By Margaret Lipenga Zomba, November 16, Mana: DVV International in collaboration with Centre for Human Rights Education Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) has launched Adult Learning and Education (ALE) in prisons with the aim to equipping inmates with hard and soft skills that will enable them to sustain themselves after being released from prison. The Programme that was launched on Saturday at Zomba Central Prison in Zomba District targets inmates aged 18 and above and among others, these prisoners would be trained in carpentry, tailoring and barbering. DVV International’s Southern Africa Regional Director, David Harrington said the programme has been developed from DVV International’s rich experience of implementing similar projects in many other western countries. He said the skills learnt would not be an answer to all problems that released inmates face when they are back in the society but rather assist them sustains their stay and lives. “Education is power. You might be outside the prison but if you are illiterate, then you are in prison because you cannot explore any field that requires knowledge, skills and experience. In this project, we are implementing programmes that inmates can sustain themselves. “Through the carpentry workshops, tailoring and barbershops, inmates stand a chance to generate income for their survival,” Harrington said. Executive Director for CHREAA, Victor Mhango said his organization partnered with DVV International to increase the number of inmates to benefit from the programme since CHREA was implementing similar programme. “CHREAA has been working with Malawi Prisons Service for quite some time now and apart from offering training skills we also do criminal justice where we facilitate releases of inmates. “Through our work in prisons we realized that many of the released offenders choose to come back to prison mainly because they do not have anything to do outside the prison. “The core duty of prisons is to reform offenders but Malawi Prisons Service does not have the capacity to have reformatory programs because they receive very little funding from the Malawi government and, our coming in, we are hopeful would help a lot,” he said. Mhango has urged government to give enough funding to prison to enhance reformatory programmes. “We are all potential offenders; we can all come in conflict with the law so the government has to consider making our prisons to be reformatory centers. Most inmates are adults who can manage to farm and feed all prisons, hospitals and even other departments like it was happening in the 1980s. Government must therefore, change its way of doing things and put to use the manpower in prisons by enhancing reformatory programmes,’’ he added. Malawi Prisons Service Commissioner for Administration, Densio Makumba hailed the two organizations for the support which would drastically change lives of many inmates. He said currently, there are over 9,000 convicted inmates in the country but because of lack of funding only 13 percent of them are involved in skills development programmes. “I would like to appeal to other stakeholders and well-wishers to emulate what DVV International and CHREAA are doing in trying to equip inmates with different skills. “As a prison service we would love to see more inmates being trained in various skills while in prison so that when they go out, they should have something to do than thinking of committing other offences just because they cannot sustain life out there,” Makumba pleaded. DVV International and CHREAA have for the past two years been developing Adult Learning Education programmes targeting prisons across the world including Malawi.
Author: Leyman Publications
Over 40,000 Reported Cases of Teen Pregnancies In Malawi
By Tione Andsen Lilongwe, November 16, Mana: United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said a study by the Ministry of Gender has indicated that there are approximately 40, 000 reported cases of teen pregnancies. UNICEF Resident Representative in Malawi, Rudolf Schwenk said this Monday during the opening of the two days Education Joint Sector Review (JSR) Programme at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe. He said this was a multi-sectoral issue that requires joint action to ensure that girls continue their education. Schwenk who is outgoing Chair for Development Partners pointed out that adequate protection measures and awareness at community level whether through monitoring or conducting back to school campaigns. He said we may go a long way in reducing incidences of early marriages and teenage pregnancies as they happen to be the biggest causes for girls dropping out of schools. UNICEF Representative said proactive measures would be required to bring these girls back to school and restore their rights to education without discrimination. Schwenk added, “The initiatives such as Adolescent Girls and Young Women Strategy, which strives to look at the issue holistically, become relevant in these situations.” He said the impact of Covid-19 on girls was noted through the increased cases of child marriages and teen pregnancies. The UNICEF Representative said amidst this emergency, the country was one of the first countries in the region to launch the continuity of learning programmes within six weeks of school closure using radio for pre-primary and primary education and online learning solutions for secondary education. He said interventions brought to the fore the digital divide existing within the sector and across the country, with the majority of learners not having access to those alternative modes of learning offered. “UNICEF was happy to work with the Ministry and other development partners to mobilize resources from the Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education to support the COVID response and school reopening,” Schwenk pointed out. The Outgoing Chair said the theme for this year’s Joint Sector Review “Education reforms; A means to reverse the learning losses from Covid-19 and build an inclusive, resilient and sustainable” system is thus very appropriate for the sector to reflect on what has been achieved this year amidst the pandemic. He said challenges were faced and what opportunities COVID-19 has brought to enable the sector to re-imagine education and its delivery. Minister of Education, Agnes Nyalonje said the gathering was very unique to find ways and means to continue providing education even when there was such disruption. “We have learnt a lot from the way, we are providing education since we reopened. Let us share these experiences and come up with lasting solutions to help us recover from this loss,” she said. Nyalonje said the innovative approaches in support of education and training continuity; from radio and television to take home packages.
