MANAonline
CSEPWP gives hope for environment restoration
By Vincent Khonje
Mchinji, February 27, Mana: The water and soil conservation interventions that are being done under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSEPWP) have given hope to restoring the environment and rehabilitating degraded soil in Mchinji, thereby enhancing high yields.
CSEPWP is a component under the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Programme (SSRLP), which aims at, among others, rehabilitating the degraded environment, strengthening households’ resilience to shocks and increasing households’ income.
In an interview with beneficiaries in the safety net CSEPWP, they said there is hope that the degraded land can be healed and households can be able to harvest more.
Susan Phiri from Kamphoro catchment in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapunula said water runoff from Nkhukwa Hill was causing havoc on the fields downhill, and this affected yield.
“The interventions like stone bands and semi-secular bands have helped to reduce water runoff thereby helping the field downhill to be protected and the soil is no longer being washed away, giving us high yield,” said Phiri.
Chairperson for Nathyola Catchment in T/A Mlonyeni, Andsen Mvula, said the land is filled with gullies but the check dams they have constructed are helping to fill up the gullies.
“The big gullies were eating up farming land but we have made sure that they are filled up by using check dams that check the speed of the water. We are observing that the gullies are slowly filling up with soil which later will be used for farming,” said Mvula.
Desk officer for Gumba Catchment, Jeremiah Chafukira, said they have set up interventions uphill which have helped in catching water which later is able to infiltrate into the soil, and they have also helped reduce siltation in rivers.
“The most important thing about these soil and water conservation initiatives is that, there will be enough groundwater, crops will not be washed away, and rivers are protected,” said Chafukira.
CSEPWP is benefiting 19,362 participants in Mchinji who get K28,800 in wages after working in the catchments to restore the environment.
Senior Land Resource Conservation Officer Rhoda Njikho said in the next cycle, the number of beneficiaries is likely to be increased.
“There will be additional 3,783 beneficiaries in the next cycle which will be added on top of the 19,362,” said Njikho.
Other interventions include the construction of swales, contour marker ridging, caring for naturally regenerating trees, afforestation, and river bank protection.
CSEPWP is implemented through the National Local Government Finance Committee and funded by the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
Marist Brothers roll out goat pass-on programme in Salima
Fostina Mkandawire
Salima, February 27, Mana: Marist Brothers in Malawi on Monday rolled out a goat pass-on programme targeting young people from underprivileged families.
Speaking after a symbolic presentation of the goats at the headquarters of Traditional Authority (T/A) Maganga in Salima district, the National Provincial Councilor for the Marist Brothers in Malawi, Brother Francis Jumbe, said the programme seeks to empower youths.
He said the programme is in line with their philosophy of making a difference in the world by showing young people that they are loved, safe and cared for.
“Today, we are distributing 50 goats to the first line beneficiaries who are expected to pass on the benefits to the second line of beneficiaries. We expect that the goats will help the targeted youths to generate income for investment in other entrepreneurial opportunities,” said Jumbe.
He assured the beneficiaries that they will be offered expertise on how to take care of the livestock by linking them with the district agricultural office.
He then pleaded with the beneficiaries to look after the goats well and jealously guard them against theft.
One of the beneficiaries, a 24-year-old Christina Phiri, from Umodzi Business Ladies, commended the brothers for the initiative, saying the programme will play a crucial role in transforming her life.
She said as a single mother, she lacks resources to take care of her child, hence she is hopeful that through the pass on programme, she will establish herself businesswise to be able to take care of her child.
“I have been struggling to afford a decent life for me and my child; this is a gateway to a better future. I pledge to raise the goats very well and ensure that we pass on to the next line of beneficiaries,” assured Phiri.
In his remarks, District Commissioner for Salima, James Mwenda, described the livestock pass-on scheme as a pathway out of poverty for the young people in Salima.
Mwenda assured the Marist Brothers in Malawi of the government's commitment to partnering with the religious brothers in improving lives of the underprivileged in the society.
"We would appreciate if this initiative would be scaled up to other areas in the district so that more youths should benefit and improve their lives," he said.
The livestock pass-on scheme is a component of the Girls Education Project, the religious brothers are implementing with financial support from an Irish charity called Misean Cara.
Apart from Salima, the project is being implemented in four other districts of Lilongwe, Balaka, Zomba and Dedza.
