By Yamikani Yapuwa

Thyolo, September 13, Mana: Acting Director of Environment and Natural Resources for Thyolo District Council Mirriam Yona said orienting participants of the Climate Smart Public Works Programme (CSPWP) on Environmental and Social Safeguards needs to be taken seriously, as it is a crucial step towards having an effective and sustainable project.

Yona said this on Thursday on the sidelines of orientation meetings taking place across the 18 catchments where the programme is being implemented in the district.

"The safeguards are essential to ensuring that the projects are not only effective but also sustainable and respectful of the communities and environments in which they are implemented”, said Yona.

Yona noted that adherence to environmental and social safeguards helps prevent unintended harm to natural ecosystems and local communities.

 "We are dealing with climate-smart initiatives that aim to address issues such as soil erosion, deforestation, and water conservation. Without proper knowledge and application of safeguards, these projects could inadvertently cause environmental degradation or disrupt community livelihoods.

"The orientation equips participants with the necessary tools to identify potential risks and implement measures to mitigate them," Yona said.

She stressed that integrating these safeguards is not just a compliance measure but a commitment to sustainable development that benefits all stakeholders.

Furthermore, Yona pointed out that understanding environmental and social safeguards fosters a sense of accountability and responsibility among participants.

"Our goal is to empower communities to take charge of their own development in a way that is environmentally conscious and socially inclusive. By orienting participants on these safeguards, we are ensuring that they are well-prepared to make decisions that protect the environment and respect the social fabric of the communities they serve.

"This not only enhances the effectiveness of the Climate Smart Public Works Programme but also promotes resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change”, she concluded.

The Chairperson for Namileme Catchment Dickson Manyenje described the orientation as important based on past experiences.

“Last cycle, we had instances where people incurred injuries, especially when making stone bunds because they were not adequately prepared or aware of the risks involved.

“This early orientation on environmental and social safeguards is not just about protecting our surroundings, but also about ensuring the safety and well-being of the people involved in these projects," said Manyenje.

He said that by equipping participants with the right knowledge and safety measures from the start, such incidents can be minimised and ensure a smoother, safer implementation of the projects.

He underscored that early education and awareness are key to empowering communities to carry out their work responsibly and safely, ultimately leading to more successful outcomes.

The CSPWP is being implemented in 18 Catchments in the district with funding from the World Bank benefiting close to 20,000 households.

By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, September 12, Mana: Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) has stated that the alarming suicide cases among men in Malawi are due to the stereotypes that the society holds towards men’s mental health.

Gender Rights Activist at MEGEN, Marcel Chisi said in an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, that women have more suicidal thoughts. Still, the actual people who commit suicide are men simply because there are no spaces and avenues to express themselves in society.

“Women have more forums or platforms where they can communicate their problems. As a result, they seek honest opinions from others. On the other hand, men's forums are not useful as they do not offer meaningful alternatives. Additionally, men are not supportive to each other, which leads to more suicidal thoughts among men as many of them opt to suffer in silence rather than sharing their problems with others,” he disclosed.

Chisi added that MEGEN together with Malawi Human Rights Commission is taking various initiatives to ensure men feel heard to improve their mental health.

He further explained that MEGEN has sections in different communities that provide psychosocial support and mental health therapy to assist people struggling with mental health issues, through teaching young men and grown men to cope with various shocks that they are facing in life.

Bamusi Matiki from Mpemba in Traditional Authority Nsomba in Blantyre also pointed out that it is only women who are heard when they report any case of abuse and not men.

“We do not disclose our problems to our mates or report anything to the police because we see that we will not be helped in any form. We would rather go to bawo places or a bar to forget everything,” he said.

According to a report released by the Malawi Police Service recently, 246 men and 35 women have taken their own lives from January to June this year, marking male domestic abuse, financial hardships, broken relationships, and drug abuse as contributing factors to rising cases of suicide in the country.

By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, September 11, Mana: The Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance has called on stakeholders to take proactive steps in supporting people living with NCDs, particularly during natural disasters like floods and cyclones.

Speaking during a stakeholders' meeting on Wednesday at Edge Water Court in Lilongwe, NCD Alliance Chairperson, Moda Mwakasungura highlighted challenges faced by NCD patients during Cyclone Freddy in 2023.

“We observed during Cyclone Freddy that many of our clients, especially those living with NCDs, struggled to access care and medication. Our discussion now focuses on how we can ensure these individuals receive care if such calamities happen again,” Mwakasungura stated.

Mwakasungura also emphasized the importance of raising awareness on road safety, particularly for kabaza (motorcycle taxi) riders, as accidents have been on the rise.

“By working with the Riders for Health Association, we aim to intensify safety awareness among kabaza riders to reduce accidents,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dingani Mithi of the NCD Alliance advocated for healthier lifestyles to combat rising NCD cases.

