By Andrew Magombo Lilongwe, Mana: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the banner ‘Universal Health Coverage Coalition’ have asked government to ensure there is proper implementation of adopted policies which safeguard healthy living. Speaking at a Press Briefing held in Lilongwe on Monday, George Jobe who is Chairperson of the coalition, said the Tonse Administration should come up with robust strategies which will consolidate funding for accessible universal health coverage (UHC) Jobe, who is also the Executive Director of Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN), said there are many loopholes that compromise efficiency in the provision of health care. “Malawi is signatory to the Abuja Declaration which demands that 15 per cent of the budget allocation should go towards the health sector, but we have many leakages which are undermining this. We have to increase the annual allocation. “We barely achieve this due to lack of funding or misplacement of priorities. This translates to the masses being deprived of their rights to health care,” said Jobe. He, therefore, called for the proceeds from the newly-introduced toll gates and carbon tax to be channelled towards the health sector, saying roads contribute to high consumption of the health budget through accidents. Jobe further said government should not relent on placing a health centre every five kilometres as Malawi’s population keeps rising. In his remarks, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Matthews Ngwale, said it is everyone’s responsibility to help government in fulfilling the universal health coverage. He said so far, government has shown commitment through the making of several interventions in the health sector. “As parliament, we recently met the Central Medical Stores Trust who asked for a bail-out and government gave a nod, which means our hospitals will now be stocked with adequate drugs. “Government has plans to construct 900 health units across the country and this will be in all constituencies, as such, we need stakeholders to embrace this project with partnerships that will sustain healthy living of the citizenry,” said Ngwale. He added that his committee has persuaded government into buying eye treatment equipment, a move which is expected to cut the cost on external referral cases to India. Celebrated on December 12 annually, Universal Health Coverage was declared by United Nations in 2012 with the aim to ensure that everyone has access to quality health care without suffering financial hardships. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Leaving No One’s Health Behind: Invest in health systems for all.”
Malawi incorporates integration of climate change in its curriculum
By Esnath Kalawe Lilongwe, Mana: Malawi is among the first countries to adapt and integrate climate change learning strategy in its curriculum which will help the country to achieve some of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This was learnt on Thursday during a one day Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Country initiative Consultative Workshop which was organised by United Nations Education , Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a Roadmap to 2030. Deputy Director For Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education, Lindiwe Chide applauded Malawi for being one of the first countries in putting Climate change materials in its curriculum saying other countries will emulate. “We are happy that Malawi is first to respond to this issue in curriculum materials of climate change learning strategy integrating with other programs saying various communities are able to adapt,” she added. She said the adoption will help leaners to fully understand better issues of climate change which she said will help the future generation to manage our environment. “Our focus is on climate change issues, from education perspective we have to ensure that climate change is being addressed. We have developed sourcebooks that are used for both primary and secondary schools on issues of climate change.” Chide explained. Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Malawi National Commission for UNESCO David Mulera said the workshop was organised to capacitate stakeholders with information contained in the a five years climate change learning strategy . “This is part of the process aiming at capacitating them so that they integrating ESD in the education system as a road map to curriculum delivery that will guide the operations in the implementation of this program,” Mulera said. Mulera said UNESCO is committed to integrate ESD into all levels of education and training from childhood to tertiary and adult education among others. “We empower young people as change agents for sustainable development by creating opportunities for learning and civic engagements. We are also committed to providing skills and tools to participate in ESDs co-creator of individual society transformer, ” he said. UNESCOs work on ESD focuses on five priority action areas including advancing policy, transforming learning environment, building capacities of educators,. Empowering and mobilizing youths, as well as accelerating local level action. Part of the program is being implemented by UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) with funding support from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) called Sustainable Starts with Teachers (SST). It is implemented in 11 countries including Malawi, Tanzania and Eswatin among other countries.
Anti-Corruption Bureau conducts anti-corruption parade in Mzuzu
By Naomi Mseteka Mana, Mzuzu: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Principle Public Relations Officer, Agritah Ndala has asked Malawians to join hands in the fight against corruption which she said is rampant in the country. N’dala was Speaking, Wednesday in an interview with Malawi News Agency alongside on an anti-corruption parade which was funded by Medical Aid Society of Malawi (MASM) and started from Chibavi Primary School Ground to Mzuzu Central Market. Ndala said nobody should be left behind in the fight against corruption if the country has to win the war against the malpractice which she said derails development. “As a bureau we organized this parade as one of the means of creation awareness on corruption so that in the long run we a corruption Malawi. Malawi 2063 cannot be achieved if the malpractice is not checked,” said Ndala. She said the bureau however hope the Malawi 2063 can be achieved especially if Malawians embrace integrity and fight corruption as a team. Commenting on the development, National Coordinator for National Youth and Corruption Network (NYACN) Chikondi Njaya said there is need for youths to be in the forefront in fighting the vice as the compose a greater percentage of the country’s population. “The current corrupt practices will have negative impact on the youths in future, hence the need for youth to participate in advocating against corruption,” Njaya said. In his remarks, Project Manager for Medical Aid Society of Malawi (MASM) Nickson Kaliati said the organization funded the parade as the malpractice also affects the health sector. “MASM falls under health sector which is as well affected by corruption, hence our interest in supporting the parade, Kaliati said. The parade marked the of anti- corruption month which commenced on November 9, 2021. The country will commemorate this year’s Anti-Corruption Day under the theme ‘Integrity, key to a free corruption Malawi’.
