By Joseph Mtendere Ligowe

Blantyre, September 9, Mana: St Mathews Anglican Church on Saturday held a youth seminar at Canon John Parslow hall in Blantyre under the theme ‘Raising the generation of achievers’.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA) in an interview, Youth Development Chairperson Gerald Pete said that the seminar was about equipping the youths with tools that would help them to withstand what life will throw at them.

“The youths still have a full life ahead of them. It is important to instill life values and principles in them whilst they are still young so that they do not depart from it when they get older,” said Pete.

He also added that parents always want to see their children doing better in life not necessarily being rich but by making better life choices and being able withstand life’s pressure.

A youth participant at the seminar, Tadala Manda said that the engagement was catchy and interesting.

“This has been a fruitful seminar. It was so involving and we have learnt different skills on how to cope with life challenges, entrepreneurship skills, life choices as well as leadership skills,” she said.

Manda therefore hailed the organizers for the beautiful event saying it has been a massive and much engaging meeting.

By Lisa Lamya

Blantyre, September 8, Mana: As part of developing sports in Chirimba Township in Blantyre City, Vice President Dr. Michael Usi has donated football sports kits to teams in the Chirimba Top 8 Bonanza.

After handing over the kits, Usi braved the scorching heat to watch a match between Namatete Select and Mayera Select.

Namatete won the match with two goals to one and went home with a trophy and K500,000, although Mayera lost, they also pocketed K500,000, and another team that competed in the bonanza Chirimba Select received K500,000.

For Namatete, Mikoni Butawo and Seba Losi scored the two goals whereas Israel Chizulo scored for Mayera.

“I want to develop sports from the grassroots level and ensure young people stay productive. Other world-class players like Sadio Mane also started from the bottom so people should not despise humble beginnings,” Usi said.

In his remarks, Deputy Mayor for Blantyre City Council, Isaac Jomo Osman commended Usi for promoting sports, saying people earn a living through the discipline.

“Myself as a sports enthusiast, this is so encouraging and I would like to appeal the Vice President to ensure this continues because most young people do not have things to do, but through sports, they can develop,” Osman said.

Osman also pledged to pick some outstanding players and give them a platform to showcase their skills at Ntopwa Football club.

Councillor for Michiru Ward, Uche Selassie Yesaya also applauded Usi for donating sports equipment to the teams, saying this will motivate them.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, September 8, Mana: In the flat lands of Nyungwe in the lakeshore district of Karonga, 68-year-old Baija Manda lives in makeshift structure together with his wife, seven children and three grandchildren, about 10 metres from the notorious Wovwe River.

He recalls one bad night in February when a crashing sound woke him up from sleep.

“We were asleep as a family and we heard a crashing noise, then a sharp cry from one of the children.

“When I woke up, I couldn’t locate the door, it was blocked by debris. The house had fallen down,” he says.

The injured child was rushed to the hospital and the rest of the family sought refuge at a nearby school which would later become their ‘home’ for three months.

“This [Wovwe] river used to pass some 200 metres away from here until this year in February when it got mad, creating itself new pathways felling houses along the way,” Manda says.

Heavy rains in both Chitipa and Karonga created a fierce runoff that flooded Tilora, Chimbilili and Hara streams forcing them to converge, creating a large pool that drained into Wovwe River, which then broke its banks causing pandemonium down in the lakeshore communities.

The raging waters swept away crop fields, livestock and household items including blankets, utensils and food leaving the communities destitute.

They also changed the river course, bringing it to within five metres from where used to be Manda’s house and about 10 metres from where he has now erected a makeshift structure that houses the family.

It is September and elsewhere, most rivers have dried up, but Wovwe is still running with rage, still posing a threat to the family.

“This structure is unsafe as it exposes us to various biting crawling creatures. At the same time, there is no privacy as it has no proper room demarcations,” Manda says.

He is one of the 724 victims in the district who received cash transfers from the Red Cross Society of Malawi to help them rebuild their lives after a three month stay at a camp.

However, the rebuilding process has been slow as the money they received is long exhausted.

“As much as we are thankful for the support we received form Red Cross during this disaster, we still have many challenges.

“For instance, we have moulded bricks, bought iron sheets but there is no money to employ bricklayers to help with construction. We do not have money for cement, let alone planks for roofing,” Manda says.

Another victim, Alantos Mzumala concurs with Manda saying there are more gaps begging for assistance in the course of rebuilding the victim’s lives.

“Some of us have bought land in upland but we don’t have money to start constructing houses.

“Others have bricks ready but lack other resources. It’s a mix bag, but the common challenge is that we cannot rebuild if we are not supported further,” Mzumala says.

He fears the approaching rain season would unleash hell and pile more pressure on the families which are already bushed so far.

“The floods left us with nothing. We lost food, we lost crops in the field. We lost everything in the houses. The only thing we were left with is life.

