MANAonline
Nkhata Bay chief asks for winter cropping support
By Chisomo Kambandanga
NKhata Bay, July 4, Mana: Group Village Head (GVH) Ngombo in the area of Senior Chief Malanda in NKhata Bay has called upon well-wishers to support flood survivors with farm inputs for winter cropping as a recovery strategy to avert looming hunger.
The Chief made the call on Wednesday when Youth Empowerment Towards Development (YOTED) was making a donation to some households affected by floods in 2023/2024 rainy season.
"We are grateful for continued support that various stakeholders are giving to flood survivors since a majority of them lost crops in their fields posing a threat of hunger.
"Let me call for support from well-wishers to support us with cassava cuttings, irish potato vines and fertilizer, among others, so that we can plant and start doing irrigation farming as we cannot just rely on receiving these food parcels up to the end of next farming season," Ngombo said.
NKhata Bay District Disaster Risk Management Officer, Rachael Kamanga said provision of agriculture inputs to flood survivors is essential as it will enable them to venture into irrigation farming which can help reduce the burden of food shortage which has been created by floods.
In his remarks, Executive Director for YOTED, Yotam Ngwira urged communities living in flood prone areas to relocate to safer places.
With support from Australian based AfriAus iLEAC charity organisation, YOTED donated food and non-food items worth K3.4 million to 40 households.
Each of the selected households received 25 Kilograms of maize flour, five tablets of soap, two packets of sugar, beans and a plastic pail.
Government ponders phasing out use of cash
By Felix Katemula
Karonga, July 03, Mana: Team Leader for Digital Financial Services for Karonga and Chitipa, Andrew Chimpololo says government intends to gradually phase out the usage of cash and opt for digital platforms and electronic transaction services.
Chimpololo was speaking in Karonga on Wednesday during a meeting with stakeholders to brief them on a digital financial literacy campaign which the Ministry of Finance in conjunction with Reserve Bank of Malawi intends to carry out across the country.
He said phasing out the use of cash will see government saving money that is spent on printing banknotes and coins.
“Printing banknotes is very expensive, and the government spends a lot of money replacing worn-out banknotes. Advancements in technology in the financial and banking sectors have also necessitated the move. With the digital financial services, it is safe, fast and convenient for one to make a transaction,” he said.
“We urge people in the country to start embracing the use of digital platforms through phones, automated machines (ATMs), point of sell (POS) machines and internet in all their financial transactions, whether they are buying or selling goods or services without the need to carry huge amounts of cash,” he added.
Anganile Mwanyembe, who sells vegetables at Songwe Border Market, commended government on the move, however she observed that there are many obstacles that government need to address for people to embrace digital finance services.
“The fee that we pay in electronic transactions differ across the service providers and are mostly exorbitant. In addition, the low penetration of digital platforms in rural areas is also hampering the access to electronic transaction services,” she said.
According to Mwanyembe, the government should ensure that rural masses have access to electronic gadgets that will help them to transact electronically and urged it to ensure these means are safe and secured.
Youth empowerment key to sustainable community
By Paul Madise
Lilongwe, July 4, Mana: Director and founder of Rise Malawi Ministries, Dr Zamumtima Chijere, say plans are underway to partner with Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training (TEVET) Authority for the successful implementation of the Rise Malawi Vocational Training School.
Chijere told Malawi News Agency (MANA) that the proposed project is designed to supplement technical and vocational education and training provided by the Malawi Government and other non-governmental organizations in the country.
He said Rise Malawi Ministries has, so far, managed to reach out to almost 13,000 youths through its programs since 2009.
The ministry offers feeding program, summer camp, child and youth rights advocacy, girl's empowerment, high school project, youth dream centre and youth job training program, among others.
"We believe that, in order to improve the well-being of people, we need to provide quality education from primary to tertiary levels," he said.
However, Chijere expressed concern on the ministry’s sustainability saying as a Christian nonprofit organization it relies on donor aid and some funds generated through high school programs.
"It has been difficult to raise money locally. Most of our money comes from outside Malawi. We have friends and some churches that support our initiatives and these have been our major source of income for the ministry to thrive over the years," he said.
Speaking on behalf of the youth that have been through Rise Malawi Ministry programs, Harkson Mayilosi, commended the ministry’s leadership for their timely interventions in putting the youth in the community at the spotlight and also facilitating realization of their dreams.
"My dream to become a skillful engineer has come true. Rise Malawi has taken a step and started organizing to build a workshop for me to teach the youth in the community," he said.
Mayilosi has managed to design a boat which is, currently, being used by fishermen at Lifuwu site in Salima.
Rise Malawi Ministries situated in Madisi, Dowa focuses on marginalized people in the society.
Lilongwe Council moves in to reduce disasters
By Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, July 4, Mana: Director of Planning and Development for Lilongwe District Council, Willard Chirwa, has stressed the need for members of the community in the district to be vigilant in preventing disasters by, among other things, avoiding cultivating and constructing along river banks.
