MANAonline
Studies reveals that adolescents struggle to access SRHS
By Brighton Chimsinde
Mchinji, February 17, Mana: In separate research studies done by three students of Lilongwe University Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), findings have revealed that young people face a lot of challenges in accessing Sexual Reproductive Health Service (SRHS).
The findings were revealed when the researchers were presenting their papers at a Research Indaba organized by Girls Activist Youth Organization (GAYO), which was held on Sunday at Mchinji Community Centre Hall in Mchinji District.
In their respective presentations, their studies indicated that long distance, inadequate knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and unavailability of a youth friendly health facilities in the areas as among other challenges that prevents the adolescents to get the services.
For instance one of the researchers, Praise Lungu was Investigating factors affecting access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by young people; case study of young people in Mandible Township in Lilongwe.
Lungu said the study had 60 participants of which 3 were parents, 30 girls ranging 15 to 25 of age and 27 boys with age range of 16 to 27.
“Findings indicated that 45.8 per cent had no knowledge of SRHR. It has been established that 38 per cent of young people face a lot of challenges in accessing SRH service due to long distance and unavailability of a health facility in the area. While 60 per cent of the young people had a negative attitude like SRH services leads to lack of sexual appetite,” Lungu said.
Lungu called on the government and stakeholders to establish Youth Friendly Health Service (YFHS) centres convenient to the youth and the facilities should provide health services that the youth and adolescents need.
Ministry Health Deputy Director Responsible for Reproductive Health and Adolescent Youth Hans Katengeza assured the gathering that the ministry is committed to fill the gap.
"The ministry is committed to ease challenges that the adolescents are encountering in accessing the services. We are making progress, for instance National Statistical Office records of 2016 the uptake of reproductive health services was at 48 percent while in a recent survey we have increased the service uptake to 68 per cent. And majority of the recipients are the youth," Katengeza said.
GAYO Executive Director Richard Batch said the research findings gave them evidence that they need to advocate for improved policies and services at both the community and national levels.
“The gathering advances a cause that is not only crucial to public health but also to human dignity and the right of every young person to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights services. Our task is to break down the barriers that still stand between young people and the care, knowledge, and resources they need to excel,” Batch said.
GAYO organized the research Indaba under their project called The Sexuality Education for Transformation (SET), which aims at advancing through dialogue and research discussion.
Maskal, Eli Njuchi deliver a new love anthem
By Tikondane Vega
Lilongwe, February 17, Mana: Legendary Afro Pop/R&B singer Maskal has teamed up with contemporary singer-songwriter Eli Njuchi to dish out a sizzling love song titled “Chonchi”, which hit the airwaves on Valentine’s Day.
The track, produced, recorded and mastered by Tricky Beatz, got the two powerful vocalists and songwriters riding on a phenomenon love journey marveling their better halves.
It is the first time for the two artists to collaborate on a song and “Chonchi” is nothing but a phenomenal piece of art that brings together multi award-winning musicians of two different generations.
“I have several projects lined up. We recorded the song the time I was back home and this was the perfect time to share it with our fans being the month of love.
“Eli is a gifted young musician, someone I said I must work with the very moment I heard his music and everything just fell into place the moment we met in the studio and Tricky Beatz played us the beat, it was incredible.”
21-year-old Njuchi shares how it was working with Maskal, an artist who came into the limelight when the “Zitaye” star was only seven years old.
“It was an amazing experience, grew up listening to his music and in so many ways shaped so much in my music too. Being on a song with him, it was humbling and a great step for the New Year.
“It was a great musical connection that was around us when we met to work on the song, it was very easy to allow music to take over. Everyone was at their best, the environment enabled us to really jump on it.”
The song “Chonchi” is available on radio and online platforms among them Spotify and YouTube.
Maranatha Academy crushes Kalibu Academy
By Tikondane Vega
Lilongwe, February 17, Mana: Maranatha Academy crushes Kalibu Academy in a recent sports day, with an impressive 3-1win record.
The school also showed their skills and teamwork, taking home wins in Football Team A 1-0, Volleyball 3-1, and Basketball 38-24, although Football Team B fell short with a 7-8 loss.
Maranatha Academy, believes that education is more than just academics but also providing students with a well-rounded experience that prepares them for success in all areas of life.
The school authority said they are committed to balance books and balls.
By offering a range of extracurricular activities, the school is helping students develop new skills, make friends, and have fun.
The pictures show part of the action.
Salima targets planting 4 million trees in the 2025/26 season
By Max Mahara Medison
Salima, February 16, Mana: Salima District Council has set an ambitious target of four million trees to be planted in the 2025/2026 tree planting season, calling for support from stakeholders to achieve the target.