“Despite the support we received from Red Cross and other organisations including government, the rebuilding process has been slow because there are still many things that are lacking,” he says.

Disaster Risk Management Officer for Karonga District Council, Humphrey Magalasi says Karonga as one of the most disaster prone districts in the northern region perennially experiences flooding, strong winds, drought and outbreaks like cholera.

He says in the 2023/2024 rainfall season, the district received a lot of rains causing flooding from January up to April, affecting 3 500 households.

“But we received overwhelming support from government and stakeholders both within and outside the district including the Red Cross Society.

“With Red Cross we planned and worked together throughout the process from assessment to the actual response whereby the most affected household were given K250 000 for shelter and K150 000 for livelihood support. They had to have a starting point,” Magalasi says.

As part of the Disaster Risk Management Committee and co-lead in shelter and camp management, Red Cross has been a key actor, mobilising both food and non-food support for the victims.

Louis Tobias Solomon is the Emergency Operations Coordinator for the Malawi Red Cross Society and says it is pleasing that the flood victims have put the money they received to good use.

“Malawi Red Cross in its mandate as an auxiliary to the public authority, worked hand in hand with government to do preliminary assessments of the flooding that occurred this year and the findings revealed that Karonga, Nkhotakota, Kasungu and Lilongwe districts were the districts that were heavily affected.

“We lobbied support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) for funding and we got K971 million through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF),” Solomon explains.

He says the humanitarian society only targeted those that had their houses totally destroyed so that they rebuild their homes.

The DREF aimed at providing indirect support to 12,375 people and direct support to 3,000 people in Nkhotakota, Karonga, Kasungu and Lilongwe districts for a consecutive period of three months.

Specifically, the intervention planned to provide immediate livelihood support through cash transfers and strengthening community resilience through promotion of livelihood and risk reduction activities to protect productive assets of the targeted households in the four districts.

About 5,000 people have been reached directly while over 200 000 people have been reached indirectly through awareness campaigns on cholera, disaster preparedness and prevention of gender based violence.

At least 600 households received K400 000 each for shelter rehabilitation and basic needs while 400 families received K150 000 for basic needs. 

The humanitarian society also supported the district health offices to deliver essential health items like chlorine and other supplies and facilitated health outreach clinics in hard to reach areas

“We came up with a comprehensive package so that the households are also given some support through sanitary items like soap, sleeping mats and blankets to reduce their suffering apart from the cash transfers,” Solomon says.

He says most of the beneficiaries were those in the lakeshore districts of Karonga and Nkhotakota because there was more destruction than in Kasungu and Lilongwe.

“I’m happy to see that most the communities we targeted have used their money for intended purposes, they are rebuilding their houses,” he says.

On his part, Head of Disaster Management at Malawi Red Cross Society, Patrick Phiri, expresses gratitude to the IFRC and other funders for their quick response towards the crisis that disrupted the social economic lives for thousands.

“We are also grateful to the Malawi Government, Danish, Swiss and Icelandic Red Cross, corporate organisations and various individuals for their support which made us provide good response.

“We work closely with the Department of Disaster Management Affairs and other humanitarian players on the ground because we value coordination and we look forward to further collaboration and assistance from them,” he says.  

Nevertheless, Village Head Kayaghala 2 of Nyungwe whose community was heavily hit says more needs to be done at least before the next rain season comes so that the victim’s lives are fully brought to normalcy.

By Lekereni Chinkhota

Salima, September 8, Mana: Learners who have been selected to start secondary education from Salima North West constituency were in jovial mood after Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Enock Phale awarded them with financial assistance and school materials.

Speaking on Saturday during a sendoff ceremony organized for 34 learners who have been selected to national and district secondary schools, in the area of Senior Chief Khombedza, Phale committed to support the learners to excel well with their education.

He said it is unfortunate seeing bright learners failing to further their education to Secondary school due to financial challenges.

“I organized this function in liaison with my friends to award these learners who have made it to various secondary schools from my constituency. We are giving out gifts for them to start with, as they go to secondary school,” he said.

He added: “I want to empower and motivate the learners to continue working hard so that others should emulate the same energy. This financial support will cover the whole form one school fees for some.” He said.

Phale said the money has been divided into tranches for accountability purposes so that their parents should use to support the learners accordingly.

To show excitement about Phale's gesture, Deputy Head Teacher at Matenje Community Day Secondary School Solomon Nkhoma commended the support that has been rendered to the learners citing that it will motivate them to aim higher and chase their dreams.

“These events help students achieve their goals because it is a stepping stone for most of the students who are coming from typical villages where they had no access to such information and motivational talks. They have understood what they are going to do at secondary school.” He said.

On her part, Bridget Khezonga who has been selected to Lilongwe Girls Secondary School said the support she has received will help her settle down and never worry about anything as she commences her secondary education.

