By Priscilla Mwakifuna

Chikwawa, February 17, Mana: In a bid to empower youths in Chikwawa through vocational training and entrepreneurship, Apostle Arbert Mpende from Time of Repenting and Deliverance Ministries (TRIDEM) has distributed 36 sewing machines and other sewing equipment to youths.

The distribution was done on Sunday during the graduation of students who enrolled at TRIDEM vocational school at Domasi Trading Center in the district.

According to Mpende, the initiative is under a project called Community Health Evangelism.

“The goal is to equip the youths with the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and independent, thereby improving their livelihoods,” he said.

Mpende added that his ministry will utilize the existing committees in the community to act as surveillance mechanism to ensure proper use of the machines.

Speaking at the event Chikwawa District Youth Officer, Mcnell Shire said the development will have a remarkable impact on the youths’ livelihood.

"Youths who were previously hindered by their struggles to buy their own machines have now been empowered to generate their own income," said Shire.

One of the people who benefited from the initiative, Merifa Mkhwazi said she is happy that her dream of becoming a tailor has now been fulfilled and she has a sewing machine to start her business.

The beneficiaries will be required to pay for the sewing machines in installments for a period of six months.

By Charlie Ligomeka

Machinga, February 17, Mana- Police in Machinga have launched a manhunt for villagers that unlawfully wounded five forest officers at Chikala-Nauko Forest Reserve on February 16, 2025.

According to Senior Forest Scout, Alfred Saindi, 41, the forest officers were patrolling the reserve when they came across four people producing charcoal.

The four, identified as Justin Willard, 18, Thokozani George, 26, Charles Masamba, 27, and Stella Dyson, all from Chinthenga Village, Traditional Authority Nsanama, District Machinga, were arrested on the spot.

However, when the relatives of the suspects learnt about the arrest, they mobilised themselves and confronted the forest officers, demanding the release of their relatives.

The situation quickly got worse, with the villagers mounting a roadblock and attacking the forest officers with stones and sharp objects.

In an attempt to disperse the crowd, one of the forest officers fired a bullet in the air, but this did not scare the villagers, as a result, five forest officers sustained various degrees of injuries.

The officers, Hebron Nyirenda, 27, was wounded on his right knee and bruised around his face; Jason Sokosa, 27, sustained a big cut on his forehead and around his neck; Sailes Simunja, 28, sustained cuts on his left and right arms and some bruises around his head;

In the fracas, Ruben Jesta, 32, sustained a big cut on his head and some bruises on his face; and Daudi Adam, 53, sustained a big cut on his left arm and some bruises around his head.

Three of the victims were referred to Zomba Central Hospital, while the other two were admitted at St. Luke Mission Hospital in Zomba.

Adam also sustained deep cut on his cheek as angry villagers and charcoal producers resisted apprehension in 2024

Machinga Police Station, Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Western Kansire, the conditions of the victims were not all that good.

“The suspects will appear before court once the paperwork is completed. Meanwhile, the police are urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of the villagers who attacked the forest officers to come forward," said Kansire.

In a related development, charcoal producers at Chikala Hills in Machinga attacked a forest ranger who is currently receiving treatment at St. Luke's Hospital in Zomba.

By Charlie Ligomeka

Machinga, February 17, Mana - Ujamaa Pamodzi Africa (UPA) trained 76 children with albinism and other forms of disabilities in Machinga to self-defend themselves in cases of attacks and other forms of violence.

UPA trained the children and their parents at Ntaja in the district as part of a broader initiative to promote children's rights, particularly in preventing and responding to gender based violence following growing attacks on children with albinism in Machinga, according to UPA's District Coordinator, Bonex Chilunga.

“We recognize the need to empower children with albinism with self-defense skills to protect themselves from any form of violence,” he added.

He said UPA believe that it is also the responsibility of every parent and citizen to ensure that people with albinism are protected and treated with dignity and respect.

“We must give them equal opportunities to participate in various activities, such as politics, education and other social events," Chilunga added.

He therefore urged community members to report perpetrators that attack children with albinism to relevant authorities for the law to take its course, saying this would deter others from committing similar crimes.

Child Protection Worker, Jangiya Chimenya, from Kawinga area, commended UPA for training children with albinism on self-defense saying community members should also come in to further protect the children against any form of violence.

“The training has helped us advocate for the importance of treating every child equally," said Chimenya and noted that people with albinism were mostly excluded from various community activities due to stigma and discrimination.

