
MANAonline
Government urges CSOs to spearhead alleviation of malnutrition
By Mary Makhiringa
BALAKA, May 7, MANA: Government has urged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Balaka to work collectively in spearheading the alleviation of malnutrition among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children under five children and adolescent girls.
Principal Nutrition HIV/AIDS Officer (PNHAO) from the Department of Nutrition in the Ministry of Health, Clara Mvula, made the call Tuesday in Balaka when ‘We Effect’ in partnership with Self Help Africa (SHA) presented the Nourishing Futures: Empowering Malawi's CSOs for Sustainable Nutrition project to the District Executive Committee (DEC)
According to Mvula, women and children under five from rural communities are more vulnerable to issues of malnutrition because they have limited access to fortified nutritious food, which contains iodine, zinc and vitamin A, among others.
"Malawi is still among the developing countries in Africa whose households are grappling with issues of access to a balanced diet, particularly for pregnant and lactating women and underage children.
“Recent studies have shown that out of general population in Malawi, 36 percent of under five children are retarded, 12.5 are under weight and 15.6 percent of adolescent girls are malnourished," she said.
"Hence, we are calling for CSOs in Balaka to jointly complement the government's effort by partnering with sectors like Health, Agriculture, Education and Trade to build strong awareness and capacity among the community members on issues of nutrition," added Mvula.
Balaka District CSOs Chairperson, Helix Chimutu hailed the project saying it will act as a game changer for other nutrition-related interventions such as school feeding programmes which are already on the ground.
He assured the communities that CSO network will work collectively with all relevant authorities, including the media, to successfully disseminate the messages that highlight benefits of consuming a balanced diet and how households would access it using local resources.
The project will be implemented through joint effort from ‘We Effect’, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), Catholic Development Commission of Malawi (CADECOM) among others with funding from European Union (EU) and it will targets over 9,000 beneficiaries from Traditional Authority Amidu and Sub TA Matola starting from March 2025 to August 2029.
NGO to equip over 12,000 beneficiaries with vocational skills in Balaka
By Andrew Phiri
Balaka, May 7, Mana: Foundation for Civic Education and Social Empowerment (FOCESE) has committed to equip with vocational skills to over 12,000 female-headed households, mothers of under-five children, survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and adolescent girls in Balaka District.
The Organization’s Project Coordinator, Mercy Chakoma made the pledge Tuesday when presenting the Institution Strengthening project to Balaka District Executive Committee (DEC) with the goal of restoring and empowering the underprivileged groups with entrepreneurial skills in order to uplift their lives.
"The major challenge with female-headed households, mothers of under five children, survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and adolescent girls in our communities is a shortage of financial capacity; hence some people, especially men, who are doing well financially take advantage and harass them in various ways," she said.
According to Chakoma, FOCESE will partner with Technical Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) to take on board the targeted beneficiaries from the three Group Village Heads (GVHs) under Traditional Authority (T/A) Chamthunya with various life empowering programmes such as tailoring for income generation, homestead farming for nutrition knowledge among others.
She therefore called for a joint effort from all relevant authorities including district council officers, parents, police, chiefs and faith leaders, to work together to protect and uplift the lives of targeted people.
Balaka District Council Gender Development Officer, Scholastica Shaba has commended the initiative considering that many girls and women in Balaka are being victimised resulting from financial challenges.
FOCESE will be implementing the Institution Strengthening Project for one year, 2025, with a tune of K142 million from IM Swedish Southern Africa Development Partners, with the ultimate goals of improving financial and nutrition capacity among the communities in Balaka.
WaterAid commemorates World Hand Hygiene Day
By Ernest Mfunya
Mangochi, May 7, Mana. WaterAid Malawi on Tuesday commemorated World Hand Hygiene Day in Mangochi, to educate communities on the importance of handwashing with soap in preventing diseases related to poor hygiene.
Speaking during the event at Nangalamu Health Centre ground, Senior Medical Officer for Mangochi District Hospital, Dr Salimu Kaunda, said that the day encourages practices like hand washing with soap, thereby reducing infection, promoting public health and global action toward improved health outcomes.
"Hand hygiene is a crucial component of our health systems. Most illnesses we see in health facilities are due to infections that can be prevented through simple hygiene practices like handwashing with clean water and soap," said Kaunda.
He noted that for the past years, Mangochi has grappled with various diseases such as cholera outbreaks, diarrhoea and others that come due to poor hygiene and drinking unsafe water.
WaterAid Malawi hygiene specialist, Maria Soko, noted that Malawi has been severely affected by cholera and other diseases linked to poor hygiene.
"We wanted people to understand the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention of diseases related to poor hygiene. We might use other measures like gloves, but hand hygiene surpasses everything," said Soko.
She added that the organization was building sanitation facilities such as toilets and bathrooms in hospitals and providing communities with clean and safe water to promote public health and prevent diseases.
