02 June 1999

Bonn, Germany: Zingwangwa is a densely populated suburb of Blantyre in Malawi – until recently without a meeting place or recreational facilities young people (some 64% of the population) could call their own. Then UNICEF, in co-operation with the government’s Youth Department, stepped in with its "Youth Participation Programme."

This initiative has already proved of great benefit to young people throughout Blantyre, as youth centres are now being planned for each city district, according to UNV Youth Officer, Patrick Devos, who made all the practical arrangements for setting up the first centre. It involved, among others, finding and negotiating for a suitable site in co-operation with a local Peacecorps volunteer and leasing a building on two hectares from the City of Blantyre at a nominal rent. Teachers and community leaders were informed of this new facility and soon literally hundreds of pupils volunteered to cut the grass and clear the weeds that covered the large site.

Zingwanga Youth Centre, funded by a grant from UNICEF, is governed by a steering committee which, in addition to youth and community representation, includes among its members representatives from the Department of Health and the City of Blantyre. The daily running of the centre has been entrusted to the Peacecorps volunteer and a band of enthusiastic youth volunteers from the community. The tuck shop and modest library serve as a background for the centre’s numerous activities.

With further encouragement from UN volunteer Patrick Devos, young people have determined that their centre will become much more than just a venue for soccer and recreation activities. Young men and women participate in business, library and leadership training programmes. They also learn to make paper and counsel people living with AIDS. Success has led to requests for basic skills training in bricklaying, carpentry, tailoring and music performance. So, expansion is being planned in the hope that help will come, from especially the private sector. If sponsorship can be found, the first investment will be the introduction of Internet facilities in their much-used library.

Ultimately the success of the Zingwanga Youth Centre depends on the enthusiasm and active support of the five hundred young men and women who visited during their school holidays – and they, in turn, depend on every bit of support they can find.