MANAonline
Journalists drilled on SRHR reporting
By Mwai Kumanda
Lilongwe, May 10, Mana: Center for Solution Journalism (CSJ) has trained journalists on the importance of reporting issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) accurately saying journalists have got the power to people’s mind set.
Speaking during a training for journalists in Lilongwe, Executive Director for CSJ Brian Ligomeka said in most cases journalists are more interested in reporting on issues of politics, sports and religion leaving issues of SRHR that affects a lot of people more especially the adolescent on daily basis.
“SRHR reporting is very critical, and journalists should be reporting information that is factual and accurate to avoid bringing unnecessary panic among the people in the country,” he said.
Ligomeka said it is sad that many people in rural areas, unlike in urban areas are still struggling to access information on SRHR and safe motherhood a development he said is causing a lot of death among women.
Said Ligomeka: “According to statistics from various health facilities, SRHR cases such as unsafe abortions are rampant in the rural areas where most women and girls do not have access to some health services which are in the urban areas.
“A lot of family planning services are available in towns, by training the journalists on these issues, its going to help in spreading the information to reach to those people living in the rural areas.”
One of the participants Dorica Mtenje a reporter for Maravi Post said the training was an eye opener and the information gained during the training will assist her in reporting accurately on issues of SRHR.
“This is an important training as it will assist us to inform members of the general public accurately on issues of SRHR more especially on safe abortion and safe motherhood,” she said.
Experts Hail President Chakwera's Trip
Gift Chiponde and Kondwani Ryam Banda
Lilongwe, May 12 Mana: Experts have hailed the participation of President Dr Lazarus Chakwera's at the Unites States (US) Africa Business Summit in Dallas and at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, saying it will help boost the countrys economy and improve the livelihoods of Malawians.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Renowned Political and Socio-Economic Commentator, Humphreys Mvula, said the Millennium Challenge Corporation-MCC Compact 2 initiative is likely to transform the transportation sector by constructing roads, which will create a conducive environment in tourism, agriculture, and mining sectors, resulting in job creation for the people.
"The trip taken by President Chakwera looks very promising in the process of amplifying and implementing the ATM strategy, which he is spearheading to revamp the country's economy.
Through the initiative we should expect a number of both white and blue collar workers to be employed resulting in wealth creation among Malawians" said Mvula
He commended President Chakwera for his continued efforts in mobilizing resources to ensure the livelihoods of Malawians are taken care of.
Mvula insisted on the need for Malawians to rally behind President Chakwera to make Malawi a transformative nation through various development initiatives.
Executive Director for the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), Willy Kambwandira, expressed his appreciation for the outstanding progress of the project and has urged President Chakwera to ensure that the projects are successfully implemented.
Kambwandira also expressed his optimism for positive results from the trip and said he looks forward to seeing the fruits of their labour.
In his remarks, Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu said Malawi’s recent participation in the US-Africa Business Summit witnessed the launch of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Transportation and Land Compact worth $350 million during MCC’s 20th Anniversary Tribute Dinner.
"The compact, which will focus on the country’s transportation infrastructure and land productivity, aligns with Malawi’s Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) Strategy and Malawi’s development blueprint, the Malawi 2063 Vision” said kunkuyu.
He stated the compact which will significantly bolster critical infrastructure projects in the country, including road upgrades in key agriculture, tourism and mining areas, is poised to enhance the transportation of goods and services, to boost trade, tourism, investment and economic growth.
He indicated that through the $244,950,000 Accelerated Growth Corridors (AGC) Project, the compact will help Malawi address transportation challenges for agricultural commodities from farm to market.
The project will also help to create a transparent and competitive environment for transporters among other things. This will stimulate more agro-economic activities in these corridors and boost agriculture commercialization in the country.
He also disclosed that the American Catalyst Facility for Development (ACFD) Project of the compact is also set to bolster investment in the country.
He said the project is designed to facilitate United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) investment in Malawi to catalyze private investment in the country.
Additionally, through the Increased Land Productivity Project worth over 44 million dollars, the compact will support efforts to improve land use and management. The project will help citizens to utilize land efficiently as well as improve agricultural productivity.
Kunkuyu said that Malawian companies will also benefit from the compact for they have the opportunity to participate in the projects. This will both improve local companies’ financial standing and job creation in the country.
He said President Chakwera’s attendance at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Kenya also yielded unprecedented results for agriculture in the country. On the sidelines of the summit, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) assured President Chakwera of 45 million dollars to support agricultural productivity, enhancing fertilizer and soil health. The investment will significantly address Malawi’s food security challenges and boost socioeconomic development.
Kunkuyu further said that the MCC, AGRA and other agreements that Malawi has made during the two summits will have a transformative impact on the country’s development agenda.
The agreements will help Malawi improve its transportation infrastructure and agriculture productivity, springboarding Malawi into a more self-sufficient nation.