Malawi Human Rights Commission moves to end inequalities
By Moses Nyirenda Lilongwe, Mana: The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says it is on the move to address issues of inequalities affecting women, children and people with disabilities in various places including in the work places and academic institutions in the country. Speaking on sidelines of the panel discussion program which was organized by MHRC at Crossroads Hotel on Wednesday in Lilongwe, MHRC Commissioner, Boniface Massah said that inequality remains a problem in the country. “There is indeed a big problem of inequality in Malawi and the good examples being at the work place, education institutions and even in communities. “For instance in some companies you would see that both men and women are doing the same job but you will notice that women are being paid less than men or you would see that women are given more task than men just because they are women and this is pathetic,” Massah said. He added that, MHRC is currently monitoring the inequalities in different institutions and communities and is working together with various stakeholders to address the challenge of inequality in the country. “As MHRC what we are recommending is to make sure that we provide right information to all Malawians regarding inequalities, we want Malawians to have information on the laws that are addressing the inequalities whether in gender and disability. “We are currently monitoring the inequalities and we are engaging duty bearers and organizations to make sure that state obligations are implemented in terms of adequate measures and efforts to end the inequalities,” he said. In her comment, Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre Director, Emma Kaliya said that there is also a need of corroborative efforts, if the issue of inequality has to be addressed in the country. “all of us we have to work together to make sure that these inequalities should not continue, we are very aware that things are not well out there and if we leave it to one sector such as the public sector things will not work. “In this case Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), government, development partners as well as the general population have the role to play if we are to deal with this issue of inequality in our country,” Kaliya said.
Information Minister Kazako calls for Journalists professionalism
By Ernest Mfunya Mangochi, Mana. Minister of Information Gospel Kazako on has called on journalists to be professional and ethical when discharging their duties. The Minister made the remarks on Saturday when he opened the Zomba Press Club Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mangochi. Hon Kazako said there was need for the journalists to consider social injustices in the country and help in finding solutions to the injustices. His remarks came after members of the Zomba Press Club complained of negative attitude and exploitative treatment by some organisations and individuals towards the journalists saying mostly they’re treated as people of low class. “A journalist must be well disciplined, focused and look presentable in their line of duty because these are the things that make you to be respected and journalists are the ones that socially construct a society,” said Kazako. He however cautioned the Club members against presenting themselves in a negative way before the society and organisations who sometimes judge them due to loss of professional ethics. Speaking during the launch President for the press club, Titus Linzie said most of the journalists in the country were being exploited in their workplaces which he said was contributing to low career performance. “Some employers in the media industry exploit reporters by engaging them as interns for long time on voluntary basis,” Linzie added, He then appealed to government through the Ministry of Information to employ trained reporters into permanent jobs, “Almost 80 percent of members of the press club are freelancers which make it difficult for them to make ends meet,” he said. Zomba Press Club is holding a two days AGM to review its performance in the year 2021 and is meeting for the first time in Mangochi after few years of existence as a forum for journalists in Zomba and other surrounding districts. The two-day meeting is being held under a theme ‘Media, a tool for natural disaster prevention and sustainable climate change management’. Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Southern Region Water Board, National Aids Commission and YONECO provided the Zomba Press Club with financial resources for the annual general meeting.
