Embassy of Japan in Malawi
在マラウイ日本国大使館

Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects

Grant Contract Signing Ceremony

Project for the Construction of a Modern Kitchen

at Mulanje Vocational Training Centre and School for the Blind in Mulanje District 

16th January, 2015

　 On Friday, 16th January 2015, His Excellency Shuichiro Nishioka, the Ambassador of Japan to Malawi and Mr John Mulagha, Principal for Mulanje Vocational Training Centre and School for the Blind signed a grant contract for the Project for the Construction of a Modern Kitchen at Mulanje Vocational Training Centre and School for the Blind in Mulanje district. The grant signed amounting to US$72, 298 is provided under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. The function was held at the Embassy of Japan conference room and graced by Honorable Patricia Kaliati, M.P., Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare.

　Mulanje Vocational Training Centre and School for the Blind was established in 1958 with new structures including the kitchen constructed in 1977. However, the kitchen has some challenges because it does not have facilities accessible for the visually impaired, the space is limited for the staff to prepare meals for the students at once and its cooking equipments are broken and outdated as they were purchased at the time when the Kitchen was being built. As a result, the school fails to provide quality learning and boarding environment for the students because meals are not served on time and the schedule for classes is equally disturbed.

　The grant provided from the Government of Japan will facilitate the construction of a modern kitchen and for the procurement of four electrical pots and two deep freezers. It is therefore expected that after project completion the social welfare and learning environment of the visually impaired students at Mulanje Vocational Training Centre and School for the blind will improve and that the students will be able to learn without any disturbances so that at the end they will become independent and be able to support other people with disabilities raise their social status as well.