By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, August 4, Mana: Before the birth of his third and fourth born children namely Nicholas and Maria respectively, John Mwale, 46 from Group Village Head (GVH) Mandala in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Muzikuola in Mzimba used to be a successful farmer in his home village of Mjojo in Mzimba South.

‘‘I have been a farmer and a successful businessman before. I would grow and harvest hundreds of bags of maize some of which I sold for my personal needs at home. I had livestock such as goats and pigs. These made my family’s life easier. Everyone in my family was happy,’’ he recalled.

Mwale says things are no longer the same now.

In his own words, things in his life and family turned upside down in 2022 because of the resurgence in attacks of persons living with albinism.

‘‘My wife and I have four kids. The first one is Samuel seconded by Anita. These two were born without albinism. The birth of my third child, Nicholas and fourth born daughter Maria, who were born with albinism changed our life as a family as it marked the turn of uncertainty due to news of attacks on persons with albinism that were taking place in other parts of the country in 2022,’’ he said.

Mwale said whenever he would listen to the radios on how people with albinism were being butchered and mutilated elsewhere in the country, he would always shiver with fear and uncertainty, thinking about the safety and future of his two young children born with albinism.

‘‘I love all my kids. So when rampant attacks on persons with albinism heightened in the country in 2022, I started fearing for the safety of Nicholas and Maria. This made me stop my business of selling maize and I slowed down on farming activities to take care of my kids by providing security to them,’’ he said.

That was the starting point for Mwale to start escorting his kid Nicholas to school at Kaulankhutu Primary School located at Mapanjira, a distance of 2 kilometres from Mjojo village.

Mwale added with the incessant attacks that took hold in the country, he could not risk allowing his 10-year-old standard 3 son go alone to school or in the company of his fellow kids.

‘‘I could not trust anyone with my son’s safety. Although in my village nobody was attacked but I lost trust with anyone more so with strangers. So, since the attacks I stopped going to the maize fields and running various businesses as I used to do and this has had a toll on my life as a farmer as well as a businessman,’’ he said.

The harvest from the labour of his wife alone could not sufficient to support his family of six.

Before the attacks, things had been going on well that Mwale even had built a four bedroomed iron corrugated house.

But since his farming activities had suddenly grounded to a halt.

He never completed his house to the standard he wanted.

‘‘Several things had remained undone to the house like plaster and some of the house’s windows are not fixed and even some of the doors were not fixed. Yet this posed a threat to the lives of my kids as I feared thugs will come breaking such doors in the hunt f my kids with albinism,’’ the farmer said.

Mwale’s fears are not without basis.

The murder of a Kasungu based three-year-old girl with albinism, Talandira Chirwa who was hacked on the neck by unidentified assailants was an example of how far the attackers can go in their gruesome hunt for blood and bones from people living with albinism.

Talandira was stabbed on the neck and had her arms chopped off on November 30, 2022 at 11 pm while sleeping on the same bed with her grandmother and their house was not well secured that’s the reason the thugs made their way into it.

People with albinism in the country have faced grave human rights abuses such as abductions, killings and mutilations of body parts on the assumptions that their body parts have magical powers.

To ensure people living with albinism are well secured, President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera four years ago pledged to construct houses for them so that people like Nicholas and Maria live in secure and safe houses.

On Wednesday this week, there were jubilations and ululations in Mjojo village in Mzimba as Minister of Lands and Housing Deus Gumba presided over the handover ceremony of a magnificent house to the family of Nicholas and Maria, fulfilling a commitment made by president Chakwera four years ago.

The house is one of the 47 completed houses out of 69 so far constructed.

‘‘The handover of this house to the family of Mr Mwale fulfils what President’s promise upon getting into government that he would be constructing houses for people living with albinism to give them dignity and security,’’ he said as he handed the house’s keys to Mr Mwale, the father to Nicholas and Maria.

He said upon getting into government, Chakwera felt compelled to provide better housing for the people living with albinism because they had been neglected in terms of security provision by other regimes and house provision was one way of securing their homes.

‘‘For the past 26 years, people living with albinism were living in traumatic conditions. They were being haunted and discriminated but when the president came into power he directed that people with albinism should be protected.

“To that extent, he directed his Ministry to start constructing houses for them. We have been constructing the houses in consultation with Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare and now we are handing them over to the families,’’  Gumba said.

“This is a show of commitment by the President to address accommodation challenges faced by the people living with albinism and enhance their safety and security,” he added.

The Minister said government was committed to ensuring that people living with albinism are secured by ensuring that more houses in all districts are provided to them.

‘‘Government has allocated K600 million in this financial year which will be used to construct 15 more houses for people with albinism,’’ he disclosed.

Minister of Gender Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza has since asked the Ministry of Lands to fast track the construction of houses for the people with albinism by cutting out some lengthy processes that are contributing to delays in construction and completion of houses.

‘‘These houses are supposed to be constructed in all districts and 67 have been completed. There are a lot of people with albinism who need houses so there is need to expedite the construction process by cutting out some of the procurement processes which are slowing down the work,’’ she said.

National Coordinator for the Association of Persons with albinism in Malawi (APAM), Maynard Zakaria has applauded the government for constructing 67 decent houses for its members, saying the houses would provide a shield to people living with albinism against potential attackers.

He said government should cut the red tape that was delaying construction and completion of more houses on time.

‘‘Government releases funds for the housing construction but through lengthy processes of accessing the funds, it happens that the funds are not utilised within the financial year. We lose out as the money cannot be used when the financial year has come to an end,” Zakaria added.

Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and social welfare Nertha Semphere Mgala appealed for collaboration in protecting people living with albinism.

She called on community members and organizations to join efforts with the government in providing a secure environment for people living with albinism to enjoy their rights to life.

‘‘We lobby Members of Parliament to consider constructing houses in their constituencies for people living with albinism using the Constituency Development Fund. This will help in ensuring more people living with albinism have decent houses,’’ Mgala suggested.

After the house was handed over to them, Mwale and his two children Nicholas and Maria, aged 10 and five respectively, could not hide their excitement.

Mwale thanked government for the construction of the magnificent house, saying as a subsistent farmer he could not have built such a house singlehandedly.

The house is fixed with metal doors to ensure total protection and it has toilets within its fence.

 ‘‘This house will provide conducive environment to my kids and I ask government to continue constructing such houses to more people living with albinism,’’ Mwale said.

In a separate interview, Nicholas said living in a well-built house has given him a sense of security around him.

‘‘My ambition in life is to become a teacher that’s why I work hard in school. I just hope I will achieve my dream,’’ said Nicholas who also thanked his father for escorting him to school.

‘‘If my father was not willing to escort me to school and I would have dropped out as the school is far away and you would never know who would be hiding in the bushes to pounce on you,’’ he said.