He made the call Wednesday in Mponela during the opening of a three-day training workshop aimed at equipping members of District Disaster Risk Management Committee (DDRMC) on their roles and responsibilities in disaster management.
“Natural disasters will always be there, but we need to be vigilant and take precautionary measures to avoid effects of these disasters,” he said.
Chirwa urged the participants to take the training seriously saying it will assist them to understand what to do in responding to different disasters that may occur in the district.
Lilongwe District Disaster Risk Management Officer, Anganile Mbisa Kalonga, said it is sad that many people last year and early this year lost their property due to hailstorms.
Kalonga urged people in the district to start conserving the environment and build resilient houses that can withstand such disasters.
One of the community members in the area of Traditional Authority Kalolo, Peter Mbewe, said wanton cutting down of trees for charcoal production is a major challenge that is causing disasters in the district.
“In the past, when we were conserving the environment, we hardly experienced such disasters. We need to change our mindset in order to reduce these disasters,” he said
3,000 households were affected by disasters last year in Lilongwe district.
Ntchisi education authorities hail GESD
By James Mwale
Ntchisi, July 4, Mana: Education authorities in Ntchisi district have hailed the construction of a classroom block at Masangano Primary School in the area of Senior Chief Kalumo saying it will help retain pupils in school thereby reducing dropout rate.
The school’s Head teacher, Andrew Kalikuni, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday that before the classroom block was constructed, some learners could use the nearby Masangano Community Based Care Centre (CBCC) for classes.
“We could inconvenience learners at the CBCC every time we used their space and most of our learners could not concentrate on lessons due to noise from children at the Centre,” said Kalikuni.
He said learners from his school could occupy two rooms at the CBCC forcing children at the Centre to be congested in one classroom.
The K40.2 million classroom block was constructed between December 2021 to April 2022, along with a donation of 120 desks, under the World Bank Funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project.
Appreciating the impact of the development, the district’s Senior Inspector of Schools, Hammex Malithano, said congestion of learners in classroom has been a long standing problem in the district that has led to demotivation of both teachers and learners.
He said: “Construction of the classroom block has significantly mitigated congestion and has resulted in improved attendance of learners and reduced dropout rate. It is my wish that donors of the GESD project increase funding so that many similar developments may be realized.”
According to Malithano the classroom block, which has a capacity of 60 learners each, has also positively contributed to the send and retain children in school’s campaign.
The campaign is underway in most of the district’s communities under which parents are encouraged to send their children to school than keeping them home to help with household chores.
TNM launches Mudziwathu community project in Thyolo
By Yamikani Yapuwa
Thyolo, July 4, Mana: TNM Plc on Wednesday launched Mudziwathu Community Project by handing over 11 dairy cattle worth K4.8 million to eleven families, in a pass-on project, under Tikondane Group in Traditional Authority (TA) Nchilamwera in Thyolo.
TNM Chief Technical Officer, Lloyd Gowera, said the launch marks the start of the implementation of community projects worth K318 million nationwide under the Mudziwathu initiative.
He said the initiative cements the company’s commitment to fostering sustainable development and economic empowerment among community members.
“The community project component of Mudziwathu initiative presents opportunities for communities to implement a project of their choice based on their allocated funds as accrued from using TNM services under each TA,” Gowera said.
Gowera asked the first beneficiaries of the pass-on project to take great care of the cattle to ensure they extend the same benefits to more families.
District Commissioner for Thyolo, Hudson Kuphanga, commended TNM Plc for the gesture saying it will add value to the food security efforts in the district.
“When they are raised well, they will keep on giving them milk thereby supplementing the food already found in the district. The money earned from selling milk will also help them alleviate hunger and poverty at household level,” said Kuphanga.
Kuphanga, therefore, directed the agriculture office to come up with guidelines to be followed by beneficiaries of the programme to ensure that they indeed pass-on the cattle to others for the programme to flourish.
He said the Council is ready to support them with all the technical extension services to ensure that the district has healthy livestock.
One of the beneficiaries, Dave Kasanga, expressed gratitude to TNM for the cattle saying the livestock will improve their economic status.
“Once we sell the milk, our families will be assured of money to take care of our families,” said Kasanga.
Through the partnership that Mudziwathu created with people at the community and national level, TNM is paying back one percent of its revenue generated from network usage towards development projects of people’s choice in the community.
Wirima inspects examination Centre’s in Nsanje
By Robert Nayeja
Nsanje, July 3, Mana: Minister of Education, Madalisto Kambauwa Wirima says government is impressed with the administration of Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations in Nsanje District.
Wirima was speaking at Nyamadzere Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) after inspecting the administration the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination at the Centre.
She expressed satisfaction with how the examinations are being administered,
“All candidates are sitting on desks and taking the exams from classrooms. In fact, all is well which guarantees smooth administration of exams. So far no challenges have been registered,” she said.
Wirima expressed government commitment to improve education standards in the district and the country as a whole.
