By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, October 12, Mana: Malawi Peace and Unity Commission (MPUC) on Friday, called for a stakeholders’ engagement meeting at Blantyre City Council, Civic Offices to explain its new initiative of introducing peace and unity committees in Blantyre City to act as mediators when disputes arise.

During the meeting, MPUC Commissioner, Zack Kawalala said the committee will play a crucial role in promoting peace and preventing hatred and discord within cities and other local authorities.

“The committee will help to settle disputes that emerge within the city and enhance information among stakeholders” he said.

Kawalala explained that the committee will not take over roles and responsibilities of Ministry of Justice but collaborate with the ministry to ensure peace and order in the country.

He emphasized the importance of speedy formulation of the committee considering increased violence that often arise during election time.

MPUC Coordinator, Dyton Kang’oma said the committee will focus on changing mindset by departing from traditional conflict resolution methods.

“This committee will act as a mediator and advocate for the Peace and Unity Act of 2022," he said, adding committee members shall be independent, non-partisan, and impartial in their duties.

He said the selection process will consider gender balance and a good representation of age groups.

Kang’oma said the committee will work for four years and will be appointed by the State President, adding the Public Appointment Committee of Parliament will also be involved.

“The committee will consist of 11 members, including two ex-officio members from faith-based organisations, two traditional leaders, two representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs), one member from the business community, one person with disabilities (PWD), one youth representative, City Council’s Chief Executive Officer or District Commissioner, and the Officer-in-Charge of Police as ex-officio members," he said.

He added that the committee will be funded by the Malawi Government and Malawi Peace and Unity Commission.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), faith based representative, Davie Mapemba Phiri said MPUC will help to promote peace among Blantyre City residence as the country heads to election period and will also be instrumental during post-election period.

He said he believed the initiative will be a success as it will involve various stakeholders that are already engaged with their communities.

“The commission has taken faith leaders on board because we are closely connected to the community and witness many cases of violence. We are in a better position than the commission or government to address these issues," Phiri said.

Malawi Peace and Unity Commission was established under Peace and Unity Act, 2022 with the goal of achieving political prosperity and sustainable socio-economic development.

By Vida Msiyo

Blantyre, October 11, Mana: Based on a report that 246 men and 35 women have died of suicide, one artist, Maxwell Mnjemu, is using his poetry to spread messages of hope to encourage people not to give up on life.

Mnjemu, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Lino Security Services, told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that he wrote a poem to address mental health disorder.

Through his poem, Mnjemu hopes to reach those struggling with mental health issues, reminding them that life is worthy living no matter how difficult it may be.

“I wrote this poem to let people know that even in their darkest times, there is hope, I want people to realize that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how tough life might be,” he said.

In addition to poetry, Mnjemu develops messages on posters and stickers carrying the same message of hope.

Executive Director of the Mental Health Users and Carers Association (MeHUCA), Memory Bismarck commended Mnjemu’s efforts stressing the importance of using artistic platforms to raise mental health awareness.

“Poetry and other forms of art have a unique way of reaching people, while they are entertained, they also receive the message making it a very effective method of disseminating information about mental health,” she said.

This year’s World Mental Health Day theme focuses on; mental health in the workplace,

Bismarck therefore emphasized that employers should priorities their employees’ mental well-being as stress and depression can severely impact productivity.

“Mental health must be taken seriously at work, many men don’t open up about their mental health issues, which leads to tragic consequences, that’s why we’re seeing more men taking their own lives,” she said.

Bismarck called on organizations to collaborate with MeHUCA to establish free, private counseling centers where individuals can seek help without fear of stigma.

Malawi joined the world to observe World Mental Day on October 10 under the theme: “It’s time to priorities mental health in the work place; health work force is the best workforce.

By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, October 12, Mana: As Malawi commemorates the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child, World Vision`s (WV) Country Advocacy and Communications Manager, Charles Gwengwe, has appealed for multi-sectoral interventions to ensure that the girl child`s future is safeguarded.

Gwengwe was speaking during a press briefing at WV offices in Lilongwe on Friday in commemoration of International Girl Child Day which falls on 11th October each year as a global event dedicated to raising awareness on the unique challenges girls face worldwide, with emphasis on girl child empowerment.

