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Project hailed for promoting inclusion
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, April 2, Mana: District Social Welfare Officer for Kasungu, Ephraim Njikho has hailed the Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (Spark) project for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in agriculture value chain activities in the district.
Coordinated by the International Labour Organisation, Spark is a two-year project that seeks to create and promote employment opportunities of people with disabilities in programmes that are funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in Malawi.
Speaking on Monday during a community visit of Spark Project beneficiaries at Chulu and Chisinga in Kasungu west, Njikho said people with disabilities have often suffered in silence because they are invisible as they lack exposure hence missing out on socioeconomic opportunities.
He said: “The major challenge people with disabilities face is that they lack exposure. When they meet various difficult situations such as being excluded in socioeconomic activities, they don’t come in the open. They are invisible and suffer in silence.
“This is why we applaud the interventions under the Spark project which have helped to raise community awareness through advocacy and trainings to help people with disabilities enjoy their rights on equal footing like anyone else.”
National Project Officer for Spark, Vincent Kavala, said at least 300 people with all kinds of impairments have already found opportunities in the IFAD funded projects, specifically Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (Trade) and Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (Farms).
The Trade project supports rural communities in the agriculture value chain while the Farms programmer supports household economic development through promotion of access to financial services.
Said Kavala: “We are targeting all people with any type of impairment through a rights based approach towards inclusion. We understand that people with disabilities face a number of barriers including attitudes from communities, extension officers, and also issues of inaccessible infrastructure and others which hinder their participation.
“I’m happy to report that we have made good strides in that we have over 300 beneficiaries included in IFAD funded programmes in Kasungu only, against our target of 428. We are sure by the end of this year we will have reached our target.”
According to the 2018-2023 National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy, there are over 1.5 million people with disabilities in the country and about 90 percent of them live in the rural areas surviving on subsistence farming.
Funded to the tune of $230, 000 (about MK400 million), the Spark project is also implemented in Chitipa, Nkhata Bay and Thyolo districts.
Farmers cautioned against selling maize to vendors
By Austine Patrice Kachilika
Mzimba, April 2, Mana: M’mbelwa District Council Director of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Beatrice Mbakaya has advised farmers in Mzimba District against selling their agricultural produce to vendors as the district is anticipating hunger in some areas.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Mbakaya said the district has been greatly affected by dry spells which have contributed to the withering and underdevelopment of crops in Mzimba.
“Mzimba District registered over 20 days of dry spells during this growing season which contributed to stunted growth and withering of crops in several areas in the district. As such, farmers should know that we are likely to experience hunger in the coming months and should refrain from selling their grains to vendors at an early stage,” she said.
Mbakaya further advised farmers in the district to adopt climate resilient technologies for improved agricultural productivity and enhanced nutrition security.
She said: “It is high time farmers started adopting climate smart agriculture technologies such as manure production, drip irrigation, livestock keeping, genetic modified crops adoption and moisture retention methods.”
Mbakaya also urged farmers to grow drought tolerant crops such as cassava, cassava, millet and sweet potatoes which may act as a substitute for maize.
“People in the district should realise that maize is not the only source of carbohydrates, therefore, they must try out other alternatives in the wake of climate change shocks”, said Mbakaya.
Commenting on the matter, Group Village Head Venge Nyirenda asked community members to take heed of the advice to prevent hunger from striking their households.
One of the farmers, Ephrina Mvula said the advice has come at a right time because it will help most farmers weigh their options, whether to store their produce for future use or fall for money and face hunger.
Dedza IWD unites over 100 women
By Steve Chirombo
Dedza, April 1, Mana: District Gender Officer (DGO) for Dedza District Council, Lisnet Dauya, has disclosed that all is set for the district’s International Women’s Day (IWD) commemoration scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, at Kwathu Boutique in the district.
According to Dauya, all preparations and support towards the event’s budget of around K2 million are at an advanced stage and that there will be several activities ranging from solidarity march, motivational talks, interactive sessions among the 125 women brought together under the theme, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”
Said Dauya in an interview: “Let me express my gratitude for the support that has come, and the idea of bringing these women together is good and powerful as it will help us to form connections among Dedza women with different backgrounds.
“We believe a lot of relationships will be formed through this gathering and if we make them long lasting, it means it will be easy for us women in the district to support each other in different areas because well organized groups easily get support and many other opportunities,” she said.
