By Wellington Sibale

Neno, May 11, Mana: Neno Shifters, a youth-led organization has taken steps in strongly campaigning against child marriages through various activities such as open days in schools under the theme, ‘advocating for ending child marriage and mitigating climate change, gender-based violence and disability through youth empowerment in schools’.

At an open day over the weekend at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School, Neno Shifters, Executive Director, Mike Mikeas, said there was a need to sensitize young people on the detrimental effects of child marriages and where, how to report gender-based violence (GBV)

“We aim to educate the youth through a series of activities about the impact of early marriages and climate change. Previously, we conducted a similar event at Chiwale Secondary School, but we felt that some students did not receive adequate information, and this is why we chose to hold this event here at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School,” said Mikeas.

He added that the initiative also stressed on importance of child education and environmental conservation, saying the youths need to take a leading role in addressing such issues, considering that they are leaders today and tomorrow.

Child Protection Officer at Neno Police Station, Sub-Inspector, Austine Kamwendo, commended Neno Shifters’ initiative, saying cases of child marriages are increasing at an alarming rate in the district.

He said there was a need to collectively respond to the contributing factors of child marriages with speed before the district regrets irreversible consequences.

“In partnership with Social Welfare Office and other organizations, we managed to end 20 child marriages this year, compared to 17 during the same period last year,” Kamwendo added and pointed out that limited means of transport remain a challenge to reach out to communities in the remote areas of Neno.

A Student at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School, Mphatso Milanzi, said the awareness was timely and relevant, saying the youths need to be informed on the negative effects of child marriage and be aware of various forms of GBV and where to report such cases.

“Information on the effects of child marriages and gender-based violence is crucial to the youth. If more girls become pregnant and marry early, there will be a reduction in the number of educated girls in our district.

“We welcome such initiatives because they provide platforms for the youths to discuss the importance of education and the negative effects of child marriages,” she added.

Neno Shifters implements youth-focused initiatives with financial and technical support from Save the Children through a campaign, Shifting Power to the Youth.

By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, May 10, Mana: District Commissioner for Blantyre, Alex Mdooko, encouraged communities in Blantyre rural to actively participate in the development projects of their areas as the district is in Community Development Month (CDM).

Mdooko made the remarks on Friday when the Blantyre District Council, through the Community Development Office, engaged members of the Area Development Committee (ADC) in Traditional Authority Somba on the CDM.

CDM is part of the public sector reforms in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, which aim to improve the community's capacity to initiate, manage, and sustain community-initiated development programmes on a self-help basis.

Mdooko said the time has come for communities to begin initiating, managing, and sustaining development projects within their localities instead of waiting for government to do the work on their behalf.

“It becomes a bit funny that people expect government to do everything for them, including clearing feeder roads going to their gravesites and other infrastructures,” he added, questioned the logic behind such over-dependency.

Mdooko therefore encouraged communities to embrace the spirit of self-help on top of taking ownership of development projects in their respective areas to turn things around.

“We empower communities to define their development agenda and take charge of their destiny,” he said.

Community Development Officer for Blantyre Joseph Gama stated that during the CDM, communities were expected to implement various projects, including the construction and rehabilitation of diverse infrastructure, harnessing the natural forest regeneration, and rehabilitating public and private roads.

“By the end of this year, we plan to implement 133 projects under the initiative,” the District Commissioner added

Traditional Authority Somba, on the other hand, encouraged his subjects to participate fully in various self-help projects to develop the area.

He disclosed that bylaws have been initiated to punish those who will fail to participate in development projects on a self-help basis.

Recently, according to authorities, the spirit of self-help among some community members has dwindled due to, among other things, high dependency on handouts and also low capacity of community leaders to hold public service providers accountable.

The month of May is therefore designated to intensify community development through self-help initiatives.

By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, May 9, MANA: To ensure improved maternal nutrition and pregnancy outcomes. Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) has advised community level development committees in the district to assist in raising awareness on newly rolled out Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) meant for pregnant women

Blantyre DHO, Safe Motherhood Coordinator, Ellida Bvutula, said MMS is an antenatal supplement that has replaced Iron Folic Acid (IFA), which used to be given to expectant women during antenatal visits.

Speaking during MMS awareness meeting with Somba Area Development Committee (ADC) on Friday, the coordinator said MMS provides broader nutritional support than IFA to pregnant mothers, thereby reducing cases of miscarriages, low birth weight, infant mortality and premature birth

“MMS provides 15 micronutrients, including Iron and Folic Acid, all combined in a single tablet. The single tablet is consumed every day throughout the pregnancy period.

