President of United Culture Center Li Yiling says the existing partnership with Shaping Our Future foundation will initiate education and cultural exchange programmes for the youth between Malawi and other nations.
Yiling made these remarks after meeting First Lady Monica Chakwera in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
She emphasized that her organization is impressed with what First Lady Monica Chakwera through Shaping Our Future Foundation is doing to promote girls education as one way of enhancing gender equality in Malawi.
‘’I am impressed with her work and we have agreed to work together to close the gaps addressing challenges encountered by youths and uplift women and young girls’ lives through education and cultural initiatives,’’ she said.
Yiling further said her partnership with Shaping the future foundation will facilitate cultural and education programs in Malawi that will provide opportunities for girls to participate in cultural and educational initiatives.
“Malawi being a developing country may face challenges in allocating sufficient resources to support and sustain such initiatives hence the need for the collaboration to address economic and social issues, says Yiling.
She said through her network she can leverage her connections and knowledge to organize cultural and educational events exhibitions and performances that showcase Malawian culture to global audiences,
She added that the programme will involve international artist scholars and experts who can share their knowledge and skills with the local communities hence the need for collaboration.
“Our partnership can open doors to collaborations between Malawian artists and their counterparts from other countries, I can support and initiate cultural and educational exchange programmes between Malawian artists,” she emphasized.
Yiling says she will soon visit Malawi through Shaping Our Future Foundation to identify areas to assist saying through these initiatives can foster mutual understanding, appreciation and collaboration ultimately enriching the cultural landscape of Malawi and promoting global cultural dialogue.
In her remarks First Lady Monica Chakwera welcomed the partnership approach saying it can yield significant benefits for the youth through Shaping Our Future Foundation.
Chakwera said by recognising these potential initiatives of education and cultural programmes agreements can contribute to the country’s development goals and bring out learning and experience skills to the youth.
“There is a need to collaborate and engage with these international organizations to ensure that the cultural and education exchange initiatives have a lasting impact and contribute meaningfully to the long-term development of Malawi,” stressed Chakwera.
She commended the UCTI organization for coming up with the approach that will associate Malawian talents with other Nations saying Malawi has its own unique cultural traditions and values hence the need for collaboration.
UCT Cultural Centre is a non-governmental organization that operates as a nonprofit established in 1993 in Thailand and registered in 2003 in New York with an aim to promote friendship and peace between different cultures to fund different projects for the youth and children of school age. It also addresses economic and social issues such as extreme poverty, gender equality and sustainable development,
By Lisa Kadango Malango