Two in police custody, one at large over murder in Chiradzulu
By Emily Kaliwo
Chiradzulu, February 27, Mana: Police at Namadzi in Chiradzulu have arrested Joseph Wesere, 37, and James Kanjinga, 31, on suspicion that they masterminded the brutal killing of a 78-year-old granny, Edina Makhumba.
Public Relations Officer for Chiradzulu Police, Cosmas Kagulo, confirmed the development, saying the suspects have been arrested by Criminal Investigation Department officers who intelligently gathered information about the two while one suspect is on the run.
"Upon interrogation, the suspects admitted to have committed the crime together with their friend who is still at large; the crime was committed during the wee hours of February 9, 2024 at Lidala Village in Traditional Authority Mpama in the district where, after the brutal killing, they went away with a keypad phone, four chickens, beddings, five kilogrammes of maize flour and K20,000 cash, all adding up to K112,000," he said.
Kagulo said that investigations are still underway to apprehend the remaining suspect and recover the stolen items.
Wesere comes from Lidala Village, Traditional Authority Mpama in Chiradzulu while Kanjinga comes from Mlumbe Village, Traditional Authority Chitera in the district.
The deceased came from Lidala Village.
DMPA-SC guidelines to improve comprehensive productive health coverage
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, February 27, Mana: Blantyre District Commissioner (DC) Alex Mdooko has said collaboration between private health facilities and the local government through Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC) guidelines will reduce the prevalence of unintended teenage pregnancies, improve comprehensive productive health coverage and that individuals will learn self-care through injectable contraceptives.
Mdooko made the remarks on Monday at Lighthouse in Blantyre during the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and introduction of DMPA-SC guidelines which aimed at addressing universal health coverage, especially on family planning and increased contraceptive uptake among women.
The DC said the private health sector plays a great role in supporting communities with health care services, adding this was why Ministry of Health, through the Reproductive Health Directorate, engages private pharmacies, clinics, and medicine stores to contribute towards family planning by having easy access contraceptives to improve quality life in families.
“More than 40% of services are provided by the private sector in the areas of maternal, neonatal and child health, family planning, malaria and nutrition. Increase of family planning methods through private facilities leads to improvement in health of mothers, children and the status of women,” added Mdooko.
He disclosed that Malawi National DMPA-SC guidelines for private facilities will contribute to a bundle of knowledge and key direction on various contraceptive methods, as individuals will be able to self-administer themselves.
Speaking during the ceremony, representative of Pharma plus Pharmacy, Blessings Gondwe, said promotion of self-care can improve people's informed decisions about health services, adding that self-care has the potential to address unmet needs of family planning, contraceptive use, HIV testing, and other health needs.
“Through this collaboration, we will make sure that our entities apply the guidelines and abide by the direction provided by the Ministry of Health and we will work together with much effort to improve reproductive health coverage,” said Gondwe.
In his remarks, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Dr. Owen Chikhwaza said through DMPA-SC guidelines, women will be able to inject themselves with Sayana Press in their homes, as the directorate intensify supervision of all private facilities to ensure that the products are available in all health corners.
“Women will be trained on how to administer themselves through HAS. We are committed to ensure that communities attain the highest possible level of health and quality of life and we don’t want cost to be the barrier to access these services,” said Chikhwaza.
DMPA-SC is an effective form of hormonal contraception administered via intramuscular injection.
Chikwawa District Council rewards best performing teachers, schools and PEAs
By Leah Malimbasa
Chikwawa, February 27, Mana: Chikwawa District Council on Monday awarded best performing teachers, schools and Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) for their outstanding contributions for the 2023 Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examinations.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Abida Mia, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Chikwawa Mkombezi, graced the event at Chikwawa Secondary School Hall and said government was commitment to improve quality education in the country.
“Government’s desire is to inspire teachers to work diligently towards improving education standards. All we need is collective efforts because this can only be achieved if we work together,” she added.
The minister went on to share the government's ambitious plans for the education sector to improve.
“President Lazarus Chakwera has pledged to construct 3,108 classrooms, 243 toilets, and ICT Centre’s in the district this year. This highlights government's commitment to infrastructural development aimed at creating a conducive learning environment,” she said.
Acknowledging the significance of local initiatives, Mia also mentioned that the increment of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to K200 million will enable MPs to construct additional classrooms in their respective constituencies.
In his remarks, District Commissioner for Chikwawa, Nardin Kamba, expressed gratitude to the minister for gracing the occasion, saying her presence testified significance of collective commitment to education in Chikwawa.
