By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, September 9, Mana: Farmers in Balaka district have hailed Climate Smart Public Works Programme (CS-PWP) for speeding up the restoration of degraded land in the targeted 20 catchment areas.

The observation was made on Monday when the district council conducted media tour to some of the catchment areas such as Traditional Authorities (TA) Kachenga, Nsamala and Nkaya.

One of the farmers from Kumtumbwe catchment area in T/A Kachenga, Frank Zagwa, said the initiative apart from empowering over 28,000 households financially, has enabled farmers to adopt modern farming practices which he described as a game changer in farming.

"Before this programme, I was failing to harvest more yields because my land is located in the steep area, all the rain water could just pass down to the stream leaving no proper infiltration," said Zagwa.

Chairperson for Dzalimwe Catchment Management Committee (CMC) in TA Nkaya, Alinafe Dingaliro, also shared similar sentiments saying through collective effort, farmers are able to conserve the forests and restore fertility in their fields.

"Apart from farmers constructing Swales, Check dams, stone bands in their fields and restoring the forests, they also get MK38, 000 per cycle of this programme as part of motivating them to embrace the programme’s values," she said.

In his remarks, Director of Planning and Development (DPD) for Balaka District Council, Chris Nawata said, the initiative is aimed at empowering communities in the district to embrace climate resilience and modern farming practices considering the dry spells that occur in the district.

"Currently we have just finished the second cycle of this programme and we have witnessed high level of ownership among the communities," he said.

In Balaka, CS-PWP was implemented in 2021 by the government of Malawi with funding from World Bank.

By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, September 9, Mana: Catherine Gotani Hara, First Vice President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), stated that the government remains committed to prioritizing durable, high-quality projects across the country.

Hara, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly was speaking recently during a rally at Misuku Primary School Ground in Chitipa.

Hara said that President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is interested in promoting prudent resource utilization so that structures reflect value of invested resources.

“Rumphi-Bolero Road which had tarmac but now it is in tatters likewise Karonga- Chitipa Road is now infested with potholes. This only shows that quality was compromised during its construction.

“You might think that we are delaying in implementing some projects, however this is so because we want to have structures of high quality and standard,” said Hara.

She then sited M1 Road that is under rehabilitation, saying thus the standard quality that government is promoting in all roads construction projects.

"If we can achieve that level of road quality even in rural areas like Misuku, it means the government won’t need to waste development partners' resources on repairs before the roads reach the end of their lifespan," she said.

Member of Parliament for Chitipa East, Kezzie Msukwa urge government to hasten the construction of Kapoka - Kalenge Road which becomes impassable during rainy season.

Senior Chief Mwenemisuku applauded government for developmental projects taking place in the district citing among others, the construction of Tchuwa Secondary School which he said has changed the face of the area besides improving access to education.

He then asked Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi to consider connecting electricity at the newly built school as one way of promoting quality and inclusive education in the district.

By Robert Nayeja

Nsanje, September 9, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has commissioned the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) phase 9 on Monday in the area of Group Village Nguluwe under Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje District.

Nsanje district has 13 sites under MAREP phase 9.

Speaking during a whistle stop at Sorjin Trading Centre, Chakwera assured communities of government's commitment towards promoting development in the country.

"There are so many development projects taking place including a huge development project in Lower Shire, called Shire Valley Transformation Project," Chakwera said.

Commenting on the issue of food security, Chakwera assured people in Nsanje that maize will be available in all Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) depots starting this week.

President Chakwera said he has also directed the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) to continue providing food assistance to those that cannot afford to buy.

He, therefore, challenged communities that everyone is entitled to access business loans at the National Economic Empowerment Fund.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsanje Lalanje, Gladys Ganda hailed the president for implementing developments projects across the country regardless of people's political affiliation in specific areas.

"You gave us electricity in two sites without regard to my political inclination as an opposition MP. There is a lot that your government is doing in my constituency. You are a president of the nation," said Ganda.