She further stated that through the same gathering, it would be easy for women to influence for change or make decisions in areas such as health and agriculture, among others.
She also said the event will see participation of women from banking, health and agriculture sectors, who will talk to their fellow women who may in turn be able to learn several things and be motivated, eventually bringing in change and transform their households and communities they belong to and the entire district.
“During the day, there will also be cervical cancer screening to women willing to access the services. You know for some time, women have had own reservations on the same but this will provide an opportunity to the women to make informed decisions,” she said.
She however said, as the theme suggests, financial independent and healthier women contribute positively to the development of the country.
Special advisor to the President, who is also health and human rights activist, Martha Kwataine, is expected to grace the occasion.
Project to empower churches in community mobilization
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, April 1, Mana: Eagles Relief and Development Program International has embarked on a project, dubbed Dowa Child Centred Church and Community Mobilization Process (CCMP), aimed at empowering churches on how they can contribute to community development.
The pilot project, which is to be implemented in Traditional Authority Msakambewa, focuses on promoting mindset change in development and contribute towards improved living standards and holistic transformation of communities in the area, through improved church involvement and participation in social development.
In an interview after presenting the project to the District Executive Committee on Thursday, Church Mobilization Manager for Eagles, Cuthbert Gondwe, said the project aims to mobilize local churches and communities to work together and deal with issues the communities are facing.
“The main aim is getting the church and the community involved in their own development.
“As we talk of development coming from the people, we should also build the capacity of churches and communities to be able to come together, identify their issues, identify opportunities, identify local stakeholders, and then find solutions to those problems that they have,” he said.
Some of the project key deliverables include mobilization of 20 churches, 60 pastors and church leaders trained in CCMP, and 1,000 church members to be trained and transformed to transform others.
Also, 10,000 community members are set to be mobilized and empowered to be self-reliant and be able to take responsibility of their own development to reach out to 800 children and youth.
He said the project, whose implementing partners are Eagle, Compassion International, and Tearfund, will empower churches and communities to also work with government local structures and complement government's development agendas.
“For example, if government has plans to promote girl child education, we would like the church to understand what that is and how the church can come and realize and utilize the power it has in promoting girl child education,” he said.
He said the project is using the church due to its well-established structures on the ground and proximity to the people.
Maxwell Kadutsa, chairperson for Civil Society Network in the district, urged the organization to observe reporting to the committee on its project implementation.
“We need to understand what is going on with your project at all times, so we urge you to keep coming back to this committee to provide updates,” he said.
Child abandonment fueling child labour
By Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, April 1, Mana: It has been hell on earth for Major Lyton and Yamikani Dyless. Sleeping on an empty stomach, going from one place to another in search of pieces of work in order to find food, clothing and school materials on their own has been a part of their lives.
This is what has been characterizing the lives of young Lyton, aged 11, and Dyless, aged 13, born from different poor and irresponsible fathers in the area of Traditional Authority Chitekwere in Lilongwe District.
“Since our mother (Teresa Alick, aged 30) got married to another man, our lives have never been the same. My four siblings and I lack a lot of things in our lives, and this has even caused us to stop going to school.
“We do almost everything on our own through pieces of work, as our stepfather too depend on pieces of work for us to eat on a particular day. We go and herd cattle, goat and work in different farms just for our survival,” said Dyless with tears in his eyes.
He says recently he, together with Lyton, walked for about 80 kilometres (from T/A Chitekwele to T/A Chadza) just to find pieces of work for their survival.
“We left our home and went to the area of T/A Chadza where we were employed to herd cattle. It was not easy at all because in most cases, we were herding the cattle in a thick forest bare footed and we were reporting back home very late without eating anything from morning to evening,” Dyless said.
After learning of this sad development, Lilongwe District Labour Office and other stakeholders teamed up to withdraw the two young boys from herding the cattle, describing it as child labour.
Lilongwe District Labour Officer Chiletso Mbewe has since singled out child abandonment and lack of support for the children as some of the factors fueling child labour in the district and the country at large.
“It is sad that many families, more especially in the rural areas, continue bearing many children that they cannot afford to take care of. This forces young children to go out and find pieces of work for their needs,” she said.
Malawi National Child Labour survey (2022) clearly shows that the vice continues to affect an estimated 2.1 million children, aged 5 to 17, representing a 38 percent of this age group.