“We, as a council, have set a bold challenge for the district's education sector to ascend from our current position 24 in the 2023 PSLCE rankings and go up the top 10 best-performing districts nationally. Together we can turn this vision into reality.
“In the journey towards progress, it's imperative to recognize that the development of nations begins with a strong foundation in education, so our commitment to this cause is paramount for the prosperity of our district and the nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Paramount Chief Lundu has requested that teachers’ welfare should be prioritized, emphasizing the need to increase teacher salaries.
Mia has assured the Paramount Chief that she will deliver the message to the Minister of Education and advocate for better remuneration the teachers.
Some of the categories for the awards included best performing schools with most students selected to national secondary schools where Nchalo CCAP Primary School scooped first position and best performing head teacher with highest A grades during 2023 PSLCE examinations, which was also won by head teacher for Nchalo CCAP Primary School, Alice Dinda.
The awardees received cash, certificates of recognition and trophies.
Nkhata Bay farmers excel with AGCOM project grants
By Yamikani Sabola
Mzuzu, February 27, Mana: Farmers’ cooperatives in Nkhata Bay District which benefitted in phase one of Agriculture Commercialization (AGCOM) project have hailed the project for boosting their agricultural production through provision of grants.
Speaking on Monday when Minister of Agriculture visited the district to appreciate how the cooperatives have utilized AGCOM grants, chairperson for Toweca Producers and Marketing Cooperative Society, Robson Munyenyembe, said they used part of the grants to procure a tractor, plough, ridge and planter.
Munyenyembe said with the modern implements, their farm operations have been mechanized, enabling them to increase land for soya beans production to 30 hectares this year, from nine hectares last year.
“AGCOM gave us K82 million grants which came in two tranches. We used money received in the first tranche to buy a tractor, plough, ridge and planter at a total cost of K60 million. We also used grants received in the second tranche to build a big warehouse for storage of our soya beans harvests,” he said.
Secretary for Mtoto Poultry Cooperative and Bee Keeping, Dorothy Mzumara, said their cooperative received K30 million grants which they used to buy a two-ton lorry, gas heater and solar panels for use on their poultry farm.
Mzumara however complained about lack of market for their chickens and asked government to protect small holder broiler chicken farmers from big companies which she accused of monopolizing the business.
“There are big companies which sell us broiler chicks, chicken feed and other materials required for broiler chicken production. However, the same companies are also getting involved in growing broiler chickens which they are supplying even in rural markets at cheaper prices which we cannot compete with,” she said.
In his remarks, Kawale promised that his ministry is going to engage Competitions and Fair Trading Commission and Ministry of Trade on the issue of alleged monopolistic tendencies by chicken feed manufacturing companies.
Kawale added that he was impressed that more women and young people were actively taking part in the project and transforming their livelihoods economically.
AGCOM is a government project which aims at transforming small holder agriculture from mostly subsistence to commercial.
Poor targeting issues dent safety net programmes
By Robert Katuli
Lilongwe, February 27, Mana: A study conducted by Mwapata Institute has shown that more non-poor households in the country benefit more from social safety net programmes than the deserving poor households.
This was disclosed Monday in Lilongwe during a media briefing which Mwapata Institute organized on social protection programmes and climate resilience in Malawi.
In an interview, Research Director for Mwapata Institute, Professor Levison Chiwaula, said the Institute conducted the study after observing that the country has been experiencing multiple shocks over the past years.
“We wanted to know how resilient are the households; how are they able to take care of themselves in such a situation of shocks and risks.
“One thing we noted is that the households that were in, for example, social safety net programmes, when hit with the shocks, these households most of the times were able to come back to their normal life levels so quickly than those households not on social protection programmes,” said Chiwaula.
He added that although the program may have been effective in making sure households are cushioned from shocks and risks, the poor targeting issues need to be addressed, as, apart from the concern about non-poor households benefiting at the expense of poor households, some also benefited from more than one safety net programme.
“There is lack of coordination when it comes to post-disaster response. Different agencies implement different programmes; at the end you find that some individuals receive more support, and others don't.
“We noted that some households receive multiple social protection programmes while others don't receive any even though they qualify to be supported,” Chiwaula explained.
In addition to the targeting issues, the study also recommends that the amount of money in programmes such as cash transfers should be increased in order to increase the benefits.
Chiwaula, therefore, thanked government for its intention to increase the amount of money provided through cash transfers, saying this will help a lot.