Senior Chief Chimombo said the current administration has implemented development activities that will change the face of the district.

"You have implemented a lot of developments during your term. And we are very grateful. Some people will appreciate your dedication towards development when you leave office in 2030," said Chimombo.

Senior Chief Chimombo also appealed to government to swiftly provide food assistance to households that are food insecure.

By Leah Malimbasa

Chikwawa, September 9, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and the First Lady, Madame Monica Chakwera have on Monday toured A.R. Issa's Private Cattle Ranch in the Lower Shire district of Chikwawa.

President Chakwera praised the role of private sector investments in enhancing the country's socio-economic growth.

As a gesture of appreciation, Rashid Issa, the owner of the ranch, which has about 5,000 cattle, presented a gift of a cow to the President for taking time to visit the livestock farm.

After the tour of the ranch, President Chakwera proceeded to Nguluwe village in Nsanje district, where he is expected to power on the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP).

Later in the day, the Malawian leader will also have a discussion with primary education advisors from Chikwawa and Nsanje before interacting with the business community from Chikwawa district at Nchalo Sports Club.

By Joseph Mtendere Ligowe

Blantyre, September 9, Mana: St Mathews Anglican Church on Saturday held a youth seminar at Canon John Parslow hall in Blantyre under the theme ‘Raising the generation of achievers’.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA) in an interview, Youth Development Chairperson Gerald Pete said that the seminar was about equipping the youths with tools that would help them to withstand what life will throw at them.

“The youths still have a full life ahead of them. It is important to instill life values and principles in them whilst they are still young so that they do not depart from it when they get older,” said Pete.

He also added that parents always want to see their children doing better in life not necessarily being rich but by making better life choices and being able withstand life’s pressure.

A youth participant at the seminar, Tadala Manda said that the engagement was catchy and interesting.

“This has been a fruitful seminar. It was so involving and we have learnt different skills on how to cope with life challenges, entrepreneurship skills, life choices as well as leadership skills,” she said.

Manda therefore hailed the organizers for the beautiful event saying it has been a massive and much engaging meeting.

By Lisa Lamya

Blantyre, September 8, Mana: As part of developing sports in Chirimba Township in Blantyre City, Vice President Dr. Michael Usi has donated football sports kits to teams in the Chirimba Top 8 Bonanza.

After handing over the kits, Usi braved the scorching heat to watch a match between Namatete Select and Mayera Select.

Namatete won the match with two goals to one and went home with a trophy and K500,000, although Mayera lost, they also pocketed K500,000, and another team that competed in the bonanza Chirimba Select received K500,000.

For Namatete, Mikoni Butawo and Seba Losi scored the two goals whereas Israel Chizulo scored for Mayera.

“I want to develop sports from the grassroots level and ensure young people stay productive. Other world-class players like Sadio Mane also started from the bottom so people should not despise humble beginnings,” Usi said.

In his remarks, Deputy Mayor for Blantyre City Council, Isaac Jomo Osman commended Usi for promoting sports, saying people earn a living through the discipline.

“Myself as a sports enthusiast, this is so encouraging and I would like to appeal the Vice President to ensure this continues because most young people do not have things to do, but through sports, they can develop,” Osman said.

Osman also pledged to pick some outstanding players and give them a platform to showcase their skills at Ntopwa Football club.

Councillor for Michiru Ward, Uche Selassie Yesaya also applauded Usi for donating sports equipment to the teams, saying this will motivate them.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, September 8, Mana: In the flat lands of Nyungwe in the lakeshore district of Karonga, 68-year-old Baija Manda lives in makeshift structure together with his wife, seven children and three grandchildren, about 10 metres from the notorious Wovwe River.

He recalls one bad night in February when a crashing sound woke him up from sleep.

“We were asleep as a family and we heard a crashing noise, then a sharp cry from one of the children.

“When I woke up, I couldn’t locate the door, it was blocked by debris. The house had fallen down,” he says.

