MANAonline
All set for NYC in Blantyre
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, May 23, Mana: Fountain of Victory Church will on May 25 conduct a National Youth Conference (NYC) at Victory Land Centre in Blantyre to discuss challenges the younger generation is facing.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Thursday, President and founder of Fountain of Victory Church, Apostle Joseph Ziba, said the conference is a game changer for every young person.
He said the conference will provide a rare platform where the youths will feel God’s presence and reach His destiny.
Apostle Ziba believes that thousands of young people will receive transformation of their lives on top of discovering and receiving restoration of the Holy Spirit.
“All things have been solely tailored for every youth or young adult to benefit in all life’s dimensions. The conference will be outstanding, impactful and influential when they go back to their daily endeavors. It will also give the youth opportunity to interact with God as the Holy Spirit will be scattered every day,” said Ziba.
He, therefore, appealed to youths from all corners of Malawi to attend the conference assuring them that their life will never be the same as the conference will deepen their understanding of God’s word.
One of the congregants, Charles Sekeya, expressed gratitude over the event saying it is time to experience the power and presence of God in a special way.
He said the conference will not just be an event but a life changing opportunity and is looking forward to see God’s glory.
“I am expecting the conference to inspire many youths. This should be a place where my destiny will be shaped and l believe my life will change forever,” said Sekeya.
The National Youth Conference is a mother conference of all inter-denominational youth conferences organized by Fountain of Victory Church for every youth within and outside the church.
Organizers expect that the conference will be a platform for young people to showcase their God-given gifts and talents with drama, poems and music performed by Melvin and Fountain of Victory Worship team as some of the activities to spice up the event.
Apostle Ziba will preach the word of God to instill faith and courage to connect the youth with the Holy Spirit.
New classroom block brings hope at Chitundu Primary School
By Innocent Kachingwe
Blantyre, May 22, Mana: Blantyre District Council is constructing a classroom block at Chitundu Primary School in Traditional Authority (TA) Kuntaja to improve learning environment.
Most learners at the school are accommodated in make shifts structures while others learn in the open.
Chitundu Primary School Head Teacher, Yobu Masiye, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday that the school has one classroom block occupied by standard seven and eight learners.
The school, which has an enrollment of 442 against that one classroom block, has no head teacher’s office.
“Other learners learn in makeshift structures which were constructed by communities and others learn under the shades of trees leading to poor attendance. This is worrisome because it affects learners’ performance,” he said.
Masiye hailed Blantyre District Council for initiating the project which will see construction of a classroom block and teacher’s office.
He believes that teachers will have space to prepare for their lessons before going for classes.
“I believe enrollment will increase as standard five and six learners will now be learning in a proper structure. As of now the school has enrolled extra 28 learners,” he said.
Masiye, therefore, appealed to the Council to construct more classroom blocks and build a house for the head teacher, saying he currently walks a distance of about eight kilometres every day to and from the school.
One of the learners, Bridget Bwanali, expressed gratitude with the new classrooms which, she said, will provide better learning environment.
“Most girls complained that sitting on the floor and learning under trees compromised their well-being such that some resorted to dropout due poor learning environment,” she said.
Director of Education, Youth and Sports, Paul Chimphanda, said the new classroom block will provide favorable learning environment.
He acknowledged that most junior classes learn under the shades of trees which disrupts classes especially during rainy season.
“This is a good development because school enrollment will increase as learners will be motivated to attend classes without disruption. On the other hand, teachers will also enjoy teaching because the new classroom has a storeroom to keep their teaching materials,” he said.
The project at Chitundu Primary School is being implemented with Constituency Development Fund at a cost of K39.4 million.
Communities in Mzuzu hail disaster risk management project
By Rose Cross Mahorya
Mzuzu, May 23, Mana: Communities in Mchengautuwa East and West Wards in Mzuzu City have applauded a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) funded project for training and encouraging community structures to develop early disaster warning systems in the city.
The project, Strengthening All-inclusive Disaster Preparedness and Linking Early Warning to Early Action, is being implemented by UN-Habitat.
In an interview on Wednesday, Ward Disaster Risk Management Committee leader for Mchengautuwa West Ward, Emmanuel Chiumia, said the project has encouraged community members to learn more about early warning disaster signs.
Chiumia said the project has also facilitated formulation of sub-structures which are responsible for lobbying individual households to desist from practices that aid disaster.
