By Abel Ikiloni

Blantyre, August 4, Mana: Vice President Dr. Michael Usi on Sunday attended the induction of Rev. Robert Yanduya as the General Secretary for Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC) at Mitsidi in Blantyre.

The Vice President read the scriptures from the book of John 9:1-7.

In his remarks, Usi said people were supposed to be in a hurry when attending to religious matters, saying God deserves plenty of time because he is the creator of everything on earth.

"It is not humbleness if leaders are in church but rather God himself is the one who humbled himself by descending during the service,” he said.

He blamed some unpatriotic Malawians who do not love their country or the country's leadership by just criticizing everything yet they don't offer any solutions to challenges beseeching the nation.

"Let's love our President and our country," he encouraged. "Who sinned between Chakwera and Malawians? But Jesus answered in the bible clearly.

"If you are a Christian or a Moslem be like your identity because politics is about management," he said.

On his part, the newly appointed ZEC General Secretary, Rev. Yanduya, expressed happiness by accepting God's word and assured church members that he will be dedicated to his work in uplifting the gospel.

"I will work with the synod management so that together we should take many lives to God," Yanduya said.

ZEC Mitsidi Synod Chairperson, Rev. Robert Mambeya, commended the Vice President for accepting their invitation to the ceremony.

ZEC came to Malawi through an Australian, Rev. Joseph Booth in 1892.

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.

By Priscilla Phiri

Lilongwe, August 4, Mana: World Bank reveals that the country’s Social Protection System (SPS) is a strategic tool for macroeconomic stability.

This follows a launch of World Bank’s 19^th edition of the Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) recently in Lilongwe, under the theme ‘Reforming with urgency: Malawi’s path to economic stability.’

Presenting on a special topic of the MEM edition, titled ‘Investing in adaptive safety nets,’ World Bank’s Social Protection Specialist and co author of the report, Chipo Msowoya said there was rigorous evidence that Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) in the country has shifted from consumption to investment among the beneficiaries.

“SCTP has grown to become an investment by moving the needle around ownership of livestock and other small assets and allowing poor and vulnerable households to start investing in education, access to health for their households creating a path way that puts the future generation on a different trajectory compared to that of their parents,” he elaborated.

Msowoya from the report highlighted further on how the system has debunked the generalized idea that social protection systems create a dependency syndrome among its beneficiaries.

He said that the system has created a demand in digital services through E-payment that has enabled government to create financial inclusion among the beneficiaries.

“Government has transitioned from disbursing cash physically to electronic payments for both social cash transfer and public works wages through mobile money platforms and other traditional banking innovations which have prevented cases of fraud, speeded up the payments and allowed people that were excluded to become part of the financial sector,

Currently as it stands Malawi scaled up to delivering its social protection benefits across 10 districts allowing 440 households to use digital payments,” he said

He mentioned that the country has been one of the trail blazers in the world in bridging the nexus between Social Protection and disaster risk financing by leveraging on insurance systems to respond to common risks that the country faces especially drought.

World Bank’s Country Director for Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Nathan Belete commended government and partners on the achievements made through social protection system.

“Social protection and adaptive safety nets not only provide an immediate response for the poor and vulnerable but it stimulates the economy more broadly as well as support the vulnerable households,

We wish for the progress to continue to be strengthened, improved and that government extends the coverage of the programme to more people that deserve and need to be part of the programme,” he said.  

Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza said Social Cash Transfer was the way to go for the country to recover from its economic crises.

“In as much as the country is making progress with this programme there is still need for government to work together with its partners to effectively help the vulnerable communities,” she noted.

Malawi Economic Monitor provides a semi-annual analysis of Malawi’s economic and structural development issues.

By Yamikani Yapuwa

Thyolo, August 4, Mana: In the Serene Village of Maonga in Sub-Traditional Authority (STA) Mlenga in Thyolo District, farmers under Msuwadzi Catchment are quietly revolutionizing sustainable farming through agronomics and sustainable land management.

One family of Gyson Chipangula, who have been in farming since 1980 is proving that sustainability and prosperity can indeed go hand in glove.

Amidst their flourishing tree woodlot and a vibrant tea field, the Chipangula’s have not only practiced environmental conservation but turned fish farming into a lifeline for their family.

“My family has three fish ponds and our annual harvest stands at 360 kgs of fish, sold at K5, 000 per kilogramme translating into K1.8 million per year.

“This money has enabled us to buy settlement land, build a decent home and pay for our children’s education,” Chipangula said.

