KYEEMA Foundation has allocated further funds totalling AUD $22,700 to improve activities by the National Rural Poultry Centre (NRPC) in Malawi for the “Improving Rural Livelihoods in Malawi Through Village Poultry” project.

This project was set up to:

• Train community based poultry technicians* NRPC ensures stability/sustainability of the I-2 Newcastle disease vaccination unit at the Central Veterinary Laboratory.*
• Collaborate and liaise with NGOs/Malawi Government Livestock Departments for:

(a) training materials

(b) technical support for delivering poultry health programs.

The largest portion of the recently allocated funds is being used support the procurement of 40,000 urgently required vaccine containers. This action ensured the smooth supply of I-2 ND vaccine to rural areas for control of the disease, supporting the Government of Malawi to produce some 12 million doses of the vaccine which will continue to be delivered to rural communities over a period of 18 months.

The benefits of the vaccine will likely be enormous as deaths from Newcastle disease are vastly lower in vaccinated flocks and this vaccine will reach at least 200,000 rural families. NRPC plans to distribute 40 bicycles to community based poultry technicians who have completed training in the Ntchisi district. The bicycles help vaccinators reach more families during each campaign, by giving them access to more distant areas. NRPC will build on the experience of NGOs in Malawi, Mozambique and Sri Lanka to adopt a model of bicycle allocation so they are put to good use over a period of time.