Tamika Mkandawire releases new poem
By Natasha Muthete Lilongwe, Mana: A Lilongwe based female writer, Tamika Mkandawire, has released a poem titled Dying in silent. In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), the female poet said she has released the poem following pressure from her fans. Mkandawire who early this year won Hill and Valleys competition which was organised by musician cum politician Billy Kaunda said the poem follows another one she released early this year. “This year I have released only 2 poems, the first one being motherland which talked about Covid 19 and how it has affected the country. This time around, I did not work alone, I have worked with one of the talented poet, Mtumwi who brought and idea of us producing a poem. I did not hesitate because I knew I will be working with the best poet and it has been proved with the project we have released”. She said Mkandawire further explained that Dying in silent is focusing on the abuses people especially women and children are going through every day. Most of these issues are kept in silence as people do not speak them out for fear of being against our culture. She revealed that she is planning to release more poems next year and people will be able to see them on videos. “Next year am planning to release a lot of poetry videos and am planning to reach out to many people who do not know Tamika the poet in short I can say next year is my year to shine and reach out to great masses of people. “Among all the poems my favoriteis the woman she used to be which talked Dr Joyce Banda,” she added. Meanwhile, Mkandawire has advised her fellow poets that they should put their soul in poetry and encouraged them to also work hard adding that the rest will follow. Fatsani Chione who is also known as Mtumwi said that the poem talks about gender bias saying most married people especially men they do not speak out are dying in silent. Chione urged poetic fanatic to listen to the poem with keen interest because it offers more entertainment and educative to people. One of her fans, Patricia Semu told Malawi news agency that she likes the narration of the poem, the message in it and rhyming words, background sounds. “The action of the poet has really spoken well and whatever is narrated in the poem is really a true reflection of what is happening on the ground,” she added. Dying in silent was produced by viun records owned by Frank Msowoya who is known Fray more.
Solar Power Plant Construction Progress in Nkhotakota
By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa Nkhotakota, Mana: Malawi’s Vice-president, Saulos Chilima says he is impressed with progress of construction works of Serengeti Solar Electricity Plant in Nkhotakota District. Chilima said this on Friday when he toured the Power Plant currently under construction to appreciate its progress. He observed that construction of the 21 Megawatts Serengeti Nkhotakota Solar Power Plant is in line with the aspirations, pillars and enablers of the country’s development Agenda (MW2063) of creating an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation. The Vice-President said for Malawi’s aspirations to be achieved, there is need for sufficient energy from sustainable economic infrastructure. “On behalf of the president, I am both thrilled and delighted to learn that Serengeti Energy Nkhotakota Solar PV Project is finally at an advanced stage towards contributing to this effort,” he said. He assured people that the current legal and regulatory framework in the energy sector is open to new entrants with more independent power producers offering diverse sources of energy. Head of Mission for the German Embassy, Sabine Lindeman, said the Malawi-Germany partnership identified the promotion of sustainable and sufficient supply of electricity as a major enabler for economic growth. “If households are supplied with adequate electricity each day, consumption of firewood and charcoal would be reduced, hence the healthier natural environments and communities” she said. Lindeman said the Nkhotakota Solar Power Plant is part of the Malawian Government Plan to move the country away from its reliance on hydropower which represents over 90 per cent of its energy mix. She observed that hydro power has kept the country vulnerable to frequent power cuts in times of drought and that deficits are still covered through inefficient, expensive and dirty diesel generators. According to Lindeman, Malawi targets to reduce her overdependence on hydro-generated power and diesel generators and said her government was proud to contribute towards the goal through the solar power in Nkhotakota. “That is why the German Government, through KFW, has contributed $74 million to Serengeti Energy, the sponsor of this very solar project and also many other renewable energy projects in the region” she said. Development Director for Serengeti Nkhotakota Solar Project, Wilfred van den Bos said the project, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022, will install 60,000 solar panels on a 60, 000 hectares of land. “This will make a significant addition to the electricity supply in Malawi as it will produce 57 million KW of power which is sufficient to supply 400,000 people in Malawi with electricity,” he said. Van de Bos said Serengeti Nkhotakota Solar PV Project started in April, 2021 and has employed over 200 people who are diligently working towards the completion of the project. Earlier, Traditional Authority Kalimanjira and Member of Parliament for Nkhotakota Central, Peter Mazizi, asked the company to fulfil its promises on corporate social responsibility such as constructing a clinic, rehabilitating some feeder roads and supporting needy students among others.
