My work for Ntcheu District Council
“Ntcheu District has a population of 475.000 people. Ntcheu District is situated in the centre of Malawi and is famous for its agriculture.”

“I work as Director of Planning and Development and my main duties are to take a leading role in formulating and implementing local development plans and to coordinate all devolved sectors in the local service delivery through the many committees I am currently chairing, such as District Coordinating Team, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee and District Environmental Sub-committee.”

Experiences in The Netherlands
“During the training course “Climate Change and Sustainable Local Development” I was introduced to how climate change adaptation and mitigation could be tackled by different institutions in civil society. I have also learned how to enhance citizen participation in sustainable development as well as how to use different models used to handle changes in society.”

“During my internship at the Municipality of Zwolle, I was amazed how cities in The Netherlands have adapted to climate change. I was treated like a “VIP” and even had my own desk with a computer. I have learned how to use the ladder of citizen participation to determine levels of participation and how complex climate change in fact is. Through my interaction with the members of the Council, I was able to understand how municipalities in The Netherlands carry out their work and could relate it to how we do it at home.”

Back Home Action Plan
“After my return to Ntcheu, I am expected to make a presentation to the District Executive Committee about my visit to The Netherlands. The presentation will focus on key ideas that were shared during the Talent programme and especially those that could be adopted by my local council. I shall explain the complexity of climate change to my colleagues and include mitigation and adaptation measures in all development interventions in order to improve the lives of people I serve.”

Louis Kondwani Mjumira