These numbers clearly indicate that efforts in this regard need to be intensified and accelerated in order for the goal of child labour elimination to be reached in the nearest possible future.
The survey also revealed that child labour is higher among children from poor households and even among best-off households, as it shows that more than one in three children are in child labour.
In policy terms, this result suggests that a strategic response based on poverty reduction alone is unlikely to be effective in eliminating child labour.
The statistics further indicate that 72 percent of children, aged 5 to 17, works in agriculture sector, 23 percent in domestic sector and three percent are in wholesale.
In urban areas, less than half (46 percent) of those aged 5 to 17 work in agriculture, forestry and fishing industry, 11 percent are in wholesale and retail trade, 39 percent in domestic sector and four percent in other sectors.
Mbewe then urged parents and guardians to take care of their children by, among other things, providing for their needs such as food, clothing and good shelter so that they do not go out and work in hazardous places.
Said Mbewe: “Section 9 of the Childcare, Protection and Justice Act clearly states that where a parent or any other person who is legally liable to maintain a child or to contribute towards the maintenance of the child, neglects to maintain the child, neglects to maintain the child or to make the contribution, the following persons may apply against such person to the child justice court for a maintenance order of the child.”
She further said the Act also allows the child, the parent of the child, the guardian of the child, relatives of the child, a social welfare officer, a police officer, a teacher, a health officer, and any other appropriate person to apply against such persons to the children’s court for a child maintenance order.
She then disclosed that Lilongwe District Council has already formulated by-laws that will deal with all parents and guardians that allow their young children to work in hazardous places like estates, mines and factories.
“These children we have repatriated and withdrawn, walked on foot for a distance of about 80 kilometres [from T/A Chitekwele to T/A Chadza] just to find pieces of work. They have been working as herd boys at that age. This clearly shows that these children are not taken care of by their parents. It’s quite pathetic,” she said.
Gikilosi Phiri, aged 32, admitted that he is failing to take care of his stepchildren because he is not working and that he doesn’t have any stable business to depend on.
“I depend on pieces of work to feed my family members. As you can see here, even our house doesn’t have door cover and we sleep like that. It’s not deliberate that these young children go out to look for pieces of work, but it’s the situation we are in that is forcing them,” he said.
Phiri has since asked Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), churches and well-wishers to assist the family with essential items such as food, clothing, beddings and some cash for the family to start a small business.
However, Malawi News Agency also observed that the family doesn’t even have a toilet, a bathing room and even their dwelling house doesn’t have privacy since the house doesn’t have separate bedrooms.
We also observed that there is no child that goes to school due to lack of required school materials such as bags, exercise books and pens.
We further noted that although Phiri’s family is passing through such a difficult situation, his wife is again expectant and very soon the number of family members in the house will be increased, thereby worsening the situation.
Group Village Headman Chinyama in the area of T/A Chitekwele thanked the district labour office for withdrawing the young boys from herding the cattle, saying their future would have been completely destroyed if the office had not intervened.
“It is pathetic to see young children like these working in such hard conditions while their friends are at school,” he said.
Chinyama further thanked the council for coming up with by-laws which he said will assist to protect children from hard labour.
He then warned his subjects against exploiting young children, saying the tendency is counterproductive.
“Send children to school so that they become productive citizens in the future and take part in developing their areas and the country at large,” he advised.
Pink eye affects 12,000 people countrywide
By Beatrice Bangula
Blantyre, April 1, Mana: Statistics from Ministry of Health indicate that viral conjunctivitis, also known as Pink eye disease, has hit more than 12,000 people in the country.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe told Malawi News Agency that so far the disease has reached nearly all the districts in Malawi, adding that Karonga still tops the list with Lilongwe coming second.
Chikumbe added that Ministry of Health was trying all it can to contain the disease whose signs and symptoms include redness of the eyes, itching, watery eyes and pain in the eyes, among others.
“The disease is self-limiting that it goes on its own without requiring antibiotics within seven to ten days. However, the ministry encourages people to immediately seek medical attention to treat symptoms and reduce suffering; antibiotic may be given to treat secondary infections,” he added.
Chikumbe added that Ministry of Health was conducting sensitization sessions with various groups to increase public awareness on how the disease is spread and how it can be prevented.
He added that health facilities across the country also provide treatment to cases and further promote hygiene and sanitation ways of preventing further transmission of the disease, saying hygiene is key in preventing about 52% of communicable diseases that include pink eye.