The injured child was rushed to the hospital and the rest of the family sought refuge at a nearby school which would later become their ‘home’ for three months.

“This [Wovwe] river used to pass some 200 metres away from here until this year in February when it got mad, creating itself new pathways felling houses along the way,” Manda says.

Heavy rains in both Chitipa and Karonga created a fierce runoff that flooded Tilora, Chimbilili and Hara streams forcing them to converge, creating a large pool that drained into Wovwe River, which then broke its banks causing pandemonium down in the lakeshore communities.

The raging waters swept away crop fields, livestock and household items including blankets, utensils and food leaving the communities destitute.

They also changed the river course, bringing it to within five metres from where used to be Manda’s house and about 10 metres from where he has now erected a makeshift structure that houses the family.

It is September and elsewhere, most rivers have dried up, but Wovwe is still running with rage, still posing a threat to the family.

“This structure is unsafe as it exposes us to various biting crawling creatures. At the same time, there is no privacy as it has no proper room demarcations,” Manda says.

He is one of the 724 victims in the district who received cash transfers from the Red Cross Society of Malawi to help them rebuild their lives after a three month stay at a camp.

However, the rebuilding process has been slow as the money they received is long exhausted.

“As much as we are thankful for the support we received form Red Cross during this disaster, we still have many challenges.

“For instance, we have moulded bricks, bought iron sheets but there is no money to employ bricklayers to help with construction. We do not have money for cement, let alone planks for roofing,” Manda says.

Another victim, Alantos Mzumala concurs with Manda saying there are more gaps begging for assistance in the course of rebuilding the victim’s lives.

“Some of us have bought land in upland but we don’t have money to start constructing houses.

“Others have bricks ready but lack other resources. It’s a mix bag, but the common challenge is that we cannot rebuild if we are not supported further,” Mzumala says.

He fears the approaching rain season would unleash hell and pile more pressure on the families which are already bushed so far.

“The floods left us with nothing. We lost food, we lost crops in the field. We lost everything in the houses. The only thing we were left with is life.

“Despite the support we received from Red Cross and other organisations including government, the rebuilding process has been slow because there are still many things that are lacking,” he says.

Disaster Risk Management Officer for Karonga District Council, Humphrey Magalasi says Karonga as one of the most disaster prone districts in the northern region perennially experiences flooding, strong winds, drought and outbreaks like cholera.

He says in the 2023/2024 rainfall season, the district received a lot of rains causing flooding from January up to April, affecting 3 500 households.

“But we received overwhelming support from government and stakeholders both within and outside the district including the Red Cross Society.

“With Red Cross we planned and worked together throughout the process from assessment to the actual response whereby the most affected household were given K250 000 for shelter and K150 000 for livelihood support. They had to have a starting point,” Magalasi says.

As part of the Disaster Risk Management Committee and co-lead in shelter and camp management, Red Cross has been a key actor, mobilising both food and non-food support for the victims.

Louis Tobias Solomon is the Emergency Operations Coordinator for the Malawi Red Cross Society and says it is pleasing that the flood victims have put the money they received to good use.

“Malawi Red Cross in its mandate as an auxiliary to the public authority, worked hand in hand with government to do preliminary assessments of the flooding that occurred this year and the findings revealed that Karonga, Nkhotakota, Kasungu and Lilongwe districts were the districts that were heavily affected.

“We lobbied support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) for funding and we got K971 million through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF),” Solomon explains.

He says the humanitarian society only targeted those that had their houses totally destroyed so that they rebuild their homes.

The DREF aimed at providing indirect support to 12,375 people and direct support to 3,000 people in Nkhotakota, Karonga, Kasungu and Lilongwe districts for a consecutive period of three months.

Specifically, the intervention planned to provide immediate livelihood support through cash transfers and strengthening community resilience through promotion of livelihood and risk reduction activities to protect productive assets of the targeted households in the four districts.