Catholic Bishop Condemn GBV Acts
By Sellaphine Banda Lilongwe, Mana: Chairperson of Communication Research and Social Welfare at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Bishop Montfort Stima has urged catholic journalists in the country to research on why there so many cases of defilement and Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases in this country. He made the appeal Saturday during the opening of the Mental Health and GBV workshop for the Catholic Journalists at Bishop Nervi Centre in Lilongwe. “It’s sad to hear such cases of GBV and defilement every day on radio, newspapers and televisions. We are not happy as a church and that is why we are asking journalists to help us to find answers to this problem,” the Bishop said. Stima said that defilement and rape cases are worsening now and different organizations have condemned this but it was like you are telling the rapist to continue doing the act. “My plea to the government is that they should amend the laws that no one will think of raping our women and girls,” he appealed. The Bishop added that they are more to be done to make sure that we bring to the end of these malpractices. “We have to look into our culture practice that we have for example during wedding ceremonies people use to sing a song “kapilire komwe unka iweko”. “That song put more powers to men to harm their wife and that contribute a lot for girls and women to look inferior to men,” Stima viewed. He urged journalists to write more stories that would help people to change their mind set on women and girls to know the effects of rape and report any cases to the police and chief in their area. The Workshop attracted 50 journalists from various Media houses with the fund from Atrocare.
Malawi State House Distances Itself From Prophet Bushiri Saga
By Patricia Kapulula Lilongwe, November 16, Mana: State Hose says the Presidency will not be involved in Prophet Shepherd Bushiri issues but rather allow law enforcement agencies which work independently from the Office of the President do its job. State House Director of Communications who is also President Dr Lazarus Chakwera’s Executive Secretary, Sean Kampondeni, made the remarks during a Weekly Brief at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Monday. He said the issue is not in the jurisdiction of the president’s office and as such would allow the responsible agencies do their job. “The president will not be involved in this matter because it has nothing to do with his office. Law enforcement agencies will handle the matter in accordance with the law and set procedures for criminal investigations,” said Kampondeni. Bushiri and his wife, Mary, are answering criminal charges in South Africa. The two who were to report to the nearest police station every Monday and Friday and not to leave South Africa as part of their bail conditions, were found in Malawi last week. Bushiri cited security threat as part of his reasons for fleeing South Africa. Apparently, the time Bushiri bolted; President Chakwera was in South Africa for a two day official visit where he held bilateral talks with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, a situation which lead to allegations that he was brought to Malawi using President Chakwera’s plane. President Chakwera whose plane was scheduled to arrive in Malawi through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) on Friday at 17:30 hours was delayed by seven hours. State House has since refuted allegations that the president’s plane was used as a conduit to whisk the two into the country. Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a press statement citing reasons for the delay of the president’s plane. “Chief among the causes of the delay was South African Government’s decision not to allow Malawi’s advance delegation to travel back home together with President Chakwera and his delegation citing unspecified security reasons. “The South African authorities’ inexplicable refusal to let Malawi’s President leave with his advance team came despite being informed of the arrangement in advance, in conformity to a similar arrangement made in all the countries President Chakwera has visited thus far,” reads the statement in part. The South African Government has since moved in and has started the process to extradite Bushiri and his wife.