“From the trainings we have been getting, we are encouraged to involve community members in disaster preparedness initiatives. For example, we have sub-committees led by block leaders which help us in engaging members that are practicing behaviours that could aid disaster.
“Currently, we have seen community members holding routine clearing of drains and are also policing each other to stop members from throwing wastes in drains which can cause poor drainage,” said Chiumia.
While applauding the project for providing funds for renovation of some old drains in the wards, Chiumia appealed for more support for construction of additional drains for easy sustainability of check dams.
“Through the project, we have been provided with funds to construct check dams along our roads to help reduce runoff which in turn reduces flash floods in our township. However, the effectiveness of these check dams is compromised because most of them are constructed in roads with no proper drains,” he said.
A member of Disaster Grievance Redress Committee for the two wards, Charles Gondwe, said since the project established the committees and trained them, people have understood the importance of working together to avert disasters.
Mzuzu City Disaster Risk Management Officer, Precious Mandala, said since the community structures began working on their disaster preparedness work plans, response to disaster in the area has improved.
“Training and establishment of these structures has helped reduced pressure on the council as they are able to develop their own disaster preparedness work plans and resolve disaster related grievances.
“Each year, the two wards have been having a minimum of 30 households being affected but this year, we have seen the figure decreasing because apart from persuading households to move out of disaster prone areas before disasters, the structures are also able to make assessments and provide assistance before the council comes in,” said Mandala.
The project is also being implemented in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Zomba.
In Mzuzu, the project is implemented in Mchengautuwa West and East, Zolozolo West and Nkhorongo Wards.
Iceland to expand social services to a third district
By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa
Lilongwe, May 23, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera says plans are underway for the Government of Iceland to expand the Basic Social Services Program (BSSP) it is implementing in Malawi to a third district.
He was speaking at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday during a joint press briefing held at the end of a five-day official visit to Malawi by the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson.
Chakwera recalled that last year his government signed a partnership financing agreement to implement the Nkhotakota Basic Social Services Program (KKBSP) with the government of Iceland which is implementing a similar program in Mangochi.
“I have appealed to the Prime Minister to expand the program, and I am happy to report that plans are underway to mutually identify a third district where Iceland can implement the Basic Social Services Program in line with the Malawi 2063,” he said.
The President hailed the cordial relationship that has existed between Malawi and Iceland for 35 years, describing it as fruitful.
He said he invited the Prime Minister to Malawi to personally express his profound appreciation and that of this government and the people of Malawi, for the unwavering support that Iceland has provided to Malawi, and also to commemorate together the 35 years of fruitful and development cooperation between the two countries.
“Thirdly, I wanted him to see for himself the tremendous impact that the money from the taxpayers of Iceland is making in Malawi as a result of the unique and targeted approach that his country adopted in Malawi which receives more development support than any other country,” he said.
Benediktsson said he was pleased to see the tangible results of his government joint cooperation with Malawi, and pledged to expand the services to a third district.
He said his government is committed to continue supporting Malawi’s development efforts in various areas such as health, education and water and sanitation, among others, conditioned on continued accountability.
During his visit, Benediktsson, who arrived on May 19 May, 2024 through Kamuzu International Airport visited Koche Primary School and Mangochi District Maternity wing which are some of the projects supported by his government.
NICE drills councilors, committees on oversight roles
By Beni Bamusi
Thyolo, May 23, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust has trained ward committee members, councilors and neighborhood committee representatives within Luchenza Municipality in Thyolo on their oversight roles over various development activities.
Speaking during the training on Wednesday, Thyolo NICE Trust Programme Officer, Moses Kaunda, said the Trust organized the training as various committees had just been constituted and lacked knowledge and skills on how to perform their oversight roles on issues of council development projects and financial management.
“The ward committees are development structures and are crucial in grassroots development plans. We believe they have been empowered on how to execute their roles in the communities. We hope they will enhance engagement with the council and other elected leaders on development activities,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the training will improve revenue collection, saying the ward committee acts as a link between communities and service providers.
The meeting also discussed importance of the municipal council generating revenue form taxes, fees and rates from traders and residents within Luchenza.
“Luchenza heavily relies on revenue collection from the people doing business and from bus depot fees. Knowledge about revenue collection is, therefore, crucial. We believe that ward committees will be on the forefront encouraging people to pay taxes, fees and rates.
