The National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) says the Coronavirus pandemic has posed a challenge to electoral stakeholders in their quest to mobilize and civic educate the masses ahead of the fresh presidential elections.

The sentiments were expressed by Mulanje NICE District Civic Education Officer (DCEO) Saiti Chikwapulo at a recent meeting in the district.

Chikwapulo said his organization has 20 Assistant Civic Education Coordinators (ACECS) in the district but community mobilization has not been an easy task.

“In the wake of Coronavirus, it is not easy to reach out to as many people as possible. But little by little we are doing it and people are getting the messages. Let’s just hope that come the voting day, we will have a good turn out,” said Chikwapulo.

However, MEC Assistant Civic and Voter Education Assistant Ndiuzayani Jinazali who is touring the country with a team of Constituency Civic and Voter Education Assistants from different districts, said their work as civic educators is not affected in any way by the Covid -19.

“Previously we had to use road shows to woo people to come to our venues but with the coming of Coronavirus, the commission withdrew the road show component and replaced in with mobile Public Address system. So we are moving around giving out the necessary information. We are not stationed at one place,” said Jinazali.

Meanwhile, large consignments of civic and voter education materials have been dispatched in districts for distribution. This is another move to create awareness.

Source: MEC stringer