On arrival on Friday from the USA and Kenya President Dr Lazarus Chakwera announced the launch of the 350 million MCC Compact 2 and various agreements the Malawi delegation made with investors on the sidelines of these two summits.
MRCS distributes cash to Karonga flood survivors
By George Mponda
Karonga, May 11, Mana: Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) disbursed cash on Friday to 724 households which were affected by floods in Karonga.
In an interview, Emergency Operations Coordinator for MRCS, Lewis Solomon, said some households received K250,000 for shelter rehabilitation while others got K150,000 for buying basic needs.
"Karonga District Council did assessments which revealed that close to 1,700 households were in dire need of assistance due to floods.
“We therefore secured over K900 million through our partner, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which has also been used to support disaster survivors in Lilongwe, Nkhotakota and Kasungu," Solomon said.
He said the payments are once-off, adding that the organization is running a complementary intervention in water and sanitation and has been working with the district health office to conduct health promotions in the targeted areas.
According to Solomon, the intervention has been ongoing for three months and it will end in June but all activities are being conducted concurrently to make sure they are delivering comprehensive support.
"We have also intergrated issues to do with protection, gender and inclusion as well as accountability in the disbursement process and I would like to urge the beneficiaries to use the funds for their intended purpose," he explained.
Meteorological Officer at Karonga District Council, Victor Phiri, said heavy rains which fell in the district since February caused floods which affected many households.
"We had one-week continuous rainfall which caused flooding and 833 households were affected in the areas of Senior Chiefs Kilipula and Mwakaboko while in Rukuru catchment, 911 households were affected with some displaced," Phiri said.
One of the beneficiaries, Christina Gowere from Kalongera Village in the area of Senior Chief Kilipula, said she was grateful for the support, as she had lost property and livestock due to floods.
Biogas technology a breakthrough to sustainable Malawi
By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, May 11, Mana: Marketing and Sales Manager at EcoGen Malawi, Mphatso Gama, says a biogas technology aligns well with Malawi’s Agenda 2063, saying the technology manages wastes sustainably when it comes to tackling climate change in the country.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), Gama said many farmers can be food secure if the biogas technology is adopted in the country, as it produces fertilizer which has proven to be more efficient and affordable.
She also said EcoGen, which is a leading biogas company in the country, invented biogas technology to lessen the forex challenges faced when buying chemical fertilizers abroad.
“We targeted farmers after witnessing the chemical fertilizers’ price hike which affected most smallholder farmers. So this challenge reduced the productivity of farmers, thereby intensifying food insecurity. Our biogas technology produces a high quality bio-fertilizer which further mitigates climate change, as it has high nutritive content with the ability to replace chemical fertilizers and restore soil fertility.
“Through the production of bio-fertilizer, the Malawi Government can be cushioned on huge expenditures and forex issues incurred when importing chemical fertilizers. Promotion of technologies such as biogas can ensure a self-reliant nation come 2063,” Gama said.
She further said the energy sector needs allocation of more technological and innovative resources that will promote sustainability in addressing aftershocks brought by climate change in the country.
Gama added that the banning of charcoal use is not the best solution, saying the government should rather promote best alternatives like biogas that can work best in educating the masses and how such alternatives can be easily accessed.
In his remarks, founder of Clips Farming Enterprise (CFE), Patrick Jere, said transitioning to bio-digester technology is advantageous as it helps farmers to have bumper yields without spending money on buying chemical fertilizers, which is commonly used in the country.
Jere also underscored that bio-digester is a hygienic waste management system and that the bio-fertilizer produced makes crops more resilient to drought.
“Use of liquid bio-fertilizers is more efficient than the use of compost manure and more economical than the use of chemical fertilizers. Clips Farming Enterprise no longer uses any chemical fertilizers,” he said.
Meanwhile, EcoGen Malawi has so far worked with over 12,000 farmers and installed 500 biogas systems across 20 districts in the country.
Zomba school holds cultural day fundraiser
By Emily M’mangisa
Zomba, May 11, Mana: Kingdom Builders Academy in Zomba on Friday held a fundraising cultural day in readiness for the graduation of form four students who are expected to sit for the Malawi School Certificate of Examinations next month.
The cultural day was full of displays of unique cultural values through traditional food, traditional attires, music and dances to demonstrate their value for Malawi culture.
Kingdom Builders Academy Acting Principal John Misi said the school decided to hold the fundraising cultural day to raise funds for the form four students' graduation slated for June 18.
Misi added that the cultural day was also meant to remind the students of their cultural roots on top of instilling in them a culture of sourcing money on their own.
“We want to instill a culture of sourcing money on their own. As a school we could easily raise money for the graduation but we want a spirit of ownership to sink in the students,” he added.
The students performed chioda and gule wamkulu, among other traditional dancers and drank sweet beer (thobwa), ate nsima with indigenous vegetables to reflect cultural values.