CSOs Urged To Be Vigilant On Transparency, Accountability
By Owen Zayambika Mchinji, November 15, Mana: Journalists Association against Aids (JournAids) in conjunction with Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) has appealed to Mchinji civil society organizations (CSOs) to help monitor progress of various projects in the district to ensure accountability and transparency. JournAids Executive Director, Christopher Bauti was speaking on Friday during a stakeholders meeting in Mchinji on a World Bank and Global Financing Facility (GFF) co-funded ‘Investing in early years for growth and productivity’ project. He said it was imperative that CSOs takes the responsibility on public expenditure tracking to ensure that the public benefits efficiently from all projects in the district. “We are asking the CSOs leaders in the district to ensure that that all duty bearers for both government and donor-funded projects are accountable. “We have the World Bank US$60 million project which rolled out in 2018. That is a lot of money, and for that to be effective, we need the civil society to ensure that the money is put to its intended use,” he said. Mchinji CSO Chair who is also District Programmes Manager for Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO), Anderson Chikalipo said the call came as a reminder that the civil society has the obligation to save the public with integrity. “The role of the CSO under the GFF initiative is to be watchdogs and ensure that all health resources such as drugs and medical supplies are utilized to the best interest of vulnerable people. As a CSO we are ready to provide technical support when need arises,” he said The Project which focuses on early childhood development and health issues is targeting 13 districts in the country, among which is Mchinji.
Chakwera Tackles Nation Building At Kamuzu Academy Founder’s Day
By Vincent Khonje Kasungu, November 14, Mana: Malawi’s President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Saturday led students, teachers and parents in commemorating Kamuzu Academy (KA) founder’s day in Mtunthama, Kasungu. The founding president of the Republic of Malawi, Late Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, opened the school which has been called by some people as the Eton of Africa because of its academic excellence, on 21stNovember 1981. The Founder’s day is commemorated every year in honour of great work and vision in academic excellence of the Late Dr Banda. Accompanied by the First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, Dr. Chakwera dwelled on the issue of national building in his address. He said the true measure of the quality of education delivered at Kamuzu Academy and any other education institution is not in the strength of the curriculum or the credentials of teachers who facilitate it, but the men and women that the education produces. “In short what has always set this institution apart is the ability or the utility of the student to the project of national building that awaits them,” said Dr Chakwera. The president said as people in this country the work of national building is far from done. “Even though my administration has been entrusted with a task of building a new Malawi there are many obstacles that we must surmount on account of that in the quarter of the century this task has been neglected. “By way of illustration, at a time when there should have been many public schools of Kamuzu Academy calibre, we have an education system so full of rubble and mediocrity that it will take years just to clear it or to replace it. “We find ourselves in a strange situation of needing much more than the urgency of the state to fix what is broken in this nation, we need fine men and women who themselves have capacity to break barriers and lead us towards new frontiers and unscaled heights of innovations and development,” he said. Chakwera said, thankfully Kamuzu Academy has always led the way in producing fine men and women and barrier breakers who are ready not only to go to college and get a job but to make a mark in Malawi. He mentioned some of the people who have passed through the corridors of the prestigious grammar school in Yolanda Kaunda who is the first female pilot in Malawi, Samuel Kampondeni, Malawi’s first radiologist, Samson Kambalu an artist whose artwork has been exhibited at international level, Chanju Samantha Mwale who broke barriers as a first female lawyer in Malawi Defence Force and Catherine Gotani Hara who is currently speaker of Parliament. Before the President spoke there were also several speakers who made their remarks. Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje tackled on the issue of Late Dr Banda as a founder on the belief of quality education. “The founder of this institution was a man who cherished a deep belief in quality and excellence and recognized the central importance of education to bring development in Malawi. “Kamuzu Academy is truly an embodiment of this belief and commitment and excellence applied to education,” said NyaLonje. Headmaster of the school, Andrew Wild, said Dr Banda’s love turned into service as he realized that leaders needed quality education and that is why he built the school. “He brought to Mtunthama, the best possible materials like strongest bricks and hardest timber to build the academy that was to last for generations. He also brought to it best possible pupils, highest scoring boys and girls from each district,” said Wild. He therefore asked the president if the initiative of having government sponsored students to the institution to continue. During the ceremony there were several lessons from the Bible read by students in different languages including Latin, Chinese, French, Chichewa and English. The school chaplain, Reverend Gerald Guduli, led those who gathered in praising the Lord by preaching the word of God as the institution was also founded with strong belief in God as one of the followed principles. After arriving at the school, Dr Chakwera toured some displays the students showcased. Present at the event were notable figures in Ministers like Ken Kandodo, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, and Lingson Belekanyama and also Deputy Minister of Education Madalisto Wirima Kambauwa. Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara and her deputy Madalitso Kazombo, secretary to the president Zangazanga Chikhosi also attended the ceremony. Kamuzu Academy has about 650 students and about 50 teachers who are Malawians, British and Chinese.