Apart from the economic gains, the family says through planting trees and tea, they have been able to reduce water run-off which causes siltation and gully erosion in their fields; thereby, conserving the environment.

Jenipher Chibani, who is into dairy farming shares a similar story of the Chipangulas, saying she was getting triple rewards from the venture by getting milk for sale, manure for her maize field as well as increased yields due to manure application from her two dairy cattle.  

“My household is no longer the same since I started dairy farming in 2013. The cows give me 25 litres per day which I sell at K380 per litre bringing K285, 000 per month,” she claimed.

Chibani boasted that, “Moreover, the manure from the Cows have helped me a lot in increasing crop yield. So, you can see that I’m making money from milk and harvesting more because of using manure from the same cows.”

He added that even the nutritional status of her family members has improved, as they are able to eat balanced diet meals since she has the money and maize to allow her that luxury.

Additionally, other farmers from 13 villages under Msuwadzi Catchment are practicing sustainable land management activities where they are planting vertices grass, making stone bunds, constructing contour marker ridges, ridge alignment and gully reclamation, among others.

Land Resource Conservation Officer for Thyolo District Council, Madalitso Uledi said all the benefits that Chipangula and Chibani are waxing lyrical about are some of the positives that come with the adoption of Integrated Catchment Conservation and Management (ICM) both at individual household and catchment levels.

“Sustainable land management activities and well managed crop, livestock and fish farming are interlinked, supporting ecological resilience and food security,” she stated.

“Sustainable land management enhances soil fertility and water availability which helps to have adequate water for fish farming, crop production and more feed for animals.”

“In the same manner, crop, livestock and fish farming provide food and materials which enhance soil fertility and climate resilience; hence, the need for farmers to adopt these agricultural practices,” she explained.

Blantyre Agriculture Development Division (ADD) Chief Land Resource Conservation Officer, Medson Thole noted that adoption of interventions to conserve the environment enhance availability of water in the soil making it easy for all sorts of farming to thrive.

“We are talking of interventions and technologies like planting trees in upper catchment, constructing marker ridges to control erosion, manure making, gully reclamation and agronomics.

“In the long run, farmers start to harvest more yield for the whole catchment as these help to restore the land, enhance soil moisture as well as increase soil fertility,” he said.

Bearing in mind that land is a very scarce commodity in Thyolo, Thole feels that integrated catchment conservation and management provides a chance to farmers to restore the eroded soil since they do not have any other place to open up new farms.

Team Leader from Lujeri popularly known as Nchima Tea and Macademia Estates, Hannock Maluwa pointed out that promotion of ICM in the district was necessary in easing the pressure that people exert on natural resources owned by estates.

“If people are planting trees in their farms and along river banks, cases of people stealing logs of trees from forests belonging to estates will reduce,” he observed.

Maluwa added that, “Even encroachment on company land and opening up farms since their fields cannot longer be productive since the soil has been degraded will stop since soil fertility will be restored.”

Acting Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for Thyolo District Council, Mphatso Kafuwa admitted that there are a number of things that have gone wrong with the environment; hence, scaling up good agricultural practices and interventions in all the Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in the district.

“We want these modern agricultural methods to be done in the farmers’ fields, in the villages as well as in the mountains where gullies need to be reclaimed,” he emphasized.

“We will tirelessly work with Agriculture Extension Development Coordinators (AEDCs) from all EPAs, chiefs, village natural resources committees and village agricultural committees to promote all these technologies across the district,” he stressed.

Kafuwa has aspired the Council where every household achieves food sufficiency and being able to even sell to others and earn tangible income just as the Chipangulas and Chibani are doing.

“We want to reach a point where all the degraded land has been restored; all the gullies have been reclaimed and our forests are back to how they used to be several years back,” he said with a trace of hope loaded in his voice.

By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, August 3, Mana: Farmers along the Shire River basin in Balaka District have expressed optimism that the adoption of land restoration and forest conservation practices under Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP) would enable them realize increased agricultural yields.

Implemented by the Government of Malawi with support from the World Bank, MWASIP in Balaka aims at improving agricultural activities by restoring 10,334 hectares of degraded land along the Shire River areas starting from 2022 to 2026.

Speaking after touring different sites, MWASIP District Project Coordinator for Balaka, Lucreshia Matekenya, said the project has three main components; land restoration cover, watershed services and technical support to farmers. 