Meanwhile, Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director George Jobe has called for more sensitization activities on the dangers of pink eye, adding that the disease has no medication and that it cures on its own after some time.
“Pink eye is highly contagious and affects human activities which include productivity. People cannot go to work, learners cannot go to school and healthcare workers cannot provide healthcare services when they themselves have pink eye disease,” Jobe said.
Pink eye disease was first reported in Karonga District in February this year before spreading further to other districts in central region and later to southern region.
Farmers urged to embrace early maturing crops
By George Mponda
Karonga, March 31, Mana: Crops Officer for Karonga District Agriculture Development Office, Stocker Nundwe, has asked farmers in the district to plant early maturing crop varieties to lessen the impacts of weather unpredictability and flood disasters on their agriculture productivity.
Nundwe said this at Mwangulukulu Village in the area of Senior Chief Mwakaboko in Karonga on Friday during an agriculture field day organized by SeedCo.
Nundwe said Ministry of Agriculture wants three things for a farmer namely; food security, good nutrition and financial security.
He said the three can be achieved if farmers use early maturing seed that can withstand drought and suit the climate conditions of their area.
"This aligns with the government’s growing calls for farmers to practise climate smart agriculture, which includes planting early maturing crop varieties in our district which is hit with disasters annually," he said.
Agronomy Manager for SeedCo Malawi, James Mtiesa, appealed to farmers to select appropriate crop varieties based on their agro-ecological regions to maximise yields.
"It all starts with the right seed and on display today we had maize, soya and rice which mature early. Some crops do not need much rain and I can assure farmers that they will still get a bumper harvest even when grown on a small piece of land," said Mtiesa.
Some of the crops on display were Kalulu maize seed which matures in not more than 80 days and Signal 110 soya seed which matures in 104 days.
Mtiesa said farmers can harvest 50 bags and 28 bags per hectare of the maize and soya respectively.
“Nerica 4 rice seed matures in 100 days and can be grown everywhere since it does not need much water hauling in 32 bags from a hectare," he said.
Mtiesa stressed that by selecting appropriate early maturing varieties and diversifying crop choices, farmers can mitigate the risks associated with uncertain rainfall patterns and increase their chances of achieving a successful and bountiful harvest.
One of the farmers, Paliph Msukwa, said adopting hybrid seed varieties which mature early and are drought tolerant can be a solution to the problems faced by farmers in Karonga and help increase yields, food and nutrition security.
Mzimba children applaud NGO for rescuing them from child labour
By Joel Phiri
Mzimba, March 31, Mana: Some children from Traditional Authority (TA) Khosolo in Mzimba have commended Impact Centre for Economic and Development (ICEED) for rescuing them from child labour in the coffee and tea estates they were working in and offering them vocational training.
The children were speaking Saturday in Mzimba when ICEED, with funding from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), presented start-up tools to some of the 150 youths who completed a three months vocational training.
In an interview, 17-year-old James Longwe from Lunkhumba Village, TA Khosolo said he dropped out of school in Form One into one of the coffee estates in the district to escape poverty.
“Things were not rosy at home and I decided to look for a job to earn a living. I left school due to lack of financial support.
“When ICEED came looking for under aged boys and girls I was identified and offered a place at Buwe Technical College where I studied carpentry and joinery. I can now earn money in a conducive environment,” said Longwe.
Another rescued youth, Anile Banda, who dropped out of school in Standard Six due to poverty said she has worked at a coffee estate for two years.
“I left school in 2021 to look for work. Looking at where I come from, where we could sometimes sleep on empty stomach, I decided to leave school and find work to support myself and survive,” she said.
Banda studied tailoring and plans to launch her tailoring business.
ICEED Project Officer, Elvin Kalomba, said they are running a project called “Accelerating action in the elimination of child labour (ACCEL)” to rescue children from child labour and those at risk of child labour.
“Most of these children venture into child labour because of poverty in their families hence we thought by empowering them with vocational skills we will prevent them from being employed or engaged in child labour. They can start something of their own and make their own money,” said Kalomba.
Chief Labour Officer in the Ministry of Labour, Francis Kwenda, said the country faces a daunting task to end child labour because of poverty as most households struggle and as such send their children to work in estates.