"Experience has shown that people, at times, frustrate payment of city rates and we believe that these people will trickle down the message and influence people to pay taxes” he said.
Luchenza Municipal Council Chief Executive Officer, McPhine Mzumara, expressed gratitude to NICE for organizing the training saying it will build the capacity of the ward committees to deliver on their roles and mandates.
Mzumara said the committees understanding on how the municipality generates revenue will help in influencing traders and residents to pay their dues to the council for effective service delivery.
“We also believe that knowledge imparted will assist the ward committee to decide on activities that reflect development needs of the areas they represent,” he said.
Mapanga Ward Councilor, Wyson Movilikana, said the meeting provided knowledge on roles of Members of Parliament (MPs), ward councilors and ward committees.
He observed that there were interferences on the roles of MPs, ward councilors and ward committees which mostly result into conflicts among the three.
He pledged to engage ward committee members and community members so that they are aware of their roles in developing Luchenza Municipal Council.
Luchenza which has eight wards was declared a Municipal Council on April 10, 2010.
UNFPA promises continued support to Fistula program in Malawi
By Elia Chibwe
Lilongwe, May 22, Mana: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reassured Malawi Government, through Ministry of Health and the Fistula Repair Centre, in addressing fistula issues in the country.
UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Lydia Zigomo, made the remarks in Lilongwe on Wednesday during a press briefing after visiting different sections of Freedom for Fistula Centre at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe.
The visit was aimed at discussing ways of addressing fistula in Malawi.
"We were talking to some survivors of fistula as well as those waiting to have their surgeries. We also discussed how we can address fistula in Malawi. We believe that fistula can be solved and we can prevent young girls and women from suffering from fistula," Zigomo said.
She said UNFPA is relentlessly assisting Malawi and will continue supporting government to end fistula among Malawian women by raising awareness among communities.
She, therefore, appealed to young ladies to remain in schools until their bodies have developed properly saying this can reduce resources required for treating the disease.
Country Director for Fistula Centre, Magret Moyo, applauded UNFPA for the strong partnership which exists between Freedom for Fistula Foundation and UNFPA.
"We are grateful for the visit and we don't take it for granted. You are supporting us by complementing our efforts; a lot of patients have benefited," she said.
About 300 to 350 women annually are repaired at the facility.
According to Moyo, the facility doesn’t just do physical repairs but also rehabilitate and reintegrate women back into the society and empowers them economically.
As part of social reintegration, the facility has received 50 sewing machines from UNFPA.
Director of Reproductive Health, Doreen Namagetsi Ali, said the visit was crucial as it has acceded an opportunity to witnessed progress Ministry of Health.
Freedom for Fistula Foundation is a Scottish charity organization which has been in Malawi since 2010.
Malawi committed to partnership with Iceland
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, May 22, Mana: Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima has described the partnership with Iceland as important in the development of the country.
Chilima was speaking Wednesday evening at Kumbali Castle in Lilongwe, when he hosted the visiting Prime Minister of Iceland, during the commemoration of 35 years of collaboration between Malawi and Iceland.
He said, Malawi is committed to strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations highlighting that Iceland has remained dedicated in helping Malawi even in times of natural disasters.
“Malawi is cordial to the partnership. We have benefited immensely towards socio-economic development; basic social services have been greatly enhanced, transforming many lives through improvement in health infrastructure, access to education, agriculture and gender equality,” said Chilima.
Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson, said his country cherishes the relationship which has been there for the past 35 years saying it has fostered a level of honesty and openness between the two nations which has helped to strengthen bilateral relations.
“It has been a pleasure visiting Malawi and my gratitude should go to President Dr Lazarus Chakwera and his administration for the work they are doing in the country; it is really transforming lives of people,” he said.
He, therefore, pledged for his country’s continued support to Malawi.
Currently, Iceland is supporting Mangochi District and intends to replicate the same to Nkhotakota District.
Malawi and Iceland relations started 1989 through the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA).
263 youths graduate from agro-food processing course in Mchinji
By Vincent Khonje
Mchinji, May 22, Mana: About 263 youths have graduated from an agro-food processing course at the Nkhwazi Community Skills Development Centre (CSDC) in Mchinji as part of equipping rural youth with essential skills for the agribusiness sector.