Patuma Mamu, a resident of Group Village Headman Chikamba in the district said that through the interventions, she has learnt how she can protect her family from diseases linked to poor hygiene by using safe and clean water, washing hands with soap after using the toilet, before preparing food and other practices.
During the commemoration, WaterAid handed over sanitation facilities such as buckets and sanitisers to four health facilities, including Nangalamu.
Being observed under the theme "it might be gloves. It's always hand washing" this year, World Hand Hygiene Day is commemorated each year on 5 May to maintain a global profile on the importance of hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement globally.
Mission Rabies in Blantyre for dog vaccination
By Memory Khutuliwa
Blantyre, May 7, Mana; Vet Surgeon at Paws and Claws Veterinary Clinic, Owen Chausa says vaccination of dogs was the only way to prevent transmission of diseases to promote animal well-being and urged pet owners to follow recommended vaccination schedules to keep their pets free from diseases.
Chausa made the remarks on Tuesday as dog vaccination campaign by Mission Rabies Malawi continues in Blantyre.
He said that vaccination in pets supports public health, preventing transmission of diseases, promoting herd immunity, reducing animal suffering, thereby improving animal welfare, adding that the vaccination mitigates the spread of zoonotic diseases such as rabies.
“The vaccination is crucial as it protects pets from life-threatening diseases in dogs such as hepatitis, parvovirus, kennel cough, canine distemper, parainfluenza and leptospirosis. Cats suffer from life-threatening diseases such as feline rhinotracheitis,” he added.
The Vet Surgeon therefore urged pet owners to they should follow recommended vaccination schedules and to always keep their pets vaccination records, saying accurate records determine accurate times for boosters to understand core and non-core vaccines.
Mission Rabies Malawi, Country Director, Dr.Inga McDermott, described the vaccination programme as an important step towards protecting city residents and their pets from rabies, expressing optimism that the exercise will significantly stop spread of rabies in Malawi.
“We have a target, we want our post-vaccination surveys to show that we have reached at least 70% of dog population in Blantyre, and this is a crucial percent to keep the community safe”
Blantyre City 2025 vaccination campaign is meant to vaccinate over 20,000 dogs within 10 days.
Old Mutual hands over classroom block to Rumphi District Council
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, May 7, Mana: Old Mutual handed over a K115 million classroom block at Katete Primary School in Senior Chief Mwahenga in Rumphi on Tuesday which school authorities said will improve the learning environment.
In an interview, Director of Education and Sports for Rumphi, Fides Msowoya, said the structure will improve learning at the school.
"Learners will now be learning efficiently and comfortably, as they have also been promised desks. Our teachers, as well will have a conducive environment for preparing their lessons with the new office that has been attached to the block and we expect the children to perform well," said Msowoya.
She further said the council would also continue to engage other partners to support other needs at the school, including housing for teachers.
She also said her office would engage relevant committees at the council to consider upgrading the school from a junior primary to a full primary school.
Chairperson for Old Mutual Foundation, Tawonga Manda, said they have built the block to bail out young learners who were walking long distances to school to access education.
Member of parliament for the area, Jappie Mhango, said the classroom block would attract more learners to school.
He also called on partners, including Old Mutual and CARE Malawi who collaborated on the project, to continue supporting them as the Government's resources are not adequate to resolve all challenges.
He further urged Government and development partners to make rural schools attractive for teachers by constructing decent houses for them in order to facilitate quality learning.
SADC Electoral Advisory Council engage media ahead of 2025 elections
By Sukasuka Milton and Josephine Chipofya
Lilongwe, May 6th, Mana: The Southern African Development Community Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) is conducting stakeholder engagement meetings to evaluate Malawi’s preparedness for the September 2025 general elections.
On Tuesday, SEAC engaged journalists from various media houses in Lilongwe to hear their role and views ahead of the September 2025 polls.
Speaking to Journalists Member of the SEAC Advocate Notemba Tjipueja, said they are looking at the political and security environment to determine if it is conducive for holding the elections.
"This is done in terms of the SADC principles and guidelines governing the democratic elections and this is a process that we follow in every SADC member state that is holding elections. we always go and do a pre-election assessment mission,” she explained.
The assessment will also look at the legal framework governing the elections and the Malawi Electoral Commission’s preparedness to conduct the general elections.
Community lauds construction of female teachers houses
By Ella Mulenga
Karonga, May 7, Mana: Authorities in Karonga have described Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP) female teachers house construction initiative as a significant milestone that motivates female teachers to teach in hard-to-reach areas in the district.
Deputy Headteacher for Tumbi Primary School, Loncy Kaluba, expressed her excitement for the construction of the only female teacher's house at the school, saying that the development will improve education service delivery more especially to female learners and motivate them.
"The construction of a house for a female teacher here at Tumbi Primary is more than just a building, but also a symbol of what our girls can become. Seeing a fellow woman teaching them will motivate learners to be like their teachers or more," she said.