“As the NCD Alliance, we are pushing for lifestyle changes that reduce risk factors like unhealthy diets, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical inactivity. However, progress has been slow since the introduction of the National Alcohol Policy, with unregulated alcohol brewing still prevalent,” Mithi said.

Cyclone Freddy left many displaced in 2023, with people suffering from severe health conditions unable to access proper medical care, which led to complications.

By Rosalia Kapiri

Lilongwe, September 12, Mana: Ministry of Trade and Industry Principle Secretary, Christina Zakeyo has emphasized the importance of increasing Fairtrade Africa (FTA) producers in Malawi to promote industrialization and boost the country's economy.

She spoke on Thursday during Malawi's Fairtrade Day celebration at the Capital Hotel in Lilongwe.

Established in 2005, Fairtrade Africa is a non-governmental organization championing the voice of all FTA certified producers across the continent.

Zakeyo noted that, as one of the 33 African countries registered with Fairtrade Africa, Malawi stands to gain significantly in terms of economic development, particularly through increased foreign exchange earnings.

"Fairtrade Africa has been an invaluable partner in supporting our agricultural sector, ensuring that our farmers and workers receive fair treatment and fair prices for their produce.

"We need to have more registered companies with Fairtrade. I am confident that the recently certified producers, NASFAM for groundnuts and HIMACUL for macadamia, will further diversify our Fairtrade product portfolio and open new market opportunities for our farmers," Zakeyo said.

Fairtrade Africa's Head of Southern Africa Network, Zinhle Ndlovu, commended Malawi's progress with Fairtrade.

"Previously, Malawi had five producers under Fairtrade; now there are eight. This shows improvement and indicates there is potential for further growth. Malawi can achieve even more," Ndlovu observed.

Currently, Malawian Fairtrade producers are exporting products such as tea, macadamia, sugar, and peanuts.

By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, September 12, Mana: Blantyre District Environmental Health Officer, Innocent Mvula, has expressed gratitude over Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project saying involvement   of 33 Mother Care Groups as mobilisers has contributed to improved child vaccine coverage in the district.

Mvula told Malawi News Agency (MANA) this week that vaccine coverage in under five children has greatly improved with almost 89 percent compared to years before Mother Care Groups were taken on board.

He added that the district used to register 79 percent before the Health Strengthening Immunization System Project was introduced with Malawi Equity Health Network (MEHN) as lead partner.

“Mother Care Groups are able to mobilize resources to boost immunization coverage here in Blantyre. As such, we are working with them as our link with the communities.

“Before the groups were taken in, we had a lot of challenges like; follow-up of zero-dose children and lack of community advocacy on vaccine and Immunization,” he said, adding that communities are largely participating in immunization following mother care groups’ active engagement on issues of child health.

He, therefore, encouraged communities to embrace child vaccine and immunization to promote child health and further called on stakeholders in the health sector to invest more in Mother Care Groups, saying they are key to vaccine coverage.

Vice Chairperson of Mpendekera Mother Care Group, Maria Ligawo, of Traditional Authority (TA) Lundu in Blantyre said the care group play an active role in working with health workers in providing vaccine to many children than before.

“Before our involvement in child vaccination, most children got sick very often and most women used to spend three days in hospital with sick children. Our group mobilizes families to vaccinate their under five children,” said Ligawo who expressed satisfaction with increased number of children that access vaccine in her area following intensified community mobilization.

She, however, mentioned lack of reliable mode of transportation to reach every under five child and lack of necessary tools such as vaccine storage boxes as limiting factors that needs to be addressed by health authorities and partners.

Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project is being implemented in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Mzimba South, Mzimba North and Chitipa by MHEN through Ministry of Healthy and other partners with funding from GAVI amounting to US$ 3 million.

MHEN is an independent alliance of organizations and individuals that seeks promote equity and quality health for all in Malawi.    

By Moses Nyirenda

Lilongwe, September 12, Mana: Focus on Ability Society (FOAS) says will host its 8^th film festival dubbed ‘Focus on Ability Short Film Festival’ at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe on September 22, 2024.

This comes after the organization has been conducting similar festivals for the past seven years in Blantyre district.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, FOAS Executive Director, MacDonald Nyirenda, confirmed the development saying the upcoming event will feature awards and film screening among other activities.

“We are going to award four winners; that is to say one best film, one best documentary, two best persons with ability who are people with disability.

“We will also screen some top films including a documentary by Australian High Commission and will also have performances by school children with disability from different schools and organizations in Lilongwe,” Nyirenda said.

He added that, uniquely they have also invited the St John of God professionals that will provide mental health talks and counseling during the short film festival.

FOAS adopted the short film festival in 2017 in which filmmakers from Malawi submit their short films and documentaries showcasing abilities and achievements of people with disability in Malawi.

