By Dhumisan Khumalo and Tawina Kuluweya

Mzuzu, April 11, Mana: Mzuzu University Academic Staff Union (MUASU) and Mzuzu University Non-Academic Staff Union (MUNASTU) on Friday conducted demonstrations, protesting against delays in processing their gratuities.

MUASU spokesperson Misheck Banda said the aim of the demonstrations is to urge President Lazarus Chakwera, who is chancellor for the university, to intervene and speed up the processes that are supposed to take place for the staff members to receive their gratuity.

"The danger of the delays in this tough economic environment is that the money is losing value. We are talking about the money that people have worked for, earned and deserved over a number of years of service to the university," said Banda.

He also added that the demonstrations are not to threaten the president, saying they are trusting that Chakwera is going to make sure that their concerns are going to be looked into.

"We believe that our chancellor will look at the merits of our argument and should ensure that the pay out letters should be issued by 18 April and the actual payment to be made by 30 April.

“We have indicated in our memo that unspecified action might be taken by the union if the requests will not be met," Banda added.

A district council secretariat official, Mercy Ghambi, who received the petition on behalf of the District Commissioner, assured the demonstrators that their petition will be forwarded to the chancellor.

"I will forward the petition to the District Commissioner and he will send them to the Chancellor of Mzuzu University, who is also the state president, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera," Ghambi said.

She however congratulated MUASU and MUNASTU for holding peaceful demonstrations.

By Solister Mogha

Zomba, April 11, Mana: Deputy Minister of Agriculture Benedicto Chambo has appealed to people of Zomba Chingale to embrace irrigation schemes by taking advantage of plenty water and fertile soils in order to avert hunger.

Chambo made the appeal on Thursday at Matoponi Irrigation Scheme where farmers in the area were set for irrigation farming.

He said agriculture productivity has changed due to effects of climate change, adding that the only way to ensure food security was to go for irrigation farming.

“Government is keen in as far as irrigation farming is concerned, and this is why we are constructing a number of irrigation schemes,” Chambo added.

Apart from irrigation schemes, he said government will be giving out agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer, through National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) loans.

Zomba District Council chairperson, Councilor Blazio Chinthenga, said Zomba is one of the districts with plenty water and fertile soil, adding that introduction of irrigation farming was an ideal way to achieve sustainable food security all year round.

“Malawi is not supposed to experience hunger, as we have enough irrigable land with plenty of water and all we want are irrigation schemes.

“I would like to appeal to government to continue opening up irrigation schemes so that Malawians should have the chance to cultivate three times a year,” he added and assured the minister that people will continue utilizing Matoponi Scheme in Chingale, taking advantage of water and fertile soil.

Sub Traditional Authority Nkapita hailed government for establishing irrigation schemes in his area, saying this will improve food security and better economic opportunities for people in the area through sales of agricultural produce.

He said the area is always subjected to droughts and establishment of irrigation schemes is solution to food insecurity at household level.

Matoponi Irrigation Scheme is one of the schemes supported by Programme for Rural Irrigation Development (Pride)

By Aisha Chiwaya

Salima, April 11, Mana: Salima District's Principal Nutrition, HIV and AIDS Officer, Yamikani Makondi, says there has been a rise in child malnutrition cases, mainly due to prolonged dry spells and African armyworm infestations that have left many families food insecure.

Makondi made the remarks on Thursday during the launch of a campaign to distribute Corn Soya Blend as part of World Vision's global ‘Enough’ campaign, which aims to end child hunger in the area of Senior Chief Kalonga.

“Salima experiences recurring shocks. While we have seen progress at times, the current dry spell is expected to cause another rise in malnutrition,” Makondi said.

Makondi welcomed the support, calling it timely and aligned with government efforts to invest in child development.

“This support will strengthen our policies and strategies, allowing children to reach their full potential and thrive in school,” he said.

World Vision’s Dedza-Salima District Programmes Manager Chikumbutso Kamwendo said the initiative aims to reach 2,147 children across 49 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Salima, adding the project is valued at K28 million.

“Our research identified the area of Senior Chief Kalonga, particularly the Mapiko and Mkhukhi villages, as among the hardest hit by hunger during the last rainy season,” Kamwendo added.

Senior Chief Mkhukhi pledged to ensure the aid reaches the intended beneficiaries.

However, he also pointed out caregiver negligence as a contributing factor to malnutrition.

“The porridge motivates children to attend school, but a lack of understanding among some caregivers affects progress. Those who follow instructions see improvements in their children’s health,” Mkhukhi noted.