“This is good for pregnant women to improve maternal nutrition and pregnancy outcomes,” she said.

Bvutula reiterated that the new supplement has less side effects in expectant mothers, including those with diabetes, high blood pressure, and a history of miscarriage.

Speaking during the same meeting, Blantyre District Commissioner, Alex Mdooko, encouraged men to take active role in disseminating correct information about the new supplement among expectant women.

“There is no government that can come up with drugs that are going to kill its own people. Therefore, let us diminish the myths surrounding the new supplements.

“Be on the forefront to at least promote the uptake of this supplement among pregnant women,” the District Commissioner added.

Traditional Authority Somba described the engagement meeting as timely, pledging to disseminate correct information about MMS far and wide using various social gatherings.

Blantyre is one of five districts in the country that are currently administering MMS to expectant mothers.

By Blessings Sabiti

Phalombe, May 10, Mana: Mkhumba Youth Network in Phalombe in partnership with Phalombe based Tiwasamale Youth Club, teamed up to a clean up exercise at Mpasa Health Centre and surrounding areas to champion sanitation at the heath facility.

Speaking in an interview after the clean-up exercise, Mpasa Health Centre clinician, Kabambe Thipa commended the youths for collaborating with the health center staff to clean up the entire facility in a day, saying this was a total commitment to sanitation.

“Today we have managed to clean the whole area with support from youths. Let them continue doing so as this is another way of preventing diseases that comes due to poor sanitation,” he added.

Mkhumba Youth Network, Chairperson, Clement Mayang’anira, expressed satisfaction with both the turnout and the success of the clean up exercise at Mpasa Health Center

“I am very excited that we have successfully accomplished the plans we set out to achieve,” he said.

Tiwasamale Youth Organization, Programmes Manager, Khumbo Banda, also hailed Mkhumba Youth Network for choosing to do the clean up at Mpasa Health Center and surrounding public places, saying “this was the way to go in as far as sanitation and hygiene is concerned,”.

Mpasa Trading Centre, Chairperson, George Seven encouraged the youth to continue with such efforts but bemoaned lack of proper waste disposal facilities at Mpasa market.

“This clean-up exercise will help promote sanitation in our market place,” the market chairperson added.

The clean up exercise at both Mpasa Health Center and Mpasa Market brought together 20 youth clubs across Traditional Authority Mkhumba.

By Ernest Mfunya

Mangochi, May 10, Mana: Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jacob Hara, has re-affirmed people of Mangochi that the first phase of the construction of Mangochi-Makanjira Road will commence in two weeks’ time.

Hara made the remarks Friday when he met a group of concerned citizens in the district, following concerns over delays in commencement of the road project which, when completed, will reduce costs of transporting people and goods in addition to improving provision of social services to communities in Mangochi North.

Speaking after the meeting, Hara said government has put in place US$10.5 million to commence the construction.

He added that the construction will start with temporary remedial works to ensure that there is possibility along the road.

“We had discussions with concerned citizens and this is to inform people that the Chakwera administration will start construction of this road in the next two weeks.

“When we talk about possibility in engineering, it means to pass without strict difficulties,” he said.

According to Hara, the phase first will comprise of road smoothing, filling up all galleys, building box covers and making sure that rivers are passable.

“This is the first phase as we wait for the other main contractors in a few months,” he said.

Chairperson for Mangochi Concerned Citizens, Abdulazizi Abdul, said people of Mangochi want timely commencement and completion of the Mangochi-Makanjira Road, which he described as crucial in the social economic development of the district.

“For decades, government has been promising construction of this road but we saw nothing. People are failing to do businesses, patients and expectant women are losing lives before getting to hospital due to the bad state of the road.

“As such, we would want to see improvement,” he said and commended Hara for having an interface with people of Mangochi to hear their concerns.

He said people at Makanjira and those along the road were patiently waiting for the new road.

After an interface meeting in Mangochi, Hara made a monitoring tour of Nsipe-Liwonde road to appreciate progress and had interface meeting with team from the contractor, Jiangxi Construction Engineering Group Company Limited, at the project camp site in Balaka.

By Blessings Sabiti

Phalombe, May 10, Mana: Phalombe Police recently arrested four Malawians and one Mozambican for being found in possession of petroleum products and attempting to externalise petroleum products to Mozambique without permit.

The incodent happeened almost five weeks after other four men were also netted for the same offence.

