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

Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects

Handover Ceremony
The Project for Providing Clean Water to TA Ganya in Ntcheu District

 September 3, 2015

On Thursday, 3rd September 2015, His Excellency Shuichiro Nishioka, the Ambassador of Japan to Malawi handed over 13 boreholes constructed in the Project for Providing Clean Water to T/A Ganya in Ntcheu District under the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects. The ceremony was held at Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu and was graced by Her Excellency Aine Hearns, the Ambassador of Ireland to Malawi, and Mrs. Erica Maganga, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development.

Safe and clean water is essential to healthy lives and prosperous communities. Water is important in driving the socio-economic development of a nation because of its impact on development sectors like education, agriculture, health, industry and so forth. Despite various efforts by the Government of Malawi to ensure that people access safe and clean water, some people still find it difficult to access safe and clean water. The case is the same in T/A Ganya in Ntcheu District, where community members mostly women and girls walk as far as 5km to the nearest protected water source for their families. Others end up fetching water from streams and contaminated water sources. This situation puts the people of T/A Ganya at risk of contracting water borne diseases like cholera and chronic diarrhoea. In order to improve access to safe and potable water among the people of T/A Ganya, the Government of Japan provided a grant amounting to US$99, 996 to Concern Universal Malawi. The grant specifically facilitated the construction of 13 boreholes to serve about 23,000 people in T/A Ganya.

This project is the first collaborative initiative by the Government of Japan and the Government of Ireland and was mentioned during the Japan-Ireland summit held in Tokyo in December 2013 as a symbol of cooperation between the two countries. While the Government of Japan supported the construction of 13 boreholes, the Local Development Support Programme facilitated by the Irish Aid assisted Concern Universal Malawi to provide training and capacity building courses on maintenance of the boreholes and water sanitation to about 140 people in the community.

Speaking during the ceremony, Ambassador Nishioka expressed his expectations that this project will enable the people of T/A Ganya, especially women and girls to devote themselves to socio-economic activities and education instead of spending too much time fetching water. He also encouraged each member of the communities to show the spirit of commitment and ownership and to maintain the boreholes in good conditions so that they can be used for many years.