By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, April 11, Mana: Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has expressed concern over reduced donor funding, which is hampering operations of one-stop centres that provide support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Salima District, MHRC Executive Secretary Habiba Ousman said dwindling aid, particularly from donors such as USAID, is posing a serious challenge to the centres' sustainability.

“The reduction of donor aid is a significant challenge. Many partners are shifting focus away from human rights issues, affecting vital services like one-stop centres,” Ousman said.

The meeting brought together police officers, healthcare workers, social welfare officers, and civil society representatives to discuss ways to improve the reporting and handling of human rights violations, including sexual harassment and reproductive health issues.

Ousman emphasized MHRC’s continued commitment to monitoring the implementation of the Gender Equality Act and providing technical support to frontline responders.

“There is also a lack of political will to allocate adequate resources. We urge the Ministries of Health and Gender to prioritize this sector in their budgets,” she added.

Salima Police Station Officer Francisco Chisomo praised MHRC’s involvement, saying it would enhance awareness and encourage more survivors to report violations.

“As stakeholders, we must reflect on our collaboration and identify gaps. It’s important to stay updated on new policies addressing sexual and reproductive health challenges,” he said.

Principal Nursing and Midwifery Officer at Salima District Hospital, Yanjanani Mawindo, highlighted the vital role one-stop centres play in providing care, counseling, and community reintegration for survivors.

“This training reminds us of our responsibilities and the importance of a multi-sectoral approach. Our centres link survivors to partners who help them rebuild their lives,” she said.

One-stop centres play a vital role in Malawi’s multi-sectoral approach of tackling sexual gender based violence by providing comprehensive services – including legal assistance, psychosocial counseling, and medical care – under one roof.

Stakeholders at the meeting called for renewed donor support and increased government commitment to sustain the services offered by one-stop centres across the country.

By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, April 11, Mana: Senior Chief Kapeni of Blantyre District vividly recalls the incident that happened in 2012 when he heard the high-pitched and tremulous voice of a woman in dire need of help.

At that time, the senior chief says, he was presiding over a case that was presented before him at the village tribunal.

The unusual and frightened voice disturbed everyone present, including the proceedings of that day, as the people who had gathered in the courtroom could not resist flocking outside to witness what had happened to the woman.

"We found the woman crying helplessly, holding her child who had died in transit to Mlambe," recalls Kapeni.

According to chief, the woman had travelled from Chembela Village, which is located at the furthest place in his jurisdiction, to Mlambe Hospital, seeking medical help.

"It pained me a lot,” says Kapeni, “If we had a health facility within reach, the life of that underage child would have been saved,” he says.

As time pass by, the memories of the catastrophic event still haunts the senior chief.

With anguish, he took it upon himself to bail out his remaining 40,000 subjects who were prone similar predicament.

He lobbied for support from various well-wishers and the Ministry of Health, through the District Health Office, to build a health facility in this area.

"The District Health Office considered building a health facility in this area in 2014 but not so long after, the construction works for the facility stalled at window level due to a lack of funding," laments Kapeni.

After eleven years of attempts to have the health facility constructed in his area, the traditional leader finally felt relieved when the government announced the introduction of the World Bank-funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) in 2020.

This is a five-year government project, which is facilitated by National Local Government Finance Committee and is implemented by councils across the country.

The councils benefit from the project through performance-based grants, which they use to construct various infrastructural projects to benefit local citizenry.

Blantyre District Council became a beneficiary of the fund in 2022, after missing the grant for two previous years due to poor performance during the annual Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA), according to Alex Mdooko, Blantyre District Commissioner.

In 2022, the council scored 60 percent, to the delight of the commissioner and all his lieutenants.

To Mdooka, this was work well done, but the trajectory that remained was the year 2023: Again, the council worked so hard and improved on the rankings by scoring 73 percent during the assessment.

"The above-average score for the year enabled the council to receive about K1.1 billion from different GESD funding cycles," says Mdooko.

Using the fund, the council, among others, embarked on the construction of a K711 million project in Mtema Village, in the area of Senior Chief Kapeni, which includes Kadidi Health Centre, medical staff houses and incinerator.

"Currently, the projects are towards completion and people will start using the health facility next month (May)," explains the DC after touring the construction works of the health facility, staff houses and incinerator.

Besides impacting on quality of life, Mdooko believes the Kadidi Health Facility infrastructure will also be the flagship project in the district.

The facility will first start operating as a dispensary, offering outpatient services to about 65,000 people and, later, as a fully-fledged health centre which will offer additional services, including maternity.