Chakwera Hails South African For Softening Trade Agreements
By Lisa Kadango in Pretoria, South Africa Pretoria, November 13, Mana: President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, have hailed the gesture demonstrated by the two countries which they said has been shown by a heavy interest by both countries in boosting trade ties between the two countries. The two leaders made the remarks during a bilateral meeting on Friday hosted by President Ramaphosa in Pretoria, South Africa. Chakwera is on a two-day official visit to the Republic of South Africa (RSA). President Chakwera said it is pleasing to note that the South African Government in softening some of the bilateral trade agreements to allow some high-quality products find their market in Malawi. “It is pleasing to note that there is heavy interest in bringing the two country’s relations to higher levels of cooperation which will mutually benefit the people of the two countries,” said Chakwera. President Chakwera, therefore, outlined some important humanitarian requests to President Ramaphosa for his government to give much consideration. During the discussions Ramaphosa said Malawi has over many years remained a true partner to his country. He, therefore, stressed on the need for the two countries to work together. “This meeting is very important as it stands to strengthen and deepen relations between the two countries,” said Ramaphosa. He said it is pleasing to note that there is heavy interest coming from Malawi to start exporting goods to RSA. Among other things, the two leaders discussed various issues bordering on how to effectively run the Southern African Development Corporation (SADC) and make the regional body responsive to the needs of people on the continent. RSA is the incoming Chairperson of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation while Malawi is the incoming Chairperson of SADC. The aim of the visit was to strengthen and deepen relations between the two countries which the two leaders have adequately addressed in their private talk meetings and the issues ranged from immigration, medical service and education among others. In 2019 South Africa’s export to Malawi were estimated to worth approximately ZAR6 billion while imports from Malawi were estimated to worth approximately ZAR1.6 billion.
Dial 3013 To Report AIP Anomalies – Govt
By Tione Andsen Lilongwe, November 12, Mana: Government has urged members of the public to dial 3013 to alert authorities on any anomaly regarding the implementation of Affordable Input Programme (AIP). Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako made the call Thursday during a Media briefing on AIP together with Ministers of Agriculture, Lobin Lowe and Civic Education and National Unity, Timothy Mtambo at Golden Peacock hotel in Lilongwe. He said government has noted a lot of anomalies in the implementation of 2020/2201 AIP saying members of the public need to take up their responsibility to report them to authorities by dialing 3013 toll line which is free of charge. “If you see vendors buying national identity cards, if input suppliers are asking you to top up for you to buy the inputs, if you notice that you have been sold underweight bags of fertilizer simply dial 3013 using Airtel and TNM mobile services, we will respond to those calls immediately,” Kazako assured. He said stallholder farmers should not allow vendors to exploit them by buy their IDs to be used to redeem their farm inputs. “We will arrest the owner the ID and the vendor if found doing the malpractice. We want to run a smooth AIP where the beneficiaries should reap fruits from the programmes. Don’t allow anyone to use you IDS to redeem the inputs that is not allowed and is illegal before the law,” the Minister added. He disclosed that government and input suppliers agreed to operate from 6 am to 7 pm on daily basis and suppliers should adhere to the stipulated time frame. Kazako pointed out that any supplier failing to adhere to the stated operating business time should be reported to authority immediately using the toll line made available to them. “We need to speed up the process of redeeming the farm inputs and suppliers need to observe time so that beneficiaries should served better,” he stated. Lowe added that, “We have received reports that some companies are selling underweight bags of fertilizers to farmers. This has been observed in some retail markets across the country where the suppliers are siphoning fertilizers from the bags.” He cautioned the suppliers that this was robbery because farmers are supplied to be sold required amounts of fertilizer not underweight. Lowe noted that it was against the law to do such action which may end up frustrating the programme. “In the event that suppliers are found being involved in this act of siphoning inputs, selling underweight or indeed selling counterfeit inputs not compliant to specification, their contract will be terminated forthwith,” Agriculture Minister explained. He said government would ensure that those doing this malpractice are arrested and brought before the law. Civic Education Minister, Mtambo said his Ministry through National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE Trust would continue providing intensive civic education to farmers to be aware of such malpractices. He said it was worrying that social media was used to propagate misinformation regarding the AIP.
