By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, October 24, Mana: Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) beneficiaries in Nkhata Bay eye transition of manual to electronic payment system of their stipends just like its done in other districts.

In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Thursday, during a pay parade at Chihami in the area of Senior Chief Malanda, an elderly lady, Jane Mkandawire, 73, said electronic payment will bring to her comfort and convenience in accessing her monthly stipends.

"At my age, it is challenging to travel long distances to collect my monthly stipends, therefore, I would like to ask authorities to introduce E-payment system so that we get our payment with ease," said Mkandawire.

She added that E-payment system is more preferable over the current cash-based system which she said among others exposes the beneficiaries to robbery.

Another beneficiary, Symon Mphande, 42, who has disability, said E- payment will make it easier for people with disabilities to manage access and manage their finances. It is secure and we can save and invest the money efficiently,” Mphande said.

Chief Social Welfare Officer responsible for Social Cash Transfer Programme in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Chifundo Namchukwa, said plans to introduce E- payment system across all social protection programs are under way.

'We are currently rolling out e-payments in 16 more districts on top of 10 which are already utilizing the facility.

However, Nkhata Bay and Ntchisi districts will early next year pioneer ‘Choice Model’ E-payment approach that allows beneficiaries to select their preferred service provider, “said Namchukwa.

SCTP is a Malawi Government programme which is being implemented across the country through National Local Government Finance Committee with financial support from Multi-Donor Trust Fund and World Bank to cushion the elderly and ultra- poor from economic shocks.

By: Golden Kang'oma

Salima, October 25, Mana: Salima District Community Development Office, has geared up efforts to revamp and reorganize Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups, in order address the social and economic challenges faced by local communities.

Speaking during a stakeholder orientation on Thursday, Salima District Community Development Officer (DCDO), Samuel Chimwaza expressed excitement about the potential of reorganizing the Savings and Loans technical working groups, which he said would uplift community livelihoods.

He said: "In Salima, we have more than 2,200 Village Savings Loan (VSL) groups registered with the Community Development Office, however, there are still more than 60 percent of the groups that are not registered.

"This means that over 2,500 groups are not yet accounted for, representing about 40 percent of the total, so this will help to enhance our working relationship and make sure that every group is accounted for,” he said.

Chimwaza pointed out that VSL's have made significant contributions in addressing social and economic issues in Salima, particularly in providing a buffer against climate-related catastrophes and ensuring food security.

 “The VSLs have become a form of social support, helping communities address income security and purchasing power, especially in the face of food shortages and other economic challenges," he said.

He said funds from VSLs have been instrumental in supporting community initiatives, such as assisting school-going children with fees and improving overall household welfare hence revamping the structures.

However, Chimwaza emphasized the need for improved data collection on the contributions of VSLs.

“We need to quantify the impact of these groups both in terms of numbers and their qualitative impact on people’s lives and how they affect mental health, family cohesion, and economic stability,” he said.

Field Facilitator for Action Aid under the Tipindule project, Pamela Likoswe, said the initiative is very crucial, noting the importance of linking VSLs with formal financial institutions.

“So far, we’ve reached 293 groups, with a total membership of 7,302 people in Traditional Authority Kuluunda, and this engagement aimed at revamping the technical working groups will help strengthen collaboration with stakeholders and formalize more village savings groups,” she said.

Likoswe said most VSL'S groups have been losing a lot of money because they had no proper training and people were defaulting loans, observing the revamping of the groups will help seal the gaps that were there before.

By Vida Msiyo

Blantyre, October 25, Mana: The Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture through the Department of Peace and National Unity, on Thursday met officials from the Blantyre District to discuss the need for the criminalization of discrimination in Malawi, with focus on racism, regionalism and tribalism.

Lwitiko Rodney Munkhondia, an Economist in the ministry, said it was important to hold such a meeting to find possible solutions to the widespread discrimination in the country.

“We want to ensure that we develop an inclusive legal instrument that will eliminate discrimination and ensure no one is left behind,” he said.

Among the participants was Apostle Lindiwe Matanya, a member of Women for Fair Development (WOFAD), who noted that discrimination has become too common in Malawi.

“We discriminate against each other based on language; just hearing someone speak, we already judge them and this makes us reluctant to offer any assistance,” she said.

Apostle Matanya further observed that political and religious leaders are often responsible for promoting divisions, giving an example of leaders appointing individuals into positions based on cultural ties rather than merit.

“If we continue like this, our children will struggle to get jobs and there will be no development in the country. Development will remain concentrated within one tribe and when people are employed based on connections, the quality of work suffers. This will hinder the realization of Vision 2063,” she said.

Council Chairperson for Blantyre, Elsen Dumuka said discrimination in Malawi is not a new issue having been present since the 1980s.

“I encourage everyone to participate in ending this practice and I urge the Ministry to take this issue seriously because capable and experienced individuals are being denied opportunities due to racism, tribalism and regionalism,” said Dumuka.

The meeting which brought together stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders highlighted the need for urgent action to address discrimination in order to promote fairness and development across all sectors in Malawi.

By Wellington Sibale

Neno, October 25, Mana: Government has announced a shift from manual cash transfers to electronic payments in Neno District for all the social protection programmes, aligning with its agenda to digitize all government payments.

Speaking during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting on Thursday, Shock Sensitive Specialist at the National Local Governance Finance Committee (NLGFC), Muda Mkutumula said electronic payments have more benefits than manual.