Elson Chikalusa, chairperson of the Kadidi Health Centre committee, shares his excitement with Kapeni regarding the Kadidi Health Centre construction.

He says the committee pledges to take ownership of the infrastructure to ensure that it continues benefiting the current and future generations.

Meanwhile, Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director, George Jobe, has commended the council for the development, saying the policy from the Ministry of Health recommends that no one should walk a distance of more than five kilometers to a health facility to access services.

"The construction of a health facility around Mtema Village means people will now have easy access to health services, and more importantly, we are glad that it is being constructed in a place where the old structure had stalled for years," he says.

The council's drive for infrastructural development aligns with the Malawi 2063 blueprint, which describes infrastructure development as crucial to achieving Malawi 2063 (MW2063) Agenda.

The vision serves as a foundational element for economic growth, improved quality of life, and achieving the goal of becoming a self-reliant, industrialized upper-middle-income country by 2063, by facilitating trade, attracting investment, and enhancing productivity across various sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and services.

It further says that access to necessary infrastructure like healthcare facilities directly impacts the quality of life for Malawian citizens, thereby contributing to better health outcomes and overall well-being.

The development has brought relief to Senior Chief Kapeni and his subjects.

“Finally, when I look at the facility, I always wish the soul of that departed child in 2012 a peaceful rest because other children will now have access to essential health services within reach.”

By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, April 11, Mana: Chiefs in the area of Traditional Authorities (T/As) Kachere and Kaphuka in Dedza district have vowed to support candidates vying for various positions, as long as they have development agendas and agree to conduct their campaign peacefully.

The two chiefs made the sentiments on Thursday during a community dialogue with community members organized by Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Wolrec) and Oxfam aimed at supporting women, youths and people with disabilities to participate during the September 16 General Elections.

Speaking in separate interviews, Group Village Headmen (GVH) Mgundadzuwa under T/A Kachere assured voters that, as chiefs, they will not tolerate violence against other political opponents.

He said: “We have aspirants from all major political parties. All we want is issue-based politics and not violence. As chiefs, we are therefore encouraging voters to go to rallies and make informed decisions.”

On the other hand, GVH Fosa under Chief Kaphuka, warned politicians to avoid uttering words that incite violence.

 “We all have a role to play during the elections. I appeal politicians to tell eligible voters what they will do once ushered into some positions.

“Unfortunately, some politicians incite violence. We don’t want that," he said.

In his remarks, one of the facilitators from National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE), Vincent Kalawa, said the dialogues were crucial, saying people were able to express their views and also know youths, women and some people with disabilities who are competing during the elections.

 “We currently don’t have a female parliamentarian in Dedza. Youths and people with disabilities are also not in some positions. These engagement meetings are therefore very important," stated Kalawa.

With funding from the European Union, Oxfam in Malawi and Wolrec are implementing the Promoting Gender Transformative and Youth Inclusive Democracy in Malawi Project that aims at supporting women, youths and people with disabilities who are contesting in the September 16 general elections.

By Damiano Thengo

Nkhotakota, April 11, Mana: Nkhotakota South Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Brainex Kaisi has called on community members in Nkhotakota to show their commitment and responsibility when development projects are being implemented, saying this could assist in the construction of high-standard infrastructures in the district.

Speaking during a handover ceremony of a contractor who will construct a health post at Senior Group Village Headman Bamba headquarters in the area of Traditional Authority Nkhanga in the district, Kaisi said misconduct or misusing resources meant for developmental projects always leads to the construction of substandard and short-lasting pieces of infrastructure.

He further asked contractors to comply with project conditions and work hand in hand with the village committees that will be monitoring the project in order to satisfy the standards of the project.

"People should not fear the government or parliamentarian, but they should fear themselves that when they steal construction materials, they are going to construct substandard facilities, and in future, they will still cough out a lot of money for maintenance and rehabilitation," said Kaisi.

In her remarks, Traditional Authority Nkhanga commended government for the medical initiative, saying this will reduce the long distances that people in the area used to cover to receive medical treatment.

She further asked government through lawmakers and the Embassy of Iceland to consider constructing a secondary school in the area since children are currently covering 15 kilometres to access secondary school education, which leads to an increase in school dropout among learners.

Government of Iceland has pumped in over K1.2 billion for the health posts under the Nkhotakota basic service project, which will be used to build two health posts in the district within six months at Chinkhwamba and Bamba in Senior Chief Mwadzama and in Traditional Authority Nkhanga, respectively.