About 5,000 people have been reached directly while over 200 000 people have been reached indirectly through awareness campaigns on cholera, disaster preparedness and prevention of gender based violence.

At least 600 households received K400 000 each for shelter rehabilitation and basic needs while 400 families received K150 000 for basic needs. 

The humanitarian society also supported the district health offices to deliver essential health items like chlorine and other supplies and facilitated health outreach clinics in hard to reach areas

“We came up with a comprehensive package so that the households are also given some support through sanitary items like soap, sleeping mats and blankets to reduce their suffering apart from the cash transfers,” Solomon says.

He says most of the beneficiaries were those in the lakeshore districts of Karonga and Nkhotakota because there was more destruction than in Kasungu and Lilongwe.

“I’m happy to see that most the communities we targeted have used their money for intended purposes, they are rebuilding their houses,” he says.

On his part, Head of Disaster Management at Malawi Red Cross Society, Patrick Phiri, expresses gratitude to the IFRC and other funders for their quick response towards the crisis that disrupted the social economic lives for thousands.

“We are also grateful to the Malawi Government, Danish, Swiss and Icelandic Red Cross, corporate organisations and various individuals for their support which made us provide good response.

“We work closely with the Department of Disaster Management Affairs and other humanitarian players on the ground because we value coordination and we look forward to further collaboration and assistance from them,” he says.  

Nevertheless, Village Head Kayaghala 2 of Nyungwe whose community was heavily hit says more needs to be done at least before the next rain season comes so that the victim’s lives are fully brought to normalcy.

By Lekereni Chinkhota

Salima, September 8, Mana: Learners who have been selected to start secondary education from Salima North West constituency were in jovial mood after Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Enock Phale awarded them with financial assistance and school materials.

Speaking on Saturday during a sendoff ceremony organized for 34 learners who have been selected to national and district secondary schools, in the area of Senior Chief Khombedza, Phale committed to support the learners to excel well with their education.

He said it is unfortunate seeing bright learners failing to further their education to Secondary school due to financial challenges.

“I organized this function in liaison with my friends to award these learners who have made it to various secondary schools from my constituency. We are giving out gifts for them to start with, as they go to secondary school,” he said.

He added: “I want to empower and motivate the learners to continue working hard so that others should emulate the same energy. This financial support will cover the whole form one school fees for some.” He said.

Phale said the money has been divided into tranches for accountability purposes so that their parents should use to support the learners accordingly.

To show excitement about Phale's gesture, Deputy Head Teacher at Matenje Community Day Secondary School Solomon Nkhoma commended the support that has been rendered to the learners citing that it will motivate them to aim higher and chase their dreams.

“These events help students achieve their goals because it is a stepping stone for most of the students who are coming from typical villages where they had no access to such information and motivational talks. They have understood what they are going to do at secondary school.” He said.

On her part, Bridget Khezonga who has been selected to Lilongwe Girls Secondary School said the support she has received will help her settle down and never worry about anything as she commences her secondary education.

“This assistance will help me to work extra harder and I am grateful to honourable Phale and his friends for giving me this huge assistance that will brighten my secondary education. I am also grateful to my parents, God and everybody who had faith in me so that I can achieve my dreams.” she said.

Hope Sopo, who has been selected to Dedza government secondary school, said the support is timely citing that many learners from the area come from poor families who would not manage to get all secondary school needs on their own as the opening day draws closer.

“This assistance will help me to work hard in my education because I will lack nothing to achieve my dreams. I am urging people who have supported us to go and assist others as well so that many learners should get motivated through such assistance.” he said.

To spice up the event, Phale brought role models from the police, Malawi Defense Forces, Education and Salima District Hospital to motivate and inspire the learners.

Phale plans to institute the role modelling programme as a permanent tool to motivate and inspire the learners in the district.

Four learners who made it to national secondary schools of Lilongwe girls, Dedza government, Mzuzu government and Malosa have walked away with K1 million each as a startup for their secondary education with another K1 Million left to be given later.