Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council marks the start of its relationship with Zomba City Council
Mon, October 23, 2017
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has established an international connection with Zomba City Council in Malawi, Southern Africa.
The link is thought to be unique among Councils in Northern Ireland.
The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two Councils marks the revival of a relationship initiated by the legacy Coleraine Borough Council in 2002.
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE said: “I am pleased to announce that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council intends to develop this forward-thinking and unique connection. Both Councils have pledged to co-operate on shared aspirations, and I look forward to seeing the benefits this international relationship will bring, both to us and to people in Zomba. We are setting an example in this regard, and I hope our actions prove to be an inspiration to others.
The Zomba connection will provide us with an opportunity to get a measure of something far removed from our immediate experience in how Council services are delivered. We can all learn from a greater understanding of the developing world and from the experience of our counterparts there. This is an exciting and worthwhile development, and I would encourage everyone give it their full support.”
Previously, Commonwealth Scholarship Grants allowed five Council staff from Zomba to work with their counterparts in Coleraine over the years. The scholarships were for three month attachments; this exchange proved to be a learning experience for all concerned. Also, through sponsorship and fundraising, staff from Coleraine were also able to experience life and work in Zomba.
Alongside this MOU with Zomba City Council, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has confirmed its support for the Zomba Action Project (ZAP), which takes the connection with Zomba Council into the wider community, both here and in Zomba. ZAP is a registered charity and has raised more than £600,000 for small projects in Zomba over the past 15 years. Councillors and staff have themselves made voluntary contributions of more than £30,000 towards projects undertaken by Zomba City Council. This include the construction of a Mother and Baby clinic and a project to find jobs and homes for homeless street people.
The activities that will flow from the MOU will be shaped by the fact that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council cannot use ratepayers’ money for projects in Zomba. Zomba Council is also constrained by its limited resources as a developing world council.