Malawi First Lady stresses on investing more in education of Rural Girls
By Patrick Ndawala Lilongwe, Mana: First lady Monica Chakwera on Monday emphasised on the need for the country to invest more in the education of girls in rural areas saying many village girls are facing challenges that forces them to drop out of school. She said this on Monday in Lilongwe during the signing ceremony of grant contract assistance of K94 Million (USD116,035) between Shaping Our Future Foundation (SOFF) and Japan embassy for the construction of a girls hostel and water facility at Katowo Community Day Secondary School in Rumphi district. Chakwera who is the founder of SOFF said long distance to community day secondary school renders girls vulnerable to sexual harassment adding that girls from poor families face a greatest barriers to education. The first lady also said secondary school girls who are doing self-boarding in rural areas are not safe because they as they face challenges especially at night that make them to drop out of school. “Today is my very happiest day because I know what it mean for a girls to walk long to school. Being raised in the village I know what education means to them. Education motivates girls and changes their live from poverty to a better life,” she said Chakwera said it is sad that the situation in the village remains poor as it was in 50 years ago urging all stakeholders to take action in improving the situations. She described the signing ceremony as a great day in her life as it reminded her old day she used to walk long distances to access education. She said the support is very important to the relationship between Malawi and japan but also to the development of Malawi especially on girl’s education. Chakwera encouraged other organisation to emulate the good example demonstrated by the people of japan by supporting vulnerable girls to complete the education. She said she would be a happy person if many of the village girls are able to secondary education saying: “When they have reached form four they become matured and make productive decisions for the life.” Japanese ambassador to Malawi Satoshi Iwakiri emphasised the need for a better learning environment for students in Malawi especially girls. He said the embassy through grant assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project decided to support SOFF to improve enrolment, retention and completion of secondary school education for girls at Katowo. “After the project more girls will be motivated to stay in school and pursue their education in order to become reliable citizens for their communities and Malawi in general,” He also pointed out that the support provided by government of Japan is in line with Malawi Vision 2063 which promotes human capital development especially among girls in the country. The Japanese ambassador who gave a gift to the first lady commended the first lady for her commitment to improve girl’s education. He expressed appreciation for the good working relationship between Malawi and Japan which he said the relationship is beneficial for people of the two countries.
Lions club urges Chitipa community to support charity works
Written by Bishop Witmos Chitipa, Mana: Lions Club has appealed to communities in Chitipa to support initiatives of the humanitarian service organization in order to help in uplifting livelihoods of the vulnerable people in the country. Overseer for Lions Club in Malawi and Mozambique, Lion Victor Gondwe made the appeal during the launch of Chitipa Lions Club on Friday. Gondwe disclosed that his charity organization is currently failing to reach out to many vulnerable people in the country as it is faced by financial challenges. ‘‘As a Lions club we do a lot of charity works to communities across Malawi, and our main focus areas include hunger, diabetes, childhood cancer, as well as eye sight, However, as an organization we are currently failing to reach out to them as the need out there is just enormous since there are many people who require our assistance.’’ ‘‘Currently there are very few people who are supporting this task, as such, we hope that if communities in Chitipa can be able to positively respond to our services through contributions it can bring about a change in complementing government efforts,’’ said Gondwe. Founded in 1917, Lions Club International is currently a home to 1.5 million members who are dedicated to serving their communities and the world, and in Malawi there are 19 clubs. In his remarks, the newly inducted chairperson of Chitipa Lions Club Sydney Simwaka commended Viphya Lions Club in Mzuzu for assisting in the establishment of Chitipa Club, adding that his team are eager to help in changing people’s lives. Simwaka said that so far the club has managed to assist communities in the district with the donation of eye glasses, eye testing as well as cancer screening. ‘‘As a chairman I feel that the establishment of Chitipa Lions Club has come at a right time when people in the district are faced with so many social-economic challenges, and it is a responsibility of well-wishers to assist them through us’’ said Simwaka.
Councillors, chiefs endorse new constituency boundaries in Rumphi
By Manasse Nyirenda Rumphi, Mana: Chiefs, councilors and other stakeholders in Rumphi led by Acting Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe have endorsed new constituency and ward boundaries in the district as reviewed by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). The endorsement came on Friday when Commissioner Anthony Mkumbwa engaged different stakeholder on constituency demarcation exercise taking place across the country. Acting Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe said although people in the district were expecting more constituencies, the law, in its current form, could not let them have more than four (4) constituencies and urged his chiefs and politicians to explain clearly to the people they serve about this. “We know people were expecting more constituencies. It is up to us to explain to the people the truth as relayed to us by MEC. “I am hopeful the boundaries we have approved will serve our people better because we have just learnt that in the previous boundaries, some members of parliament were serving disproportionately more constituents than others, a challenge which the current demarcations will address,” he said. Councilor for Chinyolo-Mphompha Ward, Harry Mnyenyembe, said he was happy with the result of the demarcations although they were expecting more wards and constituencies so that their people would benefit from increased constituency development fund resulting from increased constituencies. He further said the law has been generous to them because consideration of their topography among others in making the demarcations ensured that they maintained the number of constituencies which otherwise would have been reduced to three (3) if population were the only factor in demarcating constituencies and wards. Commissioner Mkumbwa said although the people were expecting more constituencies, he was happy they had adopted the revised number of constituencies. “We have done everything in consultation with them, however, they wanted more constituencies. They wanted six or seven but we have given them four. This is in line with the Constitution. “There was mixed reaction, but at the end of it, they have agreed to our reasoning which is based on the laws,” he said. Rumphi District has four (4) constituencies and eight (8) wards.