By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, November 7, Mana: Communities in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mazengera in Lilongwe have started preparing nursery trees, under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSE-PWP) in order to prevent crops and their homes from floods during the rainy season.

In an interview on Wednesday during a media tour, Agriculture Extension Development Officer for Nyanja Extension Planning Area (EPA), Alepha Masaiti, said through CS-EPWP, communities have learnt that planting more trees assist in curbing effects of natural disasters such as floods.

Masaiti said trees have proven to be an important tool in bringing back degraded land as a result of uncontrolled running water from the mountain.

“Since we started planting trees through this programme, we have seen many places that were washed away by running water and had big gullies being restored. Farmers are now using such places for farming. We don’t want to lose our land because of gullies,” She said.

Masaiti said, apart from preparing their nurseries, CS-EPWP beneficiaries have also managed to construct stone bunds and swales to control running water.

She, therefore, urged beneficiaries to continue working hard in their fields so that the purpose of the programme is accomplished.

“This programme is for us. It is assisting us, so there is need to work hard because these trees, stone bunds and swales will help control land degradation, water conservation and control soil erosion hence giving us increased crop yield,” she said.

Lilongwe District Land Resource Conservation Officer, Setrida Mlamba, was impressed to see that almost all 23 catchment areas of the programme are registering progress.

“This programme is not only alleviating poverty but also conserving the environment. I am, therefore, optimistic that we will continue registering strides in the subsequent cycles of the programme," she said.

Government, through National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), increased the number of beneficiaries in Lilongwe with 4,812 bringing a total number of 29,440 beneficiaries from 24,628.

CS-EPWP is a major component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) which was established to promote rehabilitation of degraded micro-watersheds and restore natural resources.

By Wongani Mkandawire

Nkhotakota, November 7, Mana: Nkhotakota District Council says the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) retargeting exercise, it conducted, was successful, as majority of households were approved by the Council.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, Principal Social Welfare Officer for Nkhotakota, Osward Mwale, said despite an increase in the number of beneficiaries from 7,701 to 8,745, the exercise had little inclusion and exclusion errors.

“The retargeting exercise was successful, many of the selected households have already been approved by the Council. Other than the few errors we had in some centres of the system selecting some households already benefiting from the climate smart enhanced public works program; we can say the exercise was a success,” said Mwale.

Mwale expressed satisfaction with the use of the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) saying it was paramount as it has helped in terms of easy identification of households to benefit from the program.

District Commissioner for Nkhotakota, Ben Matengeni Tohno, said the Council’s intention was to have the rightful deserving people on board as beneficiaries of the program.

Beneficiaries in the World Bank funded SCTP, receive an average amount of K14,919 per household per month, to be able to meet their basic needs and build resilience.

By Prisca Promise Mashushu

Lilongwe, November 7, Mana: Partners in Action for Sustainable Development (PASD) has committed to help Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres with food in order to promote quality livelihood, growth and development of children amid hunger crisis in the country.

PASD Executive Director, Amos Ezekiel Chiyenda, said hunger which has affected some parts of the country has also impacted on children in ECD centres.

He said this greatly poses a threat to under-five children to suffer acute malnutrition which can lead to stunting, iron deficiencies and anaemia thereby affecting children’s physical, cognitive and emotional growth.

“As PASD, we are implementing school feeding program to respond to these challenges,” said Chiyenda.

PASD, with support from Feed the Hungry Malawi and Hope for Malawi Foundation is feeding 9,100 children with fortified rice every day in 120 Community Based Childcare Centres (CBCCs) in Traditional Authorities Malemia, Mlumbe, Nkapita, Ngwelero and Mwambo in Zomba district.

He said the CBCCs are just a portion of hundreds in Zomba district where children are learning without something to eat.

“We also bring together some local leaders including Members of Parliament and Community Based Organisation directors in one forum where we discuss and share ideas on sustainable means of addressing the issue to promote ECD in their areas,” he said.

He said several ECDs in the country are facing numerous challenges due to lack of support at community level.

He urged government and other organizations to help ECDs by implementing interventions that will address hunger at household level so that children will live a full life beginning from home.

“Additionally, Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, which is responsible for ECDs, should promote the idea of farming for each ECD centre to have maize, groundnuts and soya beans for children’s porridge, and introduce lunch so that children should not just eat breakfast and go home,” he explained.

ECD National Trainer, Khumbo Kachali, concurred with Chiyenda saying nutrition is prominent to children’s wellbeing.

“It is important to help manage hunger starting from communities where ECDs are located to avoid malnutrition, poor growth development among children and lack of concentration in class which leads to poor performance in schools.

“A special budget should be allocated to nutrition to promote health growth of children especially in rural areas. Children are leaders of tomorrow and their future begins now,” said Kachali.

By Solister Mogha

Zomba, November 6, Mana: District Commissioner for Zomba, Reinghard Chavula has cautioned officers who fail to submit monthly activity reports after implementing their various activities of unspecified disciplinary action.

Chavula sounded the warning on Wednesday in Machinga during the second quarter review meeting for the Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP).

She said she has noted with concern of a growing tendency of some officers delaying submission of their activity reports despite drawing funds for such activities.