Through online voting and judges, choice filmmakers and people with disability featured in the films win prize money ranging from US$250 (about K400,000) to US$500 (about K800,000) at national level and US$5,000 (about K8 million) at international level.

According to Nyirenda, with the festival, his organization intends to promote inclusivity in communities in the country.

“We want to achieve an inclusive society where people with disability are included in community and national development,” he said.

He urged the public to patronize the free short film festival in their large numbers and also appealed to well-wishers including government for support towards the film festival.

“We are inviting the public to reserve their seats to attend this free entry and lunch event to get inspired by the amazing abilities of people with disability,” he explained.

One of the Lilongwe based filmmakers, Philmon Kuipa, commended FOAS for deciding to host its short film festival in Lilongwe saying this will help filmmakers from central region to easily patronize the festival.

FOAS has organized the festival with support from NOVA Employment and the Australian High Commission in Harare.

By Lisa Lamya

Blantyre, September 12, Mana: At least 26,000 rural households in Mulanje have gained financial literacy and agriculture expertise from the “Strengthening Systems for Financial Inclusion in Rural Malawi project surpassing the initial 24,000 targeted households.

This was disclosed Wednesday in Mulanje when implementers of the project, Opportunity International Malawi held an end-of-project learning workshop.

OIM Country Director, Richard Chongo, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) in an interview that the project has exceeded their expectations and they are pleased with the impact made in the district.

"The project trained farmers in good agricultural practices, regenerative farming, and business diversification. Additionally, it linked them to financial service providers to ensure they could access necessary financial services," Chongo explained.

Beatrice Kholowa, a smallholder farmer, who is among the 80 percent of women that have benefited from the project shared her success story, highlighting how the project has transformed her farming practices.

"Through the project, I have learned that farming is diverse. In the past, I only planted maize, but now I have diversified to beans, and tomatoes, among others," said Kholowa.

She said she now earns at least K1.5 million annually from her farm produce, enabling her to cater for her family's needs.

Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Principal Secretary, Dr Nertha Semphere Mgala, commended the project’s impact on women and rural communities, particularly in improving financial literacy essential for agribusiness.

“The project worked with farming agents and other locally established structures, ensuring its sustainability,” Mgala noted.

Despite the challenges posed by Cyclones Freddy and Ana, the K3 billion project, funded by Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), achieved significant results in transforming the lives of rural farmers.

The project was implemented from September 2021 to August 2024 in Mulanje, Zomba, Nkhotakota and Dedza Districts.

By Wellington Sibale

Neno, September 12, Mana: Concerned Youth Organization (CYO) has ramped up its climate change mitigation efforts in Neno District by implementing a "Sustainable Futures: Empowering Youth in Green Economy and Resilient Livelihoods" project in the district.

Speaking Wednesday during a Climate Information Dissemination Open Day held at Neno Mission ground under the theme "Climate Information for All, Leaving No One Behind," CYO Executive Director, Harvey Chimaliro, emphasized the need for collective action to build the project sustainability.

He said the project is designed to promote sustainable management of natural resources, climate resilience and youth empowerment through training in green economy practices.

“We organized this open day to reach out to the communities in Neno district with information on how to conserve the environment,” Chimaliro said.

The project is aimed at empowering young people and includes activities such as beekeeping, waste recycling, solar installation training, tree nursery establishment and cooperative farming.

“By promoting green economy, we seek to foster employment growth and sustainable income through public and private investment in low-carbon initiatives, enhancing energy and resource efficiency while preventing biodiversity loss,” he said.

CYO also encourages afforestation by training communities to raise tree nurseries and providing them with the necessary resources.

Chimaliro, therefore, asked for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders in the district for the project to be a success.

"We can't do this alone. Stakeholder involvement is crucial to ensure environmental conservation and improve livelihoods," Chimaliro stated.

Neno District Council Chief Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Officer, Upe Museko, underscored the importance of the project for Neno, a district severely affected by climate change.

 "The project has not only raised awareness but also provided strategies to support environmental conservation," Museko said.

Chairperson for Neno District Council, Joseph Chiphaliwali, expressed the council's full support for the project especially as it targets youth often involved in environment damaging activities like charcoal burning.

"We are committed to backing any efforts aimed at preserving our environment," he affirmed.

Chairperson for Neno District Youth Network, Margret Maluwa, highlighted the benefits to the youth, noting that they are being trained in income-generating activities such as beekeeping, manure production and seedling raising.

"This initiative not only addresses climate challenges but also provides youths with a means to earn a living," she said.

CYO is also focusing on irrigation farming techniques and cooperative formation to ensure that climate change challenges are mitigated through sustainable agricultural practices.

The project, which is being funded by IM Swedish Development Partners for Southern Africa, began in April and is expected to run for five years.

This year, CYO received K126 million for its implementation targeting two districts of Blantyre and Neno.