The acting principal said the traditional values that students displayed were catalysts for achieving various life goals and enhancing social cohesion among students from different cultures.
The school's deputy head boy Jarson Mwale said the event was ideal and relevant for the students as it provided a platform for cultural diversity and promoted a spirit of resource mobilization.
Another student, Tamandani Bisani, hailed the school management for organizing the fundraising cultural day.
“I have been watching some traditional dances from a distance. I'm happy that l literally participated in the dances and l feel good to be part of our culture,” added the form three student.
Students paid a participation fee of K500 per head and K1,500 for group participation and food was also sold to raise money for the forthcoming graduation.
Kingdom Builders Academy, which is situated at Chinamwali Township in Zomba, also organized a career talk last month to motivate students to work hard in their studies.
Zomba school holds cultural day fundraiser
By Emily M’mangisa
Zomba, May 11, Mana: Kingdom Builders Academy in Zomba on Friday held a fundraising cultural day in readiness for the graduation of form four students who are expected to sit for the Malawi School Certificate of Examinations next month.
The cultural day was full of displays of unique cultural values through traditional food, traditional attires, music and dances to demonstrate their value for Malawi culture.
Kingdom Builders Academy Acting Principal John Misi said the school decided to hold the fundraising cultural day to raise funds for the form four students' graduation slated for June 18.
Misi added that the cultural day was also meant to remind the students of their cultural roots on top of instilling in them a culture of sourcing money on their own.
“We want to instill a culture of sourcing money on their own. As a school we could easily raise money for the graduation but we want a spirit of ownership to sink in the students,” he added.
The students performed chioda and gule wamkulu, among other traditional dancers and drank sweet beer (thobwa), ate nsima with indigenous vegetables to reflect cultural values.
The acting principal said the traditional values that students displayed were catalysts for achieving various life goals and enhancing social cohesion among students from different cultures.
The school's deputy head boy Jarson Mwale said the event was ideal and relevant for the students as it provided a platform for cultural diversity and promoted a spirit of resource mobilization.
Another student, Tamandani Bisani, hailed the school management for organizing the fundraising cultural day.
“I have been watching some traditional dances from a distance. I'm happy that l literally participated in the dances and l feel good to be part of our culture,” added the form three student.
Students paid a participation fee of K500 per head and K1,500 for group participation and food was also sold to raise money for the forthcoming graduation.
Kingdom Builders Academy, which is situated at Chinamwali Township in Zomba, also organized a career talk last month to motivate students to work hard in their studies.
Youth participation in electoral process is key - MEC chair
By Emily M’mangisa
Zomba, May 11, Mana: Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Chifundo Kachale says solution to political concerns is active participation of the youths in leadership positions.
Kachale made the remarks at the University of Malawi’s (UNIMA) Great Hall in Zomba where the commission held public lecture under the theme ‘Unlocking the power within youth for future leadership’.
“You might have good blogs, very good Facebook write-ups, but if you don't vote, the effort is almost nothing,” he said.
He therefore advised the youths to take active role in electoral processes and further appealed to them to desist from being agents of political violence.
He said research has shown that youths in the Sub Saharan Africa are less likely to vote in political elections for various social factors despite constituting a larger population in most countries, including Malawi.
Kachale said students should not allow themselves to be exploited by politicians if they want change for the better Malawi.
In his remarks, Executive Dean of School of Law, Economics and Governance, Professor Happy Kayuni, hailed MEC for holding the public lecture at UNIMA.
“UNIMA students have been equipped with relevant information regarding electoral reforms and how they should participate in the coming general elections,” Kayuni added.
He pointed out that questions that students asked during the public lecture were not solely aimed at improving students' welfare, saying the questions were also aimed at advancing the interests of the country regarding elections.
Students in the hall and Malawians who followed the lecture through radio and television stations and on Facebook pages asked questions based on the lecture through a UNIMA WhatsApp number and Facebook page.
A third year student, Jane Kanyangale, urged fellow students to be proactive in Malawi’s politics to create better environment for the future generation.
Students were eager to learn more on electoral process and said the public lecture was an eye opener and motivated them to be proactive in the electoral processes.
Government should invest in safe motherhood- NGO says
By Tione Andsen
Lilongwe, May 10, Mana: Government ought to tame the causes of maternal deaths that rob women from enjoying safe motherhood, a Human Rights Organization has appealed.
Centre for Solutions Journalism (CSJ) has said in the modern century pregnancy should be a source of happiness and not sorrow and tears as is the case now due to high maternal mortality.
“The government should address the causes of maternal deaths such as bleeding during child birth, infections, sepsis, obstructed labour and unsafe abortions. Describing pregnancy as pakati to mean midpoint between life and death of a pregnant woman should end,” CSJ Director, Brian Ligomeka said.