Implemented under the informal sector, the agro-food processing course targeted both literate and illiterate rural youth and was supported by GOPA-AFC under the GIZ EYA! ATVET youth employment project.
Assistant Registrar in the Ministry of Labour's Department of Technical and Vocational Training, Anderson Balaka, expressed his admiration for the graduates.
"It is impressive to see these students graduating, which signifies that they will, one day, be able to stand alone.
"For the country to develop, there is need for a lot of skilled labour and the ministry is committed to establishing many skills centres to reach more youths,” he said.
GIZ EYA! ATVET's Youth Skills Development Advisor, Ackim Kress, elaborated on the importance of community-based initiatives in driving change and development.
"We believe that change and development start in the communities, and over 50 percent of the population are youth,” he said.
Kress added that as the project comes to an end this year, they have already trained over 6,000 youths in the country in agribusiness courses.
One of the graduates, Chancy Elisa from Traditional Authority Mavwere was happy to have come out with skills.
"I am impressed with the course as we have learned how to make different kinds of food. The skills I have acquired will help me in establishing a business and becoming self-reliant,” said Elisa.
Nkhwazi CSDC, besides the Agro-food Processing course, also offers vocational training in fashion and design, carpentry and joinery, tailoring, and electrical work.
MP condemns encroachment of public land
By Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, May 22, Mana: Member of Parliament (MP)for Lilongwe Msozi North, Sosten Gwengwe has condemned the tendency by some community members that encroach into public land such as schools and hospitals.
Gwengwe who is also Minister of Trade and Industry made the remarks Tuesday at Chadza Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Lilongwe during the ground breaking ceremony of the construction of ICT lab at the school.
He said that, “As community members, we need to have proper development plans for any development project that government is implementing in our area.
“We need to have enough land for the expansion of projects such as schools or hospital. Any encroachment to government institutions across the country, should not be tolerated.”
Gwengwe thanked Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) for the Connect a School (CAS) project saying it would assist in increasing access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services among the students in rural communities.
“Malawi will never develop, up until we put much emphasis on human capital development. We need young people with various skills so that they are able to participate in the development of this nation and ICT skill is one of such important component,” he said.
Group Village-Head Chadza thanked government for the different development projects that are being implemented in their area.
He asked parents to continue teaching their children good morals, saying it was sad that students continue vandalizing government property in schools.
Head-boy for Chadza CDSS, Windrose Zuzera thanked government for the initiative saying it would give them huge opportunity to access information for their studies on internet.
“We have a huge problem of internet here. We do not have internet towers and whenever we want to be on internet, we go to nearby mountain where we access internet which is time consuming. But with the coming in of this ICT lab, it will minimize the challenges we have been facing,” he said.
MACRA will construct computer labs in 75 secondary schools of which 73 are CDSS, one national secondary school and one primary school with funding from MACRA's Universal Social Services Fund.
Secondary school visits mushroom farm for hands-on experience
By Amos Chigwa
Mchinji, May 21, Mana: In an effort to promote hands-on learning and sustainability, Fair View (PVT) Secondary School in Mchinji District visited Naomi Mushroom Farm for a unique educational experience.
This education visit offered students an opportunity to learn about the life cycle of mushrooms, from spore dispersal to harvesting.
Speaking after the visit, an Agriculture teacher for Fair View Secondary School, Nephtari Phiri, expressed the need of the visit.
“The visit was a great way to bring our science curriculum to life. Our curriculum as a country is vital as long as economic development is concerned and if it can be properly delivered to the students, unemployment and other economic challenges can be the story of the past because our curriculum incorporates entrepreneurship that equip students with skills to start their own businesses,” said Phiri.
Phiri added that it is high time schools should invest more in hands-on learning so that students may benefit even if they cannot go further with their education.
Mphatso Edward, a form three student at the school expressed gratitude after the visit.
“I have learnt a lot from this education visit, among other things I have learnt how to grow mushrooms. As a girl I have been motivated and I am ready to establish my own mushroom farm with the help from my parents and well-wishers,” said Edward.
She added that, in her community, there are a lot of girls of her age who did not go further with their education and she will share with them what she has gained so girls can be empowered and remove themselves from the bondage of poverty.
Students were given guided tour of the farm, where they learnt different types of mushrooms grown and also participated in hands-on activities such as planting mushroom spores, taking care and how to harvest them.