Ghana’s Ex-President Rawlings Dies
The former president of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, has died at the age of 73, the National Democratic Congress party said on Thursday. John Mahama, Ghana’s president from 2012 to 2017, who is seeking a return to power in next month’s elections, wrote on Twitter that he was suspending his campaign “following news of the passing of our Founder and former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings.” Rawlings, who seized power twice via military coups, was admitted to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana’s capital, Accra, last week after suffering from a brief illness, state-owned newspaper Daily Graphic reported on its website. Rawlings was born in Accra in June 1947, to a Ghanaian mother and a Scottish father. He came to global prominence in 1979 when, as an army lieutenant, he ousted General Frederick Akuffo as president. Rawlings relinquished power soon after, handing over to civilian rule, but orchestrated another coup two years later, citing corruption and weak leadership. From 1981 to 1993, Rawlings ruled as chairman of a joint military-civilian government. In 1992 he was elected president under a new constitution, fully assuming the role the following year. Despite the military takeovers, Rawlings oversaw Ghana’s transition to multi-party democracy and is often viewed as the man behind one of Africa’s most democratic nations. He served two terms before being succeeded by John Kufour in 2001.
Malawi To Maintain Its Ties With South Africa
By Lisa Kadango in Pretoria, South Africa Pretoria, November 10, Mana: Government has described Malawi’s bilateral working visits by President Dr Lazarus Chakwera to neighbouring countries as vital, saying they will help Malawi regain her position of influence within Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Region. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Eisenhower Mkaka said this on Monday ahead of the State President’s two-day working visit to Republic of South Africa. Mkaka said there is need to cement the long-time relationship between the two countries as it will benefit the people of the two countries in all areas of development. “The two leaders will among other things discuss issues surrounding trade and mining. “These are the issues that matter most to most Malawians living in South Africa and beyond,” explained Mkaka. He further described President Chakwera’s impending visit to South Africa as a milestone, saying the visit will strengthen trade opportunities between the two countries and attract potential investors. “It is very crucial to maintain a healthy relationship and discuss matters that do matter to people in terms of trade between the two countries,’’ stressed Mkaka. The Foreign Affairs Minister also emphasised on the need for regional integration and closer economic collaboration in all the key sectors. “SADC as a region talks about integration, industrialization and more important things such as value addition and matters that are of value to the development of countries, hence the need for southern African countries to work together,’’ he said. The minister further expressed concern that Malawi has not been an active member of regional and international bodies such as Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), SADC and the United Nations, hence the need to closely interact with other members within these bodies. According to Mkaka, the visit by president Chakwera to South Africa will also provide the opportunity to the two leaders to learn from each other and maintain the foundation for a healthy and strong relationship between them. He said the discussions will focus on strengthening economic cooperation. President Lazarus Chakwera has recently been visiting neighboring countries such as Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe to strengthen Malawi’s bilateral relations. South Africa is Malawi’s largest trade partner and the richest in Southern Africa. The country has excellent diplomatic relations with Malawi.