“We thank partners for raising communities’ awareness on importance of reporting GBV cases to relevant authorities," he added.

Chimenya further expressed hope that the training by UPA will help to promote inclusion of children with albinism and other forms of disabilities into various community activities.

“This is a significant milestone, and we are grateful to UPA for organizing the training,” the Child Protection Worker, added.

A parent, Janet Manesi, from Kauma Village, Traditional Authority Kawinga, believed the training will have positive impact on protection of children with albinism against attacks and other forms of violence.

She also thanked UPA for empowering parents with knowledge and skills in caring, protecting children with albinism and other forms of disabilities against all forms of violence in their respective communities.

One of the trained children, Wema Usiku, said the training empowered her with self-defense skills and built her confidence to participate in school and community activities.

“The training was ideal. I have learned how to defend myself, and I will no longer be silent on issues of injustice against people with albinism," Usiku, a secondary school student added.

Machinga District Principal of Gender, Rita Sukasuka, said the district and its partners work tirelessly to sensitize communities as to how and where to report GBV.

“We are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all children, regardless of their background or disability," Sukasuka said.

She added that the district will continue to work with UPA and other stakeholders to ensure that children with albinism and other forms of disabilities are protected and empowered to reach their full potential.

UPA is implementing a child protection project in Machinga to help 550 learners with special needs to access education while providing 100 children with albinism with protective skills   against violence in schools and in their homes.

Apart from Machinga, UPA is also implementing similar intervention in Mzimba, Kasungu, Dowa, Lilongwe, Ntcheu, Zomba and Blantyre.

By Brighton Chimsinde 

Mchinji, February 17, Mana: In separate research studies done by three students of Lilongwe University Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), findings have revealed that young people face a lot of challenges in accessing Sexual Reproductive Health Service (SRHS).

The findings were revealed when the researchers were presenting their papers at a Research Indaba organized by Girls Activist Youth Organization (GAYO), which was held on Sunday at Mchinji Community Centre Hall in Mchinji District. 

In their respective presentations, their studies indicated that long distance, inadequate knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and unavailability of a youth friendly health facilities in the areas as among other challenges that prevents the adolescents to get the services.

For instance one of the researchers, Praise Lungu was Investigating factors affecting access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by young people; case study of young people in Mandible Township in Lilongwe.

Lungu said the study had 60 participants of which 3 were parents, 30 girls ranging 15 to 25 of age and 27 boys with age range of 16 to 27.

“Findings indicated that 45.8 per cent had no knowledge of SRHR. It has been established that 38 per cent of young people face a lot of challenges in accessing SRH service due to long distance and unavailability of a health facility in the area. While 60 per cent of the young people had a negative attitude like SRH services leads to lack of sexual appetite,” Lungu said. 

Lungu called on the government and stakeholders to establish Youth Friendly Health Service (YFHS) centres convenient to the youth and the facilities should provide health services that the youth and adolescents need.

Ministry Health Deputy Director Responsible for Reproductive Health and Adolescent Youth Hans Katengeza assured the gathering that the ministry is committed to fill the gap.

"The ministry is committed to ease challenges that the adolescents are encountering in accessing the services. We are making progress, for instance National Statistical Office records of 2016 the uptake of reproductive health services was at 48 percent while in a recent survey we have increased the service uptake to 68 per cent. And majority of the recipients are the youth," Katengeza said. 

GAYO Executive Director Richard Batch said the research findings gave them evidence that they need to advocate for improved policies and services at both the community and national levels.

“The gathering advances a cause that is not only crucial to public health but also to human dignity and the right of every young person to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights services. Our task is to break down the barriers that still stand between young people and the care, knowledge, and resources they need to excel,” Batch said.

GAYO organized the research Indaba under their project called The Sexuality Education for Transformation (SET), which aims at advancing through dialogue and research discussion.

By Tikondane Vega

Lilongwe, February 17, Mana: Maranatha Academy crushes Kalibu Academy in a recent sports day, with an impressive 3-1win record.

The school also showed their skills and teamwork, taking home wins in Football Team A 1-0, Volleyball 3-1, and Basketball 38-24, although Football Team B fell short with a 7-8 loss.

Maranatha Academy, believes that education is more than just academics but also providing students with a well-rounded experience that prepares them for success in all areas of life.

The school authority said they are committed to balance books and balls.