“Currently child labour in Malawi stands at 38 percent, according to the 2015 National Statistical Office (NSO) survey. This is up from the 2002 survey which had child labour at 37 percent. Of these statistics, one percent of the children work in the agriculture sector,” said Kwenda.
He said the ministry is working with various partners such as ILO, tobacco industry players and other NGOs to end child labour.
Mzimba District Youth Officer, Yamikani Nyalugwe, applauded ICEED and ILO for empowering the youths with vocational skills which, he said, would help them become independent and self-reliant.
Inkosi Khosolo warned communities against offering children in estate saying he will punish every community member whose child or ward would be found working in estates.
Frequent blackouts infuriate Chitipa CSOs
By Aliko Munde
Chitipa, March 31, Mana: Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in Chitipa have expressed displeasure with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) for frequent power outages in the district.
The CSOs say the power cuts have affected operations of various businesses and offices including health facilities.
Speaking during a full council meeting on Thursday, Chairperson for Chitipa CSO Network, Patrick Ziba, wondered why Chitipa experiences blackouts everyday despite ESCOM assuring the nation that things have changed.
Ziba said the residents are not happy with the tendency by ESCOM to switch off power every day.
“We are losing lives in our hospitals because of lack of electricity and also some of our businesses have suffered for the same.
“As a district we need to do something because the blackouts are out of hand. Our neighboring districts are enjoying electricity every day, why Chitipa?” Ziba asked.
District Commissioner for Chitipa, MacMillan Magomero, assured that during the forthcoming full council meeting he will summon ESCOM officials to answer as to why there are frequent blackouts in the district.
ESCOM Chief Public Relations Officer, Kitty Chingota, acknowledged that Chitipa does, sometimes, experience blackouts as is the case with other parts of the country.
She, however, said that it might not be entirely correct to say that blackouts are the order of the day in Chitipa.
Chingota said that there has, of late, been an improvement in stability of power supply to Chitipa after her institution intensified efforts to repair faults on the power line that supplies electricity to the district.
“Oftentimes, ESCOM faces challenges carrying out maintenance of this line to Chitipa due to resource constraints,” she said.
She said ESCOM has prioritized Karonga to Chitipa line for 100 percent maintenance.
Meanwhile, ESCOM has received switchgear from the Ministry of Energy, through Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP), to install on the Chitipa line to help in localizing the faults.
“ESCOM engineers recently split the Chitipa and Songwe lines by maintaining a bundle conductor that was strung parallel to the airport. This means Chitipa and Songwe lines are now on separate breakers. This has reduced faults on both these lines,” Chingota explained.
She said ESCOM engineers are designing new structures that can withstand weather elements of the area.
“Additionally, the alternative supply line to Chitipa is being considered through Nyika National Park to Nthalire,” said Chingota.
No work, no allowances: Karonga DOs warned
By George Mponda
Karonga, March 31, Mana: Acting District Commissioner for Karonga, Frank Mkandawire, has warned Designated Officers (DO) working under the Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) against claiming allowances while not working on the ground.
Mkandawire made the sentiments Saturday in Chitipa at the end of a two-day review meeting for the programme’s third cycle attended by members of Karonga District Environment Sub-Committee (DESC) and DOs from 15 catchment areas.
"Officers are supposed to be on the ground supervising the project which aims to reduce risks associated with climate change and other disasters.
“We know that some of you are doing school which is not a bad thing but then you claim allowances for days which you did not work for; you will not receive that,” he said.
He expressed concern that some catchment areas lack supervision leading to shoddy work.
Mkandawire advised the DOs to exhibit firm leadership when dealing with extension workers and participants who are working under CS-EPWP in Karonga.
"We have heard reports that some of you are afraid to direct participants on how to do the work for fear of being bewitched. Leadership has no excuse; you just need to be courteous when dealing with participants and establish good communication channels and you will see the programme flourish in our district," he said.
President for the DOs, Webster Kanyimbo from Nyanja Catchment hailed the meeting for bringing out issues which will facilitate smooth implementation of the programme in Karonga.
"There are a number of issues which need to be addressed like the unavailablity of gadgets for proper documentation and late payments of participants wages which is also affecting the quality of work in the programme," Kanyimbo said.
CS-EPWP is implemented, in Karonga, by the National Local Governance Finance Committee with funding from the World Bank.
Over 13,000 participants are working on interventions which include construction of swales, contour marker ridging, caring for naturally regenerating trees, afforestation and river bank protection.
