44 ADVERTISING

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4 2013

THE NATION

FUKO IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE; PARTNERS SPEAK OUT.

ADRA MALAWI Adra has got reflects and literacy circles where readers from rural communities discuss various issues. When the groups meet, they analyse various Information, education and communication materials at their disposal, FUKO inclusive, and discuss issues that are relevant to their community livelihoods. The lessons drawn from these are implemented in those communities with support from Adra. The literacy circles comprise illiterate people who are being supported to learn how to read and write; they also use FUKO as a resource in this regard. FUKO is by far, the most reliable IEC material in the project because of its consistence in relation to other materials. The field offices carry with them copies of FUKO to their respective impact areas in the project catchment areas to distribute. Almost every week there is a field trip and this helps to ensure FUKO is delivered in time.Gift Mwenda. ADRA DISTRICT CORDINATOR, Lilongwe. NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR CIVIC EDUCATION Demand for FUKO is very high and we really wish our supply was increased because there are more and more people looking for FUKO. Because we want to encourage sharing of the newspaper, our mode of delivery is through our district libraries across the region and also through our rural libraries in various communities. Most people like the paper because of the bilingual aspect as it enables people to get development related news in their own vernacular language. Much as most of our libraries also stock the other newspapers, FUKO is the most liked by most rural people. In addition, the other newspapers are tied to budget limitations as we have to buy them and this affects reach to more people that we interact with in the course of our operations. FUKO is more reliable because it is a free paper and hence its accessibility is guaranteed.Enock Chinkhuntha, Regional Civic Education Office, NICE North. CHIKWAWA NICE FUKO is very useful to the community and people here love the newspaper because it is in their vernacular language. We put the copies in our district library and our community resource centres in various communities where people read. Our office serves the whole district and the impact that FUKO has cannot be underestimated, we would love to get additional copies because demand is currently overwhelming.Joseph Chamambala, Chikhwawa NICE District Civic Education Officer. TOTAL LAND CARE- UKWE NGWANGWA FIELD OFFICE, Total Landcare is implementing the Eco-Sanitation Project in our area and FUKO Newspaper plays a great role among the community in learning best practices from similar activities that happen elsewhere. Our project implements various interventions that help to improve hygiene (toilets and water) and also nature conservation. We have got various clubs that undertake such activities. These clubs have also adopted FUKO as a key resource into what they are doing. The various clubs that we deal with read FUKO in groups with the aim of ensuring that even the illiterate are able to learn from the development and success stories in the FUKO Newspaper. Presently demand for FUKO has grown so much in our community. Feston Hola, Ukwe/Ngwangwa TLC Field Coordinator VILLAGE HEADMAN MSAUKA I receive my FUKO newspaper through Mpunga Private Clinic and I really commend the way the paper articulated the Land Bill. The paper helped me to understand what the proposed Land Bill is all about. Now I have made an informed decisionI will not support the Bill because government seems to be bent on removing power from us in as far as customary land distribution is concerned. I would like to urge FUKO editors to also include more information on the forthcoming tripartite elections. To us in the village FUKO is the only reliable newspaper as the other papers are scarce and too expensive to afford on a regular basis.VH Msauka, Zomba. SALIMA LAKEBASIN PROJECT-WEEFFECT Our rural study circles have benefited a great deal from FUKO because the farmers have been able to use it as a source of discussion topics. The farmers normally operate in groups and have regular study circles where they discuss problems that affect their communities or projects that would improve their livelihoods. Most of the farmers we deal with come from rural and remote areas where these other newspapers do not even reach and FUKO is the only reliable newspaper

Fuko is more reliable because it is a free paper.

that provides these people with information. Our catchment area here in Salima extends to T/A Khombedza, T/A Mwanza, T/A Ntopa land, T/A Maganga. FUKO copies are given out through clubs depending on sizes of clubs and number of study circles they conduct.Sam Chipala, District Coordinator, Lake Basin Project, Salima. MALAWI CARER MCHINJI Our reading clubs have now found a reliable source of information with the coming of FUKO newspaper. Presently FUKO has played a big role in the sensitisation for tripartite elections in May 2014. Clubs are also able to share ideas from FUKO. There is a day for the discussion of rights development. A chairperson reads the paper and moderates a discussion with other club members where various issues are shared with the rest of the group and these are related to the needs and projects of those particular societies. The clubs have actually expressed the hope that FUKO should also cover some of the stories in their area to enable others to know what they are doing as a community. Macpherson Chiphwanya, District Coordinator, Malawi CARER, Mchinji. NAPHAM NAPHAM believes in empowering its support groups members and at the same time ensuring that they are being exposed to developmental issues in their communities. There is therefore commonality of NAPHAM approach with what FUKO aims to achieve by strengthening the citizens voice and facilitating interaction between rights holders and duty bearers to ensure accountability and responsiveness. In Malawi HIV and AIDS wear a female and illiterate face in most of our communities and as such, NAPHAM encourages all its members to attend adult literacy classes in their communities. NAPHAMs effort to create a reading culture among the adult population in the country is therefore very well complimented by FUKO. Currently, NAPHAM has got support groups under almost every Group Village Headman, including those in hard to reach areas. NAPHAMs support group network is very well structured and so vast that it covers all corners of all the 28 districts in the country. Through such a vast network it can be argued that FUKO newspaper will be able to reach all villages in Malawi including those in hard to reach parts of the country. Master Mphande, NAPHAM Executive Director YOU CAN ALSO BENEFIT FROM FUKO. Contact: Advertising- Albert 0888846277 Circulation- Collins 0888898850