By Staff Reporter
The Catholic Development Commission (CADECOM) of the Mzuzu Diocese is implementing the A+ Successor Project in the areas of Traditional Authorities Mwahenga and Katumbi in Rumphi District, with financial support from Caritas Australia. Monsignor Isaac John Katumbi, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu and Director of Social Development, conducted monitoring activities on Wednesday, 10th December 2025, in Ntchenachena, Rumphi, where he expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project and called for continued collaboration between the project team, beneficiaries and the wider community.
During the visit, Monsignor Katumbi observed the Livestock Pass-On initiative, in which beneficiary Estery Thamusi, who received three goats last year, passed on two healthy goats to fellow community member Patrick Kamulana, thereby extending the reach of the intervention. He further inspected Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities, including the provision of communal tap water, the use of vision maps developed by Chimyanga and Chiunganya Village Development Committees, and practical cooking demonstrations aimed at improving household nutrition and hygiene.
Other interventions visited included support provided to people living with disabilities, as well as welding and tailoring workshops where trained beneficiaries are now engaged in productive work after receiving vocational skills through the project. One such beneficiary, William Nyirenda, expressed gratitude to CADECOM-Mzuzu Diocese, noting that the vocational skills initiative has promoted economic empowerment among local youth.
A+ Project Coordinator, Henry Simukonda, commended the beneficiaries for positively embracing the project and expressed optimism that more people would be reached through ongoing interventions, particularly the expansion of tap water supply and livestock pass-on activities.
Later in the day, Monsignor Katumbi launched an improved seed distribution initiative for the 2025/26 growing season, through which farmers received improved seed varieties to bolster food and nutritional security in the targeted communities; he was accompanied by CADECOM Coordinator Dan Zimba and Diocesan Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Kondwani Kamphekete.
The A+ Project is a five-year livelihood programme focusing on agriculture and food security, water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental management, and enterprise development, and it seeks to strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of vulnerable households within the Mzuzu Diocese.
Pictorial focus