In his presentation, Mwapata Institute Research Fellow, Dr Anderson Gondwe, concurred with Chiwaula, saying there is need to strengthen the social protection programmes, which have proved crucial in supporting households during disasters.
He said households’ food security and resilience capacity have improved with the safety net programmes, adding that cash transfers, among other initiatives, have had a positive impact on resilience and food consumption status.
Apart from cash transfers, other social safety nets the study focused on include food/cash for work initiative, school feeding programme, and supplementary feeding programme, just to mention a few.
Mwapata Institute, an agricultural policy think-tank, conducted the study between 2010 and 2020, with support from the Irish Embassy.
Parliamentary aspirant leads businesspersons in a clean up exercise
By Winfrida Kamwana
Mchinji, February 26, Mana: Shadow Member of Parliament (MP) for Mchinji West Constituency, Dr John Paul, has called upon Mchinji citizens, especially those conducting their businesses in the main market, to always observe hygiene as a way of keeping the district clean.
The call was made during a clean-up exercise introduced by the shadow MP which partly serves as a continuation of the clean-up exercise that President Lazarus Chakwera launched in the country.
“Introducing this clean-up exercise is one way of reminding people that no one will come to take care of our surroundings except us; thus there is need to take ownership and responsibility by making sure we are living in a hygienic environment,” he explained.
He stated that people need to take extra care because the district is close to Zambia which is battling Cholera at the moment and leaving garbage in the streets without properly disposing it exposes people to such diseases.
Chairperson for Mchinji Market, Petulo Njolomole, said this exercise will help keep their business places clean and attractive to customers.
“We appreciate this exercise because not only will it help keep our surrounding clean but also help us understand the role of taking ownership and taking responsibility in handling hygiene issues in the market,” said Njolomole.
Njolomole appreciated Paul for providing them with 20 bins stating that these will be placed in the right places.
He, therefore, urged people to use them and not litter anyhow.
The clean-up exercise will take place around Mchinji market for not less than five days and some of the youths from Traditional Authority Nyoka, Zulu and Mlonyeni have joined the exercise.
Government urges collaborative efforts in tree management
By Golden Kang’oma
Salima, February 26, Mana: Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule, has called for collaborative efforts by different stakeholders in making sure that trees planted during the National Forestry Season survive and conservation initiatives put in place.
Kamtukule made the call on Monday during a tree planting exercise at Maganga Tourism Public Beach and Integrated Resort in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Maganga in Salima.
She said authorities should not plant trees just to tick a box but to make sure that all the planted trees are taken care of and its purpose fulfilled.
“Mostly when trees are planted we divert our attention to some other things instead of the planted trees. What we want is to take responsibility of ensuring that all trees planted survive,” said Kamtukule.
Kamtukule disclosed that her ministry plans to plant 10,000 trees at the resort which requires support from different stakeholders.
“The ministry alone cannot achieve this without stakeholders. It is my plea that we should all take charge and full responsibility of the trees we are planting,” she said.
District Commissioner for Salima, James Mwenda, said the tree planting exercise will change the landscape of the resort as well as help in climate smart initiatives.
“As a district council, we are excited with the initiative as it will go a long way in conserving the environment and marking the territories of the resort,” he said.
Mwenda said it is exciting that youth are actively involved in the exercise which highlights sustainability and a good succession plan.
TA Maganga said she will ensure that the planted trees are well taken care of, and more are planted.
Nyambadwe United reaches out to people with relief food
By Memory Khutuliwa
Blantyre, February 26, Mana; Nyambadwe United Football Club has distributed assorted food items worth K1.3 million to about 100 households in Traditional Authority (TA) Nkanda in Mulanje whose food supplies were affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
In an interview, Nyambadwe United Football Club Director, Tony Fletcher, said the team decided to reach out to the affected households with maize flour, beans, cooking oil, sugar, soya and tablets of soap after an appeal from Pastor Brian Chisale of Evangelical Church from Nkanda area who felt the need for urgent relief food.
Recently the Division 1, Nyambadwe United distributed 5,000 note books to needy learners at Nyambadwe Primary and Community Day Secondary School.
One of the beneficiaries at Nkanda area, Alex Manda was grateful for the assistance.
“I had nothing to eat in my house; it was difficult for me to feed my children who mostly fail to go to school due to hunger. This assistance has come at a right time,” said Manda.
Each household received one bag of maize flour weighing 25 kilogrammes, a bottle of cooking oil, a packet of sugar and beans among others items.
