By Brenda Nkosi Blantyre, Mana: A 22-year-old Nkhotakota Community Radio reporter was in September this year arrested and prosecuted when she confessed to have killed her baby few seconds after its birth. According to the scribe, she went to the hospital with abdominal pains and before she was attended to she had gone to the bathroom to relieve herself where a baby was born and at that moment she strangled it to death. Thereafter she took the dead baby and presented it to the nurses wondering why she had delivered a baby when she wasn’t pregnant in the first place. The country is always engulfed in shock when an incident of child dumping has been exposed, with many condemning the act. While many call the mother all sorts of names, authorities also rush to arrest and imprison perpetrators of such acts. National Police Public Relations Officer, James Kadadzera in an interview says the police do not have conclusive data as to how many babies have been dumped this year. However, almost every month the media is awash with news that a baby has been dumped somewhere mostly in the latrine. Executive Director for Family Rights, Elderly and Child Protection (FRECHIP), Esmie Tembenu believes that factors leading to baby dumping need to be acknowledged by families and dealt with for meaningful change to happen. “Behind so many cases of baby dumping there are some unplanned pregnancies, which are often a result of unsafe and unprotected sex,” Tembenu observes. “Unsafe sex and unplanned pregnancies happen due to lack of education and knowledge,” she suggests. The retired Child Justice Magistrate says there is also a strong stigma attached to unmarried mothers which results in young and single mothers dumping their babies due to poverty, shame and fear. Tembenu says in law, there is a presumption of insanity applied to mothers who have given birth and this presumption of insanity ends when the baby is at least 12 months old implying that the mother becomes temporarily insane during this period. “Such mothers deserve emotional support. The lack of emotional support from family members complicates matters further,” she says. Tembenu, nevertheless, says pregnant teenage girls are often afraid to seek help from appropriate service providers, not only because of social prejudice, but also due to the law that punishes non-exploitative and consensual sex between adolescents. “These girls either dump babies or terminate pregnancies illegally to cover the boy whom they had consensual sex with,” she states. Tembenu further explains that Malawi needs to consider some factors of baby dumping to arrive at solutions to the problem. “A better support system has to be hatched for pregnant teens and single mothers by parents/relations, authorities and communities because if not supported they do resort to dumping the baby after giving birth,” Tembenu emphasises. She, however, adds that the health systems must also ensure that contraceptives are available to girls who are sexually active and single mothers. Programme Manager for St. John of God Hospitaller Services, Dr. Mwai Ng’oma, whose PhD is on maternal depression, attributes some cases of baby dumping to post-natal depression. Ng’oma says post-natal depression is a mood disorder that occurs four to six weeks after childbirth that affects how a woman feels, thinks and acts causing feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities that a woman once enjoyed. “Sometimes mothers reject the baby completely. In addition to thoughts of suicide, others may also have thoughts of wanting to harm the baby,” Ng’oma points out. According to Ng’oma, post-natal depression is very common in women globally. In Malawi, for instance, approximately 14% of women suffer from post-natal depression. Ng’oma says the issue of baby dumping is complex, suggesting that there could be several reasons mothers would dump a baby. However, she says that only when an assessment or an investigation is conducted, that’s when you can have definite reasons or factors that led to such an act. “There are a number of reasons that might force a mother to dump her baby; for others, it might be because they’re unable to take care of the baby, with a view that the baby is better off raised by someone else other than themselves. “Then there are others who might have intention of harming the baby for whatever reasons; then there are those who might have done that because of a mental illness including post-natal depression,” says Ng’oma. She says Malawi needs a wide range of services that can support the mothers the time they are pregnant and after giving birth. “There is need to create awareness on post-natal depression and maternal mental health issues, because a lot of women are suffering in silence,” says Ng’oma. Ng’oma adds that maternal mental health issues do not only affect the mother but the baby and the family alike. “There is need to make counseling services available and accessible to mothers in facilities at all levels from primary health care to health centres, integrate maternal mental health into reproductive health care and train more mental health providers,” she says. Ng’oma also calls for better social services by empowering mothers with knowledge and skills to be self-sufficient, strengthening of family systems, creation of more foster care services to take care of children that cannot supported by their biological mothers, adoption services and creation of awareness of such services. District Social Welfare Officer for Blantyre, Stephano Akuzike Joseph says there are many factors that drive people into baby dumping. “The critical reason for baby dumping is neglect as very few do so because of mental disturbance but most of them are into sex work,” says Joseph. Joseph says as such most mothers found to have dumped their baby are arrested as this act contravenes Section 3 of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act, duties and responsibilities of parents and guardians. On the other hand, Joseph says the country’s laws do not provide any outlet for a mother who feels she cannot nurse her baby for one reason or
Inspirational Quotes for the WEEKEND
By Charles Leyman Kachitsa In our youth there were some pointers to one being creative and adventurous, virtues that became useful as one discovers when grown up. Climbing trees and not just climbing but being able to find a fruit hidden in a tree that seems to have none, would be a great example of these practical signs of creativity. One of the signs of adventurousness was on occasions one got bitten by a hornet, ‘Mavu.’ It was something that indicated you were on a path of discovery mostly on climbing trees as that’s where you would mostly encounter a hornet nests and if you are unlucky arouse them to bite you. To be bitten by a hornet was a nasty experience because it caused itching and hardening of the skin of your face or wherever part it has bitten you. As a result though it was unknowingly a show of creativity, you would hide it from others hoping it won’t show the following day. Another show of brevity was losing ones toenails, often came off as a result of adventurous running or play without shoes. Painful but acknowledged by all seeing your pain as a sign of adventurousness and courage. More brevity was shown when salty water was poured on the open where the toenail had come off as that was the only anaesthetic treatment one could get to avoid infection. Just like in many things to fail and try again and again is a mark of resilience, our youth had these marks of resilience that separated adventurousness or courage and not trying at all. The quotes for this week are from the book whose author created the first ever differentiated banking experience coming after more than a decade of traditional bank dominance in the UK. In the book he shares his experiences in overcoming the usual assumptions of people not believing in something new and out of the box. I am sure the selected quotes below from the book will enlighten you to one or two life lessons, read and enjoy: FANS NOT CUSTOMERS – HOW TO CREATE GROWTH COMPANIES IN A NO GROWTH WORLD by Vernon W. Hill II “Just like at Metro, at Petplan it’s about empowering the team, allowing frontline people to make decisions. Chris and Natasha help structure those decisions and protect the rest of the company experience. But they allow their people to make decisions. This approach breeds an environment where, instead of people just passing along problems, they come with solutions. Instead of management saying, ‘That’s what the policy is’ or That’s the way the system is built,’ Petplan’s leadership culture responds: What do you think would be right? What would you suggest if this were your company? How would you handle this situation?’” “Anyone who has created a true growth company – whether it’s Bill Gates with Microsoft, Ray Kroc with McDonald’s, or Warren Buffett with Berkshire Hathaway – has been an agent of change by creating a new industry; reinventing an existing industry; going against conventional wisdom; enduring the barbs of the competition, media, and a skeptical public; and thinking outside the box. ——— During the early days of Metro Bank’s opening in London, we were attacked and opposed by the British Banking cartel, business reporters, and skeptics. For most, we were