By offering a range of extracurricular activities, the school is helping students develop new skills, make friends, and have fun.

The pictures show part of the action.

By Max Mahara Medison

Salima, February 16, Mana: Salima District Council has set an ambitious target of four million trees to be planted in the 2025/2026 tree planting season, calling for support from stakeholders to achieve the target.

The council has already collaborated with M&B Company, manufacturers of Tamu-Tamu drink, in launching the tree planting season with this target of 4,000,000 trees.

Speaking on Saturday during the launch of the 2025/2026 tree planting season at Makande Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority Salima, Salima District Council chairperson Ephraim Manthepa highlighted that the collaborative effort is key in replenishing the district's vegetative cover.

"High population and careless cutting down of trees and large-scale charcoal burning in the district has hit us hard, therefore we really need to coordinate to ease some of the climatic shocks such as droughts and flooding," he said.

He said the district has lost much of its vegetative cover, which is worrisome as most parts of the land have been left bare resulting in running water and soil erosion, adding that low yield has been prevalent in most communities.

Manthepa then recommended tree planting as the best initiative for restoring the environment.

He also urged everyone in the district to take part in caring for the trees.

“We have to restore our nature. This can be done by planting a good number of trees every year, and each one of us must participate in caring for the trees,” he said.

Acting Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Adam Jason, expressed optimism that the target will be met by the end of the season.

“The initiative is going well and we are happy to say that we have managed to plant over 3.8 million trees already. This is giving us more confidence that we will meet the target of four million trees by the end of the planting season,” he said.

Jason also applauded M&B for being a trusted partner in supporting the tree planting initiatives for the past two years, and he further called for more partners in the drive.

M&B Company Manager MacCity Makhuwira highlighted the importance of vegetation to the company’s business and expressed the company's interest in ensuring that nature is restored in Salima.

“Most of the ingredients for Tamu-Tamu drink come from the vegetation. We, therefore, have joined the initiative in which we have planted 10,000 seedlings so far,” he said.

The council aims to plant more trees to ensure that nature is restored and has urged people to take on the responsibility of caring for the trees.

By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, Feb 16, Mana: Government is set to provide top-up cash transfers to 144,415 households which are already on the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) and Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works (CS-EPWP).

The households in Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Karonga, Mwanza, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntcheu, and Thyolo districts will receive the cash transfers in the event that they are affected by climate-related shocks this year.

Speaking during a stakeholders briefing on the 2024/2025 Scalability Mechanism Safety nets over the weekend in Blantyre, National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) Social Protection Officer Mateso Kazembe observed that Malawi continues to face various types of climate-related disasters, such as floods, drought, and strong winds.

He said the events were the threats to social and economic well-being of the population and further observed that disaster occurrences make it hard for vulnerable households to recover from poverty

“We know that Malawi has a disaster risk financing strategy to provide a response to climate shocks after the disaster has occurred. There is also need for an operational mechanism to channel resources quickly and on time, especially to poor households once the disasters have struck hence, having a scalable mechanism safety net.

“This safety net targets 17 percent of the district population, with 10 percent being the beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Programme, while the rest is for participants of Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme. 

“Though the scalability mechanism targets the entire district, in this 2024/2025 season, however, the targeted areas within the district will only be those that are heavily affected by the drought,” Kazembe said.

He said such places will be identified in consultation with the district council officials.

Kazembe further said the targets for the scalable mechanism for Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Karonga, Mwanza, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntcheu and Thyolo are 20,793, 17,289, 12,742, 5,754, 13,583, 12,026, 28,982 and 33,246, respectively.

He said each household is expected to receive a cash transfer of K150,000 for three months to cushion their vulnerabilities.

“These are households with elderly members above 64 years, elderly households keeping orphans, households’ heads with chronic illness, and those vulnerable households with labor capacity,” he explained, adding that the safety net programme will soon be extended to other districts across the country.

In his remarks, Director of Administration for Blantyre District Council, Redgson Mkolombwe, hailed the taskforce championing scalability mechanisms at NLGFC for briefing the council on scalability mechanisms.

He pledged the council’s commitment to work together with the central government in ensuring that the exercise is a success.

The Scalable Mechanism Safety Net is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project, commonly known as Tidzidalire.

The project, which is supported by the World Bank and Multi-Donor Trust Fund, aims to improve resilience among the poor and vulnerable population and strengthen the national platform for safety nets in Malawi.