“We know that Nsanje has not been doing well in exams. The ministry is working tirelessly to eradicate some challenges affecting education in the district and the nation at large. Currently, government has employed and deployed additional teachers to Nsanje District as one way of reducing teacher pupil ratio,” said Wirima.
She said government is also implementing a number of interventions such as construction of additional class rooms, among others,
“We hope that with such kind of interventions all challenges facing the education sector will be eradicated.” She said.
Wirima assured people in the district that government will finalize construction of a girls’ hostel at the institution as one way of improving education delivery in the district.
Nyamadzere CDSS Head Teacher, Leah Zambasa Nyowani said she was happy with the news that construction of a hostel whose works stalled will be completed.
“Most leaners travel long distance to this school which affect their learning process. I’m glad that the minister has assured us that government will finalize the project soon,” she said.
During the visit, Wirima also inspected Kadabwako and Magoti examination Centre’s in the district
SCTP beneficiaries in Likoma asked to use money wisely
By Ireen Mseteka
Likoma, July 3, Mana: Principal Social Welfare Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Gilbert Kaponda has asked social cash transfer program (SCTP) beneficiaries in Likoma District to use their money wisely to sustain their livelihoods.
Kaponda made the call in an interview on Wednesday.
He urged the beneficiaries to start small scale businesses and join village saving loans (VSL) groups where they can be able to make savings and access soft loans.
“They also need to embark on other interventions like manure production in order to boost their agricultural productivity while reducing their dependency on affordable input subsidy program. Above all, they need to enroll their children in school in order to break the cycle of poverty,” said Kaponda.
One of the beneficiaries, Veronica Kumpolota said she has invested her money in a small scale business, saying she trades in rice, fish, soap and other items.
“I have a disability so I cannot manage going to the market to sell the stuffs. My daughter helps with ordering the goods for me. We are surviving through the business,” said Kumpolota.
She thanked government for the program saying it has saved many households that did not have capital to venture into small scale businesses to make ends meet.
Another beneficiary, Stanley Mwinama said through the program, he has managed to plaster his house.
“Recently, I received K116 000 from the program. I managed to buy some bags of cement and I plastered my house. It had not been easy to complete my house,” said Mwinama.
Government through Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare is implementing SCTP, a safety net program targeting ultra-poor households.
Mwanza traditional leaders sensitized on fistula
By Brian Wasili
Mwanza, July 3, Mana: As a way of scaling up message dissemination about fistula, chiefs in Mwanza District have been sensitized on signs and symptoms and dangers of fistula, so that their subjects should have accurate information.
Speaking during a sensitization meeting with the local leaders in the district on Tuesday, Mwanza District Hospital, Safe Motherhood Coordinator, Patrick Ganizani said that engaging traditional leaders in the fight against the disease would be the right approach to take, since these live with people who suffer in silence in their areas.
“People we are targeting stay in the communities. The chiefs are in a better place to carry the message to their respective community members,” said Ganizani.
A health worker at Mwanza District Hospital, Rhoda Golowa hailed the meeting saying it provided her with extra knowledge about the disease such that she will encourage women in her catchment area to go for fistula testing.
‘Now that I have gained extra knowledge about the disease, I will be able to explain to women and young ladies about effects of the disease so that they should come out for testing and get necessary treatment,” added Golowa.
Inkosi Kanduku Maseko who also attended the meeting, commended the organizers for the meeting, saying it helped him to get insights on the disease and current status in the district.
‘We are going to share the same information to our subjects and I am sure this will trickle down very well in our respective areas,” said Kanduku.
Fistula is a non-communicable disease which affects women of child bearing age and mostly occurs from an injury which occurs during delivery.
This year, Mwanza District Hospital referred 11 fistula patients to Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe for treatment.
Thyolo District Council Lauded for Quality Infrastructure
By Yamikani Yapuwa
Thyolo, July 2, Mana: Executive Director for the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), Kondwani Santhe, a delegation from the World Bank and officials in Ministry of Finance’s, on Tuesday visited Thyolo District Council to appreciate projects being implemented under Governance to Enable Service Delivery GESD)
Speaking after touring Namatuni and Mtambanyama Health Posts, Santhe commended Thyolo District Council for the high-quality infrastructure projects.
“We are impressed with the quality of the infrastructure here for both GESD as well as other projects,”
“The projects here are well-constructed and demonstrate excellent planning” said Santhe.
He hailed the council for reserving space within the project site at Namatuni Health Post for future expansion, which he said shows foresight and strategic thinking.
Thyolo District Commissioner, Hudson Kuphanga said the council is commitment to ensure that infrastructures built are of high standards to meet people’s expectations.
"We will continue to follow the required guidelines so that projects in the district stand the test of time," he said.
Kuphanga attributed the council's success to unity among sectors involved in project implementation.
The joint monitoring visit was meant to evaluate progress and impact of the Performance-Based Grants (PBG) funded projects in Thyolo District.