In his address, Gwengwe expressed satisfaction with child protection programs being implemented, highlighting that the initiative crucial role is to address issues of gender inequality, child marriage and access to education and healthcare.

WV Country Advocacy Campaign and Safeguarding Manager, Lizzie Lombe called for the prioritization of essential nutrition actions and services, further advising for a comprehensive approach to address gender-specific challenges that aggravates malnutrition.

“We also need to ensure that girls are provided with the necessary nutritious food so that they can attend classes and participate fully to achieve their dreams.” She said.

Students from Nkhoma Community Day Secondary School, Naomi Richman and Violet Phiri who are some of the beneficiaries of the WV Program appealed for targeted interventions to address malnutrition to ensure girls' survival and well-being.

This year’s International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC2024) is being cerebrated under the theme "Girl’s Vision for the Future," emphasizing the incredible potential of girls to shaping a brighter tomorrow.

By Lekereni Chinkhota

Salima, October 12, Mana: Salima District Council will soon transition from paying beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer hard cash to electronic payment as one way of shortening the payment procedures.

Speaking on Friday during the council meeting, Social Welfare Officer responsible for Social Cash Transfer at Salima District Council, Thumbiko Mbale highlighted that the adoption is aimed at easing the mobility of people who travel long distances to access the payments.

“We are migrating from manual payment to e-payment because we believe that this process will help beneficiaries to receive cash in good time. It will also help in efficiency and transparency because it will just be from service providers to the beneficiaries’ accounts," he said.

Mbale said his office has already engaged Telekom Network of Malawi (TNM) as the service provider that will be responsible for the payments through its service TNM Mpamba.

"TNM has already assured us to address network issues that many complain about by mounting transmitters as a way to boost their network in these areas where they have problems accessing their services,” he said.

Expressing her excitement about the initiative, Traditional Authority Maganga said the initiative is welcomed because it will ease the challenges many beneficiaries were facing in accessing the payments.

“We had security reasons after beneficiaries received their payments they were being attacked. The e-payment will also reduce the misuse of money that most people were involved in by buying unnecessary things," she said.

She however expressed disappointment with the use of the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) system to identify beneficiaries suggesting that the UBR is outdated and it is not serving the intended purpose other than bringing chaos as people think community leaders have a hand in the selection process.

“The use of the UBR system disappoints us because we see people who have already graduated and are ineligible benefiting from the services. We know the deserving and the ultra-poor, but they are left out because the UBR picks some who already have something to earn a living," she said.

The e-payment will commence in November and is targeted to reach out 11,400 households in the district.

Other districts already using the e-payment include Mangochi, Machinga, Chitipa, Likoma and Mchinji.

By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, October 12, Mana: The Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) Nkhoma synod has disclosed that 1700 households affected by El Nino in Salima district will receive food assistance for the next five months.

Speaking on Thursday during a District Executive Committee meeting, the synod's General Secretary Reverend Vasco Kachipapa said the church will from October to March 2025 be distributing the assorted food items in the areas that were affected.

"The areas that have been identified to receive food assistance are those that have been heavily affected by food shortage so that they should be relieved," he said.

According to Kachipapa, the church has received funding from their partners World Renew and Canadian Food Grain Bank amounting to K869 million which will be used during the exercise.

He said as a church they believe in helping the needy so that they can see the love of God through the good deeds of the church.

"The Malawi Vulnerable Assessment Committee report over 5.7 million people in the country are likely to be food insecure in the next few months, therefore we are collaborating with the government to alleviate the hunger that most families will face before the next harvesting season," he said.

Meanwhile, Salima district's Disaster Risk Management Officer Gloria Chinangwa said what the CCAP church has done is worth emulating.

Chinangwa said the district appreciates collaboration from stakeholders in lessening the effects of El Nino since most families are food insecure therefore more assistance is needed.

"We will also start maize distribution in all the 12 Traditional Authorities in the district, this is meant to ensure that families are cushioned," she said.

World Renew and CCAP work together to improve local healthcare systems through maternal and child health programmes and help families achieve long-term food security.