Matekenya said since the start of implementation of MWASIP in 2022, farmers are able to practice modern conservational agriculture while others were getting financial grants that will enable them to venture into agribusinesses such as piggery, beekeeping and fish farming.

“Farmers are able to construct swales, box ridges and matching to increase water infiltration and also constructing stone bands to reduce the speed of running water; hence, reducing soil erosion.

“Apart from conservation agriculture, farmers have also embraced Farmers Field Schools (FFS); whereby, they are able to select a topic to discuss by identifying agricultural challenges, analyze it and find solutions,” she said.

Chairperson for Mtola Village Level Action Plan (VLAP) in Traditional Authority (TA) Nsamala, Andrew Galimoto, said they have constructed check dams, own forests and produce Mbeya manure, courtesy of MWASIP.

Galimoto said: “As you can see, this land is steep which means when rain comes all water runs down without proper infiltration. So, these swales and box ridges help to hold the water; hence, reducing soil erosion and increasing its fertility.”  

Sani Sofiti from Mtendere VLAP under Mpilisi Extension Planning Area in TA Nsamala, hailed the project, saying they have restored natural forests and also constructed stone bands to reduce the speed of running water.

However, Sofiti cited limited membership as a challenge to their group since some people left the group because they had little knowledge on the long term benefits of this programme.

Balaka District Director of Agriculture, David Ali, commended the development, noting that farmers across the district have generally embraced the project.

He said adoption of land restoration and forest conservation practices will serve future generations of the district.

By Brian Wasili

Mwanza, August 3, Mana: Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church members in Mwanza District have been called upon to be prepared to serve God submissively as the earth is not their permanent home because God is about to judge the world.

Pastor for Mwanza District SDA Church, John Muhoko, made the call on Saturday at the end of a five-day annual prayers under the theme: “Camp Gathering” held at Mwanza Main SDA Church.

“As you can see here that we are sleeping in temporary grass shelters to symbolize the Israelites moving from Egypt on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan,” Muhoko who is also Pastor for Mwanza Main SDA Church said.

Muhoko added that signs of the last days have been fulfilled, meaning that Jesus is coming soon; therefore, it was important for Christians to avoid sins and instead submit themselves to God.

Chairperson of the organizing committee of the prayers, Kingsley Chabwera, thanked members for the support rendered towards preparation of the event.

“Although we are going through financial crisis, but the congregants voluntarily mobilized their resources so that the ceremony should not fail,” said Chabwera.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), a member of the church, Takondwa Mambere, described the function as a revival in his spiritual life, saying during the prayers he was reminded of the importance of tithing as a sacrifice to God.

“I have been encouraged to give tithe to God because it is said that you end up being rewarded in multiples by God. So, I want to be blessed at my household,” said Mambere.

In her remarks, a young lady Simbisayi Yamikani who also attended the prayers, asked her fellow youths not to shun away from serving God by being taken away by youthful life but rather be responsible. 

“Saving God does not look at the age of a person but it is the way of seeking God’s blessings,” said Yamikani.

This year’s theme of prayers is: “Jesus Christ Is Coming Soon” taken from the book of Matthews 24 verse 26 and guest speaker at the function was Pastor Yohane Grant from Chikwawa.

About 1,500 members drawn from 17 congregations such as Mwanza Main, Mwanza Central, Chimwangoni, Chimwachawa and Kankhonde under Mwanza District SDA Church.

By Robert Nayeja

Nsanje, August 3, Mana: Deputy Minister of Health, Halima Daud, says government will upgrade some health centres across the country as one way of reducing congestion in the district facilities.

Daud was speaking on Friday in Nsanje after inspecting health service delivery at the district’s main health facility.

She said once health centres are upgraded to community hospital level, they will be capacitated to offer major health services like scanning and admissions which will help ease congestion at the district hospital.  

Daud, therefore, commended Nsanje District Health Management Team for maintaining cleanliness at the facility.

Chairperson for Nsanje District Council, Mike Kafalachi, attributed improved cleanliness at the district facility to good management.

Member of Parliament for Nsanje Central, Kafandikhale Mandevana, asked government to increase funding to the district hospital as it also serves people from neighbouring Mozambique.

“The funding is not adequate because the catchment population for our district is big as the hospital offers health services to people in neighbouring Mozambique,” Mandevana claimed.

He also asked government to increase the number of Disease Control Surveillance Assistants (DCSAs) in the district.

During the visit, Daud inspected health service delivery at maternity, male and female wards at the district hospital.