The council has already collaborated with M&B Company, manufacturers of Tamu-Tamu drink, in launching the tree planting season with this target of 4,000,000 trees.
Speaking on Saturday during the launch of the 2025/2026 tree planting season at Makande Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority Salima, Salima District Council chairperson Ephraim Manthepa highlighted that the collaborative effort is key in replenishing the district's vegetative cover.
"High population and careless cutting down of trees and large-scale charcoal burning in the district has hit us hard, therefore we really need to coordinate to ease some of the climatic shocks such as droughts and flooding," he said.
He said the district has lost much of its vegetative cover, which is worrisome as most parts of the land have been left bare resulting in running water and soil erosion, adding that low yield has been prevalent in most communities.
Manthepa then recommended tree planting as the best initiative for restoring the environment.
He also urged everyone in the district to take part in caring for the trees.
“We have to restore our nature. This can be done by planting a good number of trees every year, and each one of us must participate in caring for the trees,” he said.
Acting Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Adam Jason, expressed optimism that the target will be met by the end of the season.
“The initiative is going well and we are happy to say that we have managed to plant over 3.8 million trees already. This is giving us more confidence that we will meet the target of four million trees by the end of the planting season,” he said.
Jason also applauded M&B for being a trusted partner in supporting the tree planting initiatives for the past two years, and he further called for more partners in the drive.
M&B Company Manager MacCity Makhuwira highlighted the importance of vegetation to the company’s business and expressed the company's interest in ensuring that nature is restored in Salima.
“Most of the ingredients for Tamu-Tamu drink come from the vegetation. We, therefore, have joined the initiative in which we have planted 10,000 seedlings so far,” he said.
The council aims to plant more trees to ensure that nature is restored and has urged people to take on the responsibility of caring for the trees.
Youths committed to plant trees in Mchinji
By Majona Jabesi
Mchinji, February 16, Mana: Young people under Mlatho Farms and Agri-Learning Hub have reaffirmed their commitment of restoring environment by planting 50,000 trees in Mchinji district.
Speaking on Sunday at Kangwele Primary School, the organization’s Founder, Daniel Chibwe, said the initiative is part of organization’s broader environmental programme, which seeks to integrate sustainable agriculture practices into the farmer's operations and contribute positively in combating climate change.
“We are dedicated to environmental sustainability, and planting trees is one of the most effective ways to combat the effects of climate change while improving the local ecosystem.
"And as you witnessed here, there is community members including chiefs, farmers and Parent Teachers Associations (PTA). We will be working together to make sure that every tree we planted today is able to survive," Chibwe said.
Senior chief Kangwele hailed Mlatho Farms Group for the initiative by highlighting that the gesture will help to restore nature.
"It is my role to make sure that these trees are protected. For those who have livestock, we are going to advise them not to feed them here", Chief Kangwele said.
Meanwhile, Linda Dula one of the Emerging Public Leaders fellow, commended the initiative and urged more youth to be involved in the fight against climate change through tree planting.
Mlatho Farm and Agri-Learning Hub, which planted 1,000 trees at Kangwele Primary School on the day, is expecting to plant trees in several other schools and places in Mchinji District by the end of this rainy season.
144,415 households to receive cash transfers through Scalable Mechanism Safety Nets
By Memory Kutengule Chatonda
Blantyre, Feb 16, Mana: Government is set to provide top-up cash transfers to 144,415 households which are already on the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) and Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works (CS-EPWP).
The households in Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Karonga, Mwanza, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntcheu, and Thyolo districts will receive the cash transfers in the event that they are affected by climate-related shocks this year.
Speaking during a stakeholders briefing on the 2024/2025 Scalability Mechanism Safety nets over the weekend in Blantyre, National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) Social Protection Officer Mateso Kazembe observed that Malawi continues to face various types of climate-related disasters, such as floods, drought, and strong winds.
He said the events were the threats to social and economic well-being of the population and further observed that disaster occurrences make it hard for vulnerable households to recover from poverty
“We know that Malawi has a disaster risk financing strategy to provide a response to climate shocks after the disaster has occurred. There is also need for an operational mechanism to channel resources quickly and on time, especially to poor households once the disasters have struck hence, having a scalable mechanism safety net.
“This safety net targets 17 percent of the district population, with 10 percent being the beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Programme, while the rest is for participants of Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme.
“Though the scalability mechanism targets the entire district, in this 2024/2025 season, however, the targeted areas within the district will only be those that are heavily affected by the drought,” Kazembe said.
He said such places will be identified in consultation with the district council officials.