Phalombe Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Jimmy Kapanja, confirmed the arrest of the five.

Kapanga identified the for Malawians as Innocent Kapito, 25; Batison Pire, 33; Maxwell Goodson and James Kachingwe, 24 while the Mozambican is Antonio Kapindu, 30, from Kholomana Village, Traditional Authority Kholomana.

Sergeant Kapanja said the five were arrested in the early hours on May 3, 2025, at Mauzi, Malawi-Mozambique border when Likangala border police were patrolling the area.

“Upon interrogation, the suspects revealed that they were going to Mozambique with 280 litres of petrol and 100 litres of diesel,” he said.

The five are in police custody and will soon be taken to court to answer charges of possession of petroleum products without permit.

Police in Phalombe say they will continue conducting day and night patrols to apprehend those found possessing petroleum products illegally.

Kapito, comes from Msema Village while Pire is from Mloma Village both from Traditional Authority (TA) Kaduya in Phalome district.

Goodson comes from Ndungunya Village, TA Mkhumba while Kachingwe is from Meya Village TA Chikowi in Zomba District.

On April 25, Police in Phalombe arrested three Malawians and one Mozambican for illegally possessing 260 litres of petrol and 100 litres of diesel in 20 litre containers.

Phalombe Police identified the three Malawians as; Charles Yohane, 21, from Chinani Village; Frank Mapeto, 25 from Nthambula Village both from TA Chiwalo in Phalombe and Jailos Yohane, 35 from Mumbo Village, TA Jenala in Phalombe.

Gabriel Petro, 31, from Zambesia Province in Mozambique was also arrested alongside the three Malawians during police sweep at Chitekesa and Miseufolo in the district.

Accordingg to Kapanja, on the day of the sweep, 520 litres of petrol was abandoned but recovered after the owner fled, fearing arrest.

The four are expected to appear before court in Phalombe for judgement on their illegal possession of the products.

In a related development, Second Grade Magistrate Court in Phalombe recently convicted and ordered Boniface Kasoti, 32, to a K600,000 fine for being found in possession of petroleum products without permit on April 18.

Kasoti comes from Nthenda Village, TA Chiwalo in Phalombe.

By Alice Ndunya

Machinga, May 10, Mana: District Agriculture Stakeholders Panel (DASP) has encouraged farmers in Machinga to adopt irrigation farming as a way to increase food production in the wake of uncertain weather patterns that affect rain-fed agriculture.

DASP Chairperson in Machinga, James Chogoya emphasized the need to adopt irrigation farming, saying farmers' clubs in the district should devise proper planning by setting aside quality seeds in readiness for the May to August irrigation farming season in their respective schemes as they await the farm equipment loan programme.

Chogoya told Malawi News Agency (Mana) recently that, following the 2024/2025 agricultural season, which was characterized by erratic rainfall, there was a need for farmers to adopt irrigation agriculture, taking advantage of many water sources in the district.

“In some areas, crops did not do well leading to losses. By embracing irrigation, we can bridge the food security gap for affected farming households.

“We have abundant water sources, and it's time we utilize them effectively, let us be innovative to produce manure to increase crop production. We should not rely solely on rain-fed agriculture which has become unpredictable," he added and further stressed the need for increased agricultural innovations to increase crop production.

DASP facilitates collaboration and engagement between farmers and government, plus other relevant stakeholders in the agricultural sector to address agricultural challenges, and improve extension services to ensure that farmers’ needs and perspectives are integrated into agricultural planning and decision-making.    

A farmer, Joshua Maunde from Traditional Authority Sale testified that irrigation farming is so beneficial, saying; “It enabled me to harvest enough last season such that I managed to provide and sustain my household throughout the year,

“Let my fellow farmers take advantage of farm inputs loans in readiness for irrigation season in our schemes," he said.

District Irrigation Engineer for Machinga Council, Daniel Sambakunsi, said farmers in the district are willing to go for irrigation farming, adding that some had already mobilized themselves into groups to meet all standard requirements for National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) inputs loan.

“Most farmers have managed to mobilize resources which are collateral per NEEF farm inputs loan requirements. Luck enough, these requirements are flexible," he added.

The Irrigation Engineer emphasized the importance of soil and water conservation as key to successful irrigation farming.

“Farmers need to utilize land in a good way to harvest more for consumption and to generate income. They should make the most use of available resources," he added.

NEEF expects to provide farm inputs on loan to farmers' clubs in Machinga to allow them realize high crop production in their respective irrigation schemes.