DIOCESE OF DEDZA ACQUIRES RICE MILL TO SUPPORT HOLY CHILDHOOD MISSION ACTIVITIES
The Diocesan Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in the Diocese of Dedza has acquired a rice mill under the Pontifical Society of Holy Childhood project, with financial assistance from Missio Slovakia. The initiative is aimed at strengthening missionary activities for children, particularly in the Lakeshore Deanery, where frequent droughts caused by the rain-shadow effect have contributed to persistent poverty and limited the participation of many children in missionary programmes.
During their Annual General Meeting held in May 2025, the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies approved several missionary projects for mission territories around the world, including Malawi. These projects support the missionary work of dioceses, seminaries, and children through the four Pontifical Mission Societies.
Among the approved projects was the establishment of a rice mill for the Diocese of Dedza under Project No. 2025-MLW-3-3 (Christian Formation). The project, valued at approximately 6,000 dollars, was funded to cover the purchase and installation of the rice mill, motor, rails, electrical works, building materials, transportation, and labour.
The rice mill will be installed at Matowe in the Lakeshore Deanery under Mtakataka Parish. Once operational, it is expected to generate sustainable income to support the missionary activities of the Holy Childhood Society while providing financial assistance to vulnerable children who often struggle to participate in parish, deanery, and diocesan missionary programmes because of economic hardship.
The project will also promote self-reliance within the Diocese by creating a reliable source of income to sustain children’s missionary formation and other pastoral activities. Since the Lakeshore Deanery regularly experiences poor harvests due to its dry climatic conditions, the rice mill will serve as an important community resource while strengthening the Church’s mission among children.
The Diocesan Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies expresses its sincere gratitude to the International Secretariat of the Pontifical Society of Holy Childhood and Missio Slovakia for their generous support in funding this important initiative. The Diocese also appreciates the continued assistance received through the Pontifical Mission Societies, which has enabled the implementation of various missionary projects that contribute to the growth of the Church and the holistic development of children in the Diocese of Dedza.
