Sixty community members from indigent families in Musina will now be able to put some food on the table. This comes after they were included in the poverty-alleviation programme initiated by the local municipality.

Mayor Carol Phiri says she did not want to rely on reports about the background of the families, but instead personally spent two days assessing their living conditions. “What I saw in these people’s houses is painful. I have really observed poverty at its worst. After the visits, we decided to do something to keep the fire burning in these families.”

Phiri says the community members involved in the poverty-alleviation initiative will, among other things, sweep the streets, de-bush shrubs and do general cleaning both in town and the Nancefield residential area. “They had already started working last week. We don’t have time to waste while our people are brutalised by poverty, not knowing where their next meal will come from. The initiative is based on job-creation initiatives, which will bring sustainability to the local people.”

She added that even though some of the entitlements had been restored since the country achieved political independence, "the majority of our people still lack the opportunity to empower themselves with the capability and security that should enable them to escape poverty." According to her, Musina Municipality is determined to transform the local society by redressing inequality and alleviating poverty, largely through job creation and basic service provision. "We will continue to do so because we have the love of our community at heart.”

One of the previously unemployed community members who is now benefitting from the poverty-alleviation initiative is Mr Amos Munyai. He says: “I don’t have enough words to thank the Musina Municipality for giving me this opportunity. Life was very difficult, but it is now better because I no longer go to bed with an empty stomach.”