“This assistance will help me to work extra harder and I am grateful to honourable Phale and his friends for giving me this huge assistance that will brighten my secondary education. I am also grateful to my parents, God and everybody who had faith in me so that I can achieve my dreams.” she said.

Hope Sopo, who has been selected to Dedza government secondary school, said the support is timely citing that many learners from the area come from poor families who would not manage to get all secondary school needs on their own as the opening day draws closer.

“This assistance will help me to work hard in my education because I will lack nothing to achieve my dreams. I am urging people who have supported us to go and assist others as well so that many learners should get motivated through such assistance.” he said.

To spice up the event, Phale brought role models from the police, Malawi Defense Forces, Education and Salima District Hospital to motivate and inspire the learners.

Phale plans to institute the role modelling programme as a permanent tool to motivate and inspire the learners in the district.

Four learners who made it to national secondary schools of Lilongwe girls, Dedza government, Mzuzu government and Malosa have walked away with K1 million each as a startup for their secondary education with another K1 Million left to be given later.

By Patience Kapinda

Lilongwe, September 8, Mana: Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to private schools that have already opened for the first term, defying the harmonized academic calendar.

In a public announcement released on September 6, 2024, the ministry reminded all stakeholders that the first term of the 2024/25 academic year is scheduled to start on September 16, 2024, and ends on December 20, 2024.

The ministry expressed concern that some private schools had already begun classes, contravening the harmonized calendar.

In a statement, Secretary for Education, Dr Mangani Chilala Katundu, emphasized that all public and private schools must adhere to the set calendar.

"The Ministry would therefore like to request all schools to follow the 2024/25 Academic calendar or risk revocation of their licences," Dr. Katundu stated.

The ministry’s stand aims to ensure uniformity in the education sector and prevent confusion among students, parents, and teachers.

Meanwhile, the ministry's decision has been welcomed by many, who see it as a step towards maintaining order and standards in Malawi's education system.

By issuing the reminder, the Ministry of Education is reaffirming its commitment to enforce the harmonized calendar, ensuring that all schools operate within the set framework.

By George Mponda

Karonga, September 7, Mana: Karonga Town Water Supply Project which is being implemented by the Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) is now at 99 percent completion and President Lazarus Chakwera is expected to inaugurate it next month.

The 32 Million USD project funded by the OPEC Fund, BADEA and the Malawi Government is expected to boost supply of potable water to an estimated population of 184,000 people in Karonga where water demand is currently outpacing supply.

Speaking Saturday when she visited the project, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Liana Kakhobwe said she was happy with the progress made so far.

"I am glad to announce that the project which started during tough times of Covid-19 is now almost finished and President Chakwera is expected to officially inaugurate it next month. The administration of President Lazarus Chakwera wants to ensure that all Malawians have access to potable water which is their right.

"We are promoting piped water supply even in rural areas as such this project once completed will serve 184, 000 people in Karonga which is a step in the right direction. People of Karonga will now have access to safe water and sustainable water supply which will ensure their good well-being," Kakhobwe said.

On her part, NRWB's Chairperson of the Operations and Projects Committee, Florence Nthakomwa said currently the board is disinfecting supply pipes before they start pumping water.

“We have laid 301 kilometres of pipelines, upgraded our treatment plant from pumping 12 million litres per day to 30 million litres per day including installing 45 communal water points and constructed three booster stations at Pusi, Mlare and Bwiba which will ensure that people even in rural areas have access to potable water,” said Nthakomwa.

According to Nthakomwa, the board which has also constructed a modern office at Karonga Town, is currently processing water connection applications for almost 10,000 clients who have so far applied for the service.

The project has extended water supply from Karonga Town to Nyungwe, Pusi and Mpata.

By Martha Simchimba

Lilongwe, September 7, Mana: People of Senior Chief Kalolo in Lilongwe district have expressed excitement over the timely donation of relief items by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma).

 Dodma donated to 30 households whose houses and property were destroyed due to chieftaincy wrangles between the people of Masula and Mvuto villages in Lilongwe district.

Speaking on Friday at Chalimba primary school ground during the distribution exercise, an 80-year-old man Selemani Sikelo from Masula village said he had nothing at home, as everything got burnt.

“I am thankful to the government for this timely donation, as I will be able to live a normal life again,” he said.

The Disaster Risk Management Officer for Lilongwe district, Anganire Kalonga said it is their duty to oversee and support people whenever they face any disaster.

"As a department, we are geared to offer our support whenever people in the district have encountered any form of disaster and we are expecting the beneficiaries to use the relief items for the intended purpose,” she said.

The relief items distributed include bags of maize, cooking pots, blankets, wooden sticks, plates, roles of plastic sheets to be used for roofing their houses and plastic buckets.