He was speaking in Lilongwe during training of journalists on professional coverage of Safe Motherhood in the country.
Ligomeka commended the government for its interventions in reducing maternal deaths.
He cited interventions like the revision of marriage age to 18, provision of ARVs to reduce infections, provision of free contraceptives and drafting of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill as demonstration of the government's commitment to safe motherhood.
“We support the government's process of enacting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill which was drafted by the Law Commission. We believe the proposed law will save the lives of women and girls and reduce maternal deaths,” Ligomeka addedid.
Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Juliet Sibale said the proposed law drafted by the Law Commission once passed would allow women and girls to access the services on four grounds only.
“Once the proposed law is in place, termination of a pregnancy would be permissible, where continued holding of pregnancy will endanger the life of a pregnant woman; where termination is necessary to prevent injury to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman, where there is severe malformation of a foetus, and where the pregnancy is a result of rape, incest, or defilement,” she said.
Sibale explained that access to safe abortion would remain restricted.
Despite current restrictions, abortion is still rampant in the country.
Research by the College of Medicine and Guttmacher Institute shows that over 141,000 abortions happened in the country in 2015 alone.
“We are in a situation where no religion, and no restrictive law has stopped women from procuring abortion when they wish to do so. It seems when a woman decides that she does not want a pregnancy, she does anything to terminate it and the statistics from district hospitals speak to that fact,” Vice Chairperson of the Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion, Dr Amos Nyaka said.
Integrated Health Services to improve the country’s Health Sector
By Gift Chiponde
Lilongwe, May 10, Mana: Malawi Equity Health Network (MHEN) has hailed government for launching Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan 3 and Malawi Health Financing strategy describing them as a huge milestone in achieving the provision of integrated services in all health institution in the country.
Recently the Ministry of Health Launched the two Strategic documents through place briefing which was held at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe, during the meeting Minister of Health, Khumbize Chiponda highlighted that the strategic would help to turn Health Centres into Community Hospitals for effectiveness of integrated health care provision.
She emphasized that the strategic plan was aiming at increasing life expectancy, reduce high mortality rates, reduce HIV prevalence and enhance infrastructure development and services.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Friday in Lilongwe, Executive Director for MHEN and Chairperson for Malawi Universal Health Coverage, George Jobe said the provision of integrated health care was a good development and it was an initiative which the institution has been lobbying with government for the past years
“This is a development that we have been waiting for, the news is very promising and it will help to reduce deaths among Malawians,” he said.
Jobe said that integrated health service provision would help the country to reduce the cost in terms of health sector management in cases of Emergences and Health interventions.
“Through a single trip a number of interventions can be carried out for various diseases which is cost effective.”
“And let us look at the example of COVID-19, we should be able to draw lessons from such incidents if we want to improve our health service delivery by ensuring that the health sector is highly financed,” the Executive Director said
He indicated that the health financing strategy would health the sector to mobilize the intended and needed resources in order to ensure that the health sector was well financed.
He stated that the two documents would help the health sector to thrive and be able to address possible challenges and provide solutions to the bottlenecks facing in the health sector in country.
Jobe said MHEN and all organization under the body would continue working with government to ensure the smooth implementation of the two documents
“We will work with government to ensure that the Malawi Health Sector Strategic plan and the Health Financing Strategy are fully implemented and achieved,” he added.
Jobe commended government for a 12 percent allocation to the Ministry of Health in the 2024/2025 national saying this was complementing with the Abuja declaration which state that every national budget must contribute 15 percent to the health sector.
Chairperson for Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance -Malawi Chapter, Maud Mwakasungula said the initiative would help health workers to provide comprehensive treatment and support under one roof to patients in the country.
She added that the currently national budget was reflecting government commitment in promoting and enhancing the health sector in the country,
Communities urged to observe hygiene and sanitation
By Eranivey Temani
Lilongwe, May 10, Mana; District Commissioner (DC) for Lilongwe Dr. Lawford Palani has urged communities people in the district to continue observing hygiene and sanitation to avoid contracting communicable diseases such as Cholera.
He made the call Friday at Nathenje Trading Centre where the Council staff members and community members joined hands in the clean-up day.
“I participated in the clean up exercise to lead as an example so that people should also emulate the gesture and replicate it in their homes, workplaces and their surroundings,” Palani said
The DC has since promised to take the initiative to all public places in the district including schools and hospitals.
Chairperson of Nathenje Market, Idrissa Kalembo thanked government for introducing the clean-up day which he said was assisting in promoting hygiene and sanitation in public places.
“I am very proud that community members came in large numbers and made the exercise [today] successful and I am urging them to continue doing this, in order to keep our markets tidy,” he said.
President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera launched the National Cleaning-Up Day at Chinsapo Ground in Lilongwe in 2020 and the day falls on the second Friday of every Month.