Group Village Head Mazyuli also hailed the initiative, stating that the investment in education demonstrates the government’s commitment to developing rural communities.
"This project is a true testament that our government values education. Providing proper living spaces for our female teachers will not only improve performance in their teaching practices but also encourage female learners to go further with their studies,” he said.
NEEF launches loan for winter cropping inputs in Zomba
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, May 7 Mana: Nation Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) on Tuesday launched winter cropping agriculture loan inputs in Zomba with K51 million going to Kadewere Irrigation Scheme at Traditional Authority Mwambo.
The loan inputs which among others included fertilizer, maize seeds and solar solar-powered pump target over 200,000 farmers across the country.
Speaking during the launch and handover of the farm inputs at Kadewere Irrigation Scheme in Traditional Authority Mwambo, NEEF Chief Executive Officer, Humprey Mdyeseni said the loan inputs were meant to improve the country's food security.
Mdyeseni said, according to data, the country requires 4 million metric tons of maize which has not been achieved for the past two years, expressing hope that the winter cropping, once implemented, will close up the gap.
“We are receiving overwhelming applications for loans, and this only means more farmers need support.
“We expect that, through the farm inputs loans, Malawi is assured of enough food,” he added.
Zomba District Council, Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Linda Mphande said provision of farm input was the best way to address food insecurity in the district.
Mphande added that, with increasing fears of climate change, irrigation agriculture remained the best option.
“We applaud government through NEEF for the support to farmers. Through this initiative, the country has high chances to achieve food security,” she added.
One of the beneficiaries under Kadewere Irrigation Scheme, Godfrey Makwinja said most of the farmers have muscle but lack financial and farm inputs.
“Many farmers are proud of the support from NEEF. We have been empowered and energised to do more,” he added.
A total of K51 million has been used to procure fertilizer and maize seeds for 83 farmers under Kadewere scheme.
WVM to distribute Likuni Phala to Karonga CBCCs
By Patience Harawa
Karonga, May 7, Mana: World Vision Malawi (WVM) is set to distribute 2,026 bags of Likuni Phala, weighing 5 kilograms each, to 41 Community Based Child Care Centres (CBCCs) across Karonga district in a bid to combat child hunger and improve nutrition.
According to WVM District Programmes Manager for Karonga, Hendrix Kalanje, the distribution exercise is part of the Enough Campaign, an initiative aimed at fighting child hunger and malnutrition.
Speaking during the symbolic handover ceremony held at WVM offices in Karonga on Tuesday, Kalanje emphasized the critical need to address malnutrition at an early age.
"The project will be implemented up to 2026 and we will be distributing 5 kilogram bags of fortified porridge, which will benefit hundreds of children, particularly in Lupembe and Mlare areas in the district."
“Malnutrition remains a major challenge in Karonga, affecting children's growth, cognitive development, and school readiness. This intervention is a step towards ensuring that children have the energy and nutrients they need to thrive,” Kalanje said.
District Commissioner (DC) for Karonga, Frank Mkandawire hailed WVM for support, calling it a timely response to food shortages that have hit the district due to prolonged dry spells that affected crop yield.
The DC, therefore, called for continued support from other organizations to ensure that all children in the district have access to food, underscoring the importance of collective efforts in addressing child hunger.
“No single organization can solve child hunger alone. We need strong collaboration among non-governmental organisations, government departments, traditional leaders, and community members. World Vision’s support is a clear example of what we can achieve when we work together,” Mkandawire said.
Project to reduce cholera mortality rate in Karonga
By George Mponda
Karonga, May 7, Mana: Amref Health Africa has launched Phase Two of its Cholera Response Project in Karonga, a four-month initiative aimed at reducing cholera-related deaths in the district, where seven fatalities and 66 cases have been recorded so far.
Presenting the project at a Public Health Emergency Management Committee (PHEMC) meeting Tuesday, Amref's Project Officer Daniel Nansongole said the project aims to eradicate the disease, which has wreaked havoc over the years, especially in border districts.
Nansongole said, “The main purpose of the project is to support the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the reduction of mortality rate as well as the spread of the Cholera pandemic in Malawi, specifically here in Karonga, where deaths and cases were reported."
"We will be supporting the District Health Office (DHO) in all the service delivery concerning the reduction of this pandemic in Karonga. The key stakeholders that will be involved in this project are the MoH themselves as well as the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), DHO and communities for this project to meet its goals," he added.
According to Nansongole, the project is funded by David lausai and the Placard Foundation through Armref's office in the United States of America to the tune of USD70 000 to implement this project in Karonga and Chitipa.
On his part, Director of Health Services for Karonga District Council, David Sibale expressed gratitude for the project, saying it has come at the right time since United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Cholera funded interventions had ceased.
"Since January, we have been complaining about the pull out of USAID which had crippled our interventions now that this project is coming in to support, we are grateful because it will help us to timely respond to some epidemics, which normally occur here in Karonga District," Sibale said.