is surely feeding them in physical and social terms through these initiatives. I think and I had ever been believing that if this approach of managing GOD's people the issues of thanks giving to God wouldn't have been a lobbying but each ones spiritual right.
I pray to the almighty LORD to give Reverend H Mwale more oversights that nothing or noone should stop him for he is not doing for himself but others, GOD tough him.