Mkutumula said payment for cash-based project benefits will now be disbursed electronically and advantages of E-payment, include enhanced safety, lower transaction costs and faster payment processing.

“This aims to prepare the country's economy for the adoption of digital financial services,” Mkutumula said.

Currently, the government relies on a manual payment system to deliver funds to beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) and the Climate Smart Public Works Programme (CSPWP).

However, Mkutumula noted that this method has proved inefficient requiring district staff to spend up to two weeks distributing cash and using nearly all available vehicles and personnel, adding that the manual system is also vulnerable to security risks such as theft and is difficult to adapt during times of crisis.

“To address these challenges and as part of the commitment to digitize payments, the government is promoting electronic payments (E-payments) for cash disbursement to beneficiaries,” Mkutumula said, adding that this will reduce travel and waiting times making payments faster and safer.

Mkutumula explained that E-payments mitigate risks related to handling large sums of cash including transportation and security expenses and also support financial inclusion, offering beneficiaries access to financial services and contributing to the strengthening of the financial sector.

Wealthnet Finance Plc has been selected as the service provider for Neno District following an open and competitive bidding process. The company will use its KakuPay Smart Money platform to disburse payments.

A representative from Wealthnet, Dingiswayo Zulu assured beneficiaries of smooth service delivery.

“For those without phones, we will offer an affordable instalment plan for purchasing a phone enabling them to receive government payments,” Zulu said.

He however urged beneficiaries to safeguard their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to avoid falling victim to scammers and fraudsters.

According to Zulu, participants will receive their funds through mobile wallets after an SMS notification.

He said the participant will withdraw cash from a Payment Service Provider (PSP) agent, with the government covering transaction fees for an agreed period with the (PSPs).

The government has already implemented E-payment systems in 21 districts. In Neno, however, the process will begin once Wealthnet Finance and the Neno District Council complete sensitization and training sessions for beneficiaries.

By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, October 25, Mana: Commissioner for the Malawi Electoral Commission, Francis Kasaira on Thursday commended Balaka District Council, for what he described as servant dedication for the overwhelming registration that the district is recording.

Kasaira made the remarks at Zammimba Primary School in the district after conducting a two-day tour to registration centres.

"I am responsible for three districts of Balaka, Machinga and Neno, but I must commend Balaka District Election Supervisory Committee (DEST) for the tremendous figures that I have seen in the centres.

“This is day three of the first phase of the registration exercise but many of the centres have already passed the 500 mark which is not the case in Machinga and Neno,” he said.

Kasaira, therefore, called for more effort as the exercise progresses especially on civic education so that no one is left behind.

District Commissioner for Balaka, Tamanya Harawa hailed the commission for the supervisory visit, saying it has further encouraged DEST members to engage an extra gear.

“We normally work in collaboration, we always converge when challenged so that we map the way forward,” he said.

Balaka is among the districts in phase one of the General Elections registration.

By Milcah Mathias

Blantyre, October 24, Mana: Youth Activists Initiative Organization (YAIO), a Blantyre based youth group says it remains vigilant in raising awareness among the youths on issues to do with Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and HIV and Aids through Tikambirane Clubs at Chirimba and Lunzu in Blantyre.

YAIO Programmes Manager, Cecilia Kacholola, said that its project on SRHR brings open discussions on HIV ad Aids prevention to help the youth get right information for informed decisions.

With funding from Miserecor in Germany, the SRHR project facilitated establishment of 15 new Tikambirane Clubs in schools in Chirimba and South Lunzu education zones.

“So far, the youth are making right and informed decisions on their own. They are now able to tell whenever they are abused and are able to report cases to relevant authorities,  

“We established Kameza Youth Club and this was done after meeting with young people and adult forums to address emerging social issues such as drug and substance abuse among the youths,” said Kacholola.

Speaking in an interview with the Malawi News agency (Mana), a social commentator, Julius Mithi, said organizations should target both primary and secondary school learners on issues to do with SRHR and HIV and Aids, observing that parents often fail to open up to their children on HIV and AIDS, and Sexual and Reproductive Health issues due to social-cultural barriers.

“When children are given right information about Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV and Aids at a tender age, they understand these issues better and this help to reduces confrontations between children and parents,” Mithi said, adding that children-parents confrontation mostly leads to increased cases of suicide among the young people.  

Blantyre Urban District Youth Officer, Martha Chelewani said youths make largest and fastest growing population in Malawi such that her office put interventions in place to empower the youths through economic activities as a way of dealing with HIV and AIDS as well as sexual reproductive health issues.

“The youth office and partners also facilitate business management skills to promote business and saving culture. This helps the youths to engage themselves in productive issues other than indulging themselves in immoral behaviours that can drive them to contract sexually transmitted infections such as and HIV,” she said.

Chilewani added that providing youths with adequate and right information about HIV and Aids, and SRHR was part of youth centered approach to ensure productive and responsible beings that can withstand peer pressure,

YAIO started implementing the SRHR project in Chilomoni Education Zone area in 2020 and has expanded to other schools in Chirimba and South Lunzu Education zones.

YAIO is working with other youth organizations including Active Youth Association, Sowing Seeds in the Morning (SOSMORE), Youth Relief Agency, Machinjiri Youth Organization, New Dawn and Youth Coordinating Agency to offer various youth programmes in SRHR and HIV and Aids response.