Kazembe further said the targets for the scalable mechanism for Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Karonga, Mwanza, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntcheu and Thyolo are 20,793, 17,289, 12,742, 5,754, 13,583, 12,026, 28,982 and 33,246, respectively.
He said each household is expected to receive a cash transfer of K150,000 for three months to cushion their vulnerabilities.
“These are households with elderly members above 64 years, elderly households keeping orphans, households’ heads with chronic illness, and those vulnerable households with labor capacity,” he explained, adding that the safety net programme will soon be extended to other districts across the country.
In his remarks, Director of Administration for Blantyre District Council, Redgson Mkolombwe, hailed the taskforce championing scalability mechanisms at NLGFC for briefing the council on scalability mechanisms.
He pledged the council’s commitment to work together with the central government in ensuring that the exercise is a success.
The Scalable Mechanism Safety Net is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project, commonly known as Tidzidalire.
The project, which is supported by the World Bank and Multi-Donor Trust Fund, aims to improve resilience among the poor and vulnerable population and strengthen the national platform for safety nets in Malawi.
Masidi Primary School gets a new lease of life through GESD project
By Martin Chiwanda
Machinga, February 16, Mana: Masidi Primary School in Machinga, established in 1989, has - for a long time – had challenges in providing quality child education due to among other things, inadequate infrastructure.
With an enrollment of over 800 learners, the school serves learners from six surrounding villages under Senior Chief Liwonde.
However, shortage of classrooms made teaching and learning extremely challenging as the school only had four classroom blocks.
According to the school's head teacher Ibrahim Lifa, the situation compelled learners to learn under trees and in harsh weather conditions, thereby contributing to poor performance of learners, as well as school dropouts.
“Learners were exposed to the elements, and it was almost impossible for them to focus on their studies. Lack of proper classrooms contributed significantly to poor academic performance and high dropout rate. It was heartbreaking to see learners struggling to learn in such harsh conditions.” he says.
The headteacher commended Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) for the construction of a brand-new classroom block, which has replaced the uncomfortable and distracting outdoor learning spaces. Learners can now focus on their studies without disruptions.
Lifa further said the new classroom block has also improved learners’ performance and increased enrollment at the school, which has risen to Over 800 leaners from bellow 700 in the previous years.
“The additional classrooms have enabled the school to accommodate more students, reducing the student-teacher ratio and allowing for more personalized attention," Lifa adds.
This support by GESD, which is World Bank funded programme, has dramatically changed the school's fortunes, as observed by Lifa.
According to Machinga District Council’s Director of Public Works, Clement Mtambo, the classroom block construction is part of the 2022-2023 financial year GESD-funded projects in the district.
Mtambo added that the project has been implemented at a cost of over K52 million aims to improve the learning environment and provide better educational facilities for the students of Masidi Primary School.
For the learners, the new classroom block has been a dream comes true, they are now happy with their new learning environment.
“I'm so happy to have a comfortable and quiet place to learn, Before, for the past years while I was in standard 4 and 5 and I used to learn under the tree which was becoming more difficult for us as female leaners, we used to get distracted by the noise and heat outside, but now we can focus on our studies without any disruptions.” say Ellen William, now a Standard 8 learner.
Rasid Askim, a Standard 3 learner, echoed similar sentiments, “I like my new classroom. It looks so beautiful and accommodative and I can see the blackboard clearly. I feel happy and excited to come to school every day knowing that I will be learning in a safe and conducive environment,” he says.
Chairperson of the school’s Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), Kandaya Chitsulo, lauds the government's initiative through GESD funds, citing its instrumental role in overcoming the community's perennial challenges.
“In the past, we would often enroll our children in Standard 1 at an older age due to inadequate learning facilities. But now, thanks to the new classroom block, we can rest assured that our children are learning in a safe and conducive environment, regardless of the weather,” adds the chairperson.
School Management Committee chairperson, Grace Sanjira, said members of community were committed to maintain the new classroom block in case of maintenances.
“We will work together to take care of the classroom block, ensuring it remains a safe and conducive learning environment for generations to come,” says Sanjira.
Among others, under the project, Masidi Primary School has also been provided with additional amenities, including two modern toilets for both female and male learners and 120 desks.
New ADMARC depot brings hope of maize accessibility to community
By Fostina Mkandawire
Salima, February 16, Mana: Salima South East Member of Parliament Mike Mwawa on Saturday handed over a K38 million Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) depot aimed at enhancing food accessibility in his constituency in the area of Senior Chief Kambwiri.