"I feel it's high time we took some serious action over this growing behavior. It really doesn't make sense that months after implementing activities, officers should relax and fail to submit a report," she said.

Chavula said the immediate action would be to intensify performance appraisals and also change or transfer officers who are misbehaving.

"I have already started an appraisals exercise with directors and I expect them to do the same to their juniors. However, should I notice no change, I will be forced to do a reshuffle of activity managers," she said.

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Zomba District Council, Davie Sato concurred with the DC, saying it is always hard for officers to submit reports to the office.

"Seriously, it is getting out of hand, people have forgotten their responsibility of submitting reports and always wait for me to keep pushing them," Sato said.

Mwasip Programme Coordinator for Zomba, McKinley Dupu said delayed submission of reports was a big challenge at the council.

"I really don't understand why people take long to submit reports forgetting that it is only where activity reports are submitted when the council can request for more funds," Dupu said.

During the meeting, members agreed to offer their best for the betterment of the district and the nation at large.

By Emily M'mangisa

Zomba, November 6, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust in Zomba has embarked on an extensive voter registration awareness campaign as one way of encouraging Malawians to register for next year's elections in large numbers.

District Programmes Officer for NICE in Zomba,  Kondwani Newa said as registration exercise commences this Saturday, it was important that people are given the right information and encouraged to register  in large numbers.

"We intend to use a multispectral approach where we will spread out messages in prayer houses, markets, suburbs and everywhere to ensure that people register for the 2025 general elections," Newa said.

Newa said in addition, NICE has also deployed mobile vans to ensure messages reach out to every corner of the district.

He said the recent constituency demarcation exercise needs more information to flow among voters.

"It is our duty to pass on the information to the general public so that they make an informed decision," he said.

Newa expressed optimism that the campaign will achieve its intended goal and that more people will register once registration centres open this Saturday.

A prospective registrant from Senior Chief Mlumbe, Hamilton Kapito applauded NICE for coming up with the awareness campaigns on voter registration and constituency demarcation.

Kapito said through the messages people would be encouraged to go and register for the forthcoming general elections.

Second phase of voter registration targets Zomba district and city councils, among other coucils starts on November 9 to 23 this year.

Electoral Commission has already engaged traditional, religious and community leaders on the impending exercise.

By Aisha Chiwaya

Salima, November 6, Mana: Citizen Alliance has embarked on a project aimed at improving access to complaint-handling mechanisms for vulnerable populations in Malawi, with a focus on raising awareness about available legal support services.

Speaking in an interview, Executive Director for citizen alliance, Baxston Nkhoma said the project involves training leaders from various networks and associations to evaluate and bolster mechanisms in institutions such as the police and health facilities.

 “Our goal is to ensure that vulnerable groups know how to access services provided by the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau and paralegals, essential for their legal protection,” Nkhoma said.

He noted that discussions with duty bearers revealed significant gaps in support systems, underscoring the need for robust and reliable complaint mechanisms.

He stressed that improving these mechanisms would create an environment where marginalized people feel secure to raise their concerns.

“Accessible and harm-reducing mechanisms are crucial for ensuring safety and trust,” he added.

Yohane Kapalamula, one of the people with albinism, emphasized the training's importance as crucial in helping vulnerable populations in communities.

He said, “These sessions help us to identify issues and know when our rights are violated, making this project vital".

He However, highlighted barriers such as lack of awareness, limited access, mistrust, and interference from social and political structures which he said, reduce the effectiveness of current complaint-handling mechanisms.

The Citizen Alliance project aims to support survivors of human rights violations through better reporting systems and education and ensuring that their rights are upheld.

By Golden Kang'oma

Salima, November 6, Mana: Salima District Executive Committee (DEC) has commended the Ulimi ndi Chilengedwe m'Malawi (UCHI) Project following a comprehensive briefing by the project’s steering committee.

The UCHI Project, which aims to foster sustainable economic growth and transformation within Malawi's food systems while prioritizing environmental conservation and resource management, is set to run from 2024 to 2030 with funding exceeding 50 million Euros and will be implemented across various districts, including Salima.

Briefing the committee on Tuesday, Madalitso Chatsika, an expert from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and a member of the project’s steering committee, highlighted key activities tailored for Salima district.

She noted the significant progress being made in enhancing food systems, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural practices within the communities.

“These initiatives include training programs for frontline agricultural workers and community-based learning support that promotes nutritional education and behavior change,” Chatsika said.

She added that establishing demonstration plots and organizing nutrition field days have increased community engagement and empowered local farmer organizations.

Salima District Council Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Natural Resources, Enford Kanyimbo praised the project’s integrated approach and emphasized its positive impact on vulnerable households, especially women and young children.

“The UCHI initiative, which builds on the past successes of the Kulima and Afikepo programs, will be instrumental in strengthening local food security and promoting environmentally conscious practices,” Kanyimbo said.

He underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among stakeholders to maintain these gains.

The briefing emphasized the project's alignment with national efforts to improve nutritional outcomes and promote sustainable agricultural growth.

UCHI project which is supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Union, will be implemented in Salima, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, and Kalonga, among other districts.