The Kapiring'ombe ADMARC depot has been constructed under the Community Development Fund, with anticipation that it will ease the distance that people trailed to find the next depot located 20 kilometres away.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Benedicto Chambo commended Mwawa for prioritizing food security amongst different developments.
"Government commends such collaborative efforts that puts the people's needs first and having a depot assures people of having maize easily accessible to the people," Chambo said.
He reaffirmed government's commitment to ensuring food security by stocking ADMARC depots with maize across the country.
Mwawa called upon chiefs and community members to further be custodians of the facility by ensuring that vendors who take advantage of buying maize from them and sell at higher prices are not given a chance.
He said it is important that people must have food therefore ADMARC should be stocking the depot regularly, taking into consideration that the hunger situation at the moment is very critical.
On his part, ADMARC Chief Executive Officer Fodreck Nyongani observed that there is a huge scramble for maize in the country and they are trying every means possible to ensure that they reach every part.
"Our main challenge is transportation of the commodity to depots hence there is usually a delay in restocking of maize in our depots, we are tirelessly working to make sure that this challenge has been curbed," he said.
Responding to the vendor situation, Nyongani said the complaints have reached his office and they have engaged the Malawi Police Service to be on top of the situation and arrest suspects.
Also present at the ceremony was Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda, who underscored the need for Members of Parliament to do an assessment of the people's needs before bringing any development.
"This ADMARC depot truly reflects a dire need that has been in the area for a long time, and bringing the depot closer to the people is a relief and assurance of having maize accessible to people, and also whenever they want to sell their produce they will not struggle," he said.
Currently, ADMARC depots are operational and selling maize in all the depots across the district, bringing relief to people who were heavily affected by drought in the 2024/2025 farming season.
MCGs initiatives yield impressive results
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, February 16, Mana: Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director George Jobe has expressed gratitude over mother care groups (MCGs) contribution on improved vaccine coverage in under-five children in Blantyre rural and other districts where MHEN works with the MCGs on child immunization.
Jobe expressed his appreciation over MCGs role on Saturday during a monitoring tour of Namikoko Health Centre in Traditional Authority Lundu in Blantyre where MHEN was tracking the care group’s performance to see areas that needed improvement to address capacity gaps.
Jobe observed that the under-five vaccine and Immunization coverage greatly improved with over 98% due to MCGs’ support, following advocacy and community mobilization that are carried out to deal with factors that hinder vaccine process.
“The ultimate goal for the mother care group is to ensure that almost every child is vaccinated. We are really impressed with the established of outreach clinics which help to restrain people from walking a long distance to get vaccines.
“Mother care groups are doing their work responsibly, more especially on demand creation, advocacy and community mobilization on the importance of vaccine and other development projects. As such, it is my wish that stakeholders should come in to support the initiative,” added Jobe.
Namikoko MCG chairperson Amina George commended MHEN for empowering the care group, saying the group plays significant role in child vaccination within its catchment with vaccine coverage ranging from 42% in 2020 up to 91% recorded in January 2025.
“Our group has made significant progress, including building a vaccination clinic, increasing participation, and addressing misconceptions which resulted in 287 children under five being vaccinated per month," added George.
She therefore appealed to MHEN and other partners to support the Namikoko MCG with resources, such as push bicycles for easy mobility and uniforms for identification.
The MCGs operate under the Healthy System and Immunization Strengthening (HSIS) project, a seven-year initiative implemented by MHEN in nine districts with funding from Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), to strengthen immunization systems among under-five children.
Likoma District Council conducts clean-up exercise
By Ireen Mseteka
Likoma, February 14, Mana: Likoma District Council on Friday conducted a clean-up routine exercise which was aimed at raising awareness of the importance of maintaining hygiene in public places hence preventing the spread of diseases in Likoma.
Speaking after the exercise at Mbamba market in Likoma, the Director of Administration and Human Resources for Likoma district council, Moses Jere emphasized the importance of the exercise saying that it is a responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean.
“We need to ensure that our surroundings are clean, especially here at the market. Customers need hygienic places for them to buy goods from sellers and we all need to be healthy people including our families,” said Jere.
He added that people should ensure that they are using toilets whenever they want to defecate to eradicate diseases such as cholera, especially during the rainy season.
Chairperson for Mbamba Market, Henry Singano asked the council to take into consideration the construction of additional toilets at the market to prevent open defecation which may fuel the spread of diseases.
“Here we only have one toilet. As a result, people help themselves wherever they feel like doing so. If we have more toilets, this will help in hygiene practices since people will be using the toilets as a result, all the surroundings will be clean,” said
He then hailed government through the council for the clean-up initiative saying that it is a good move to curb the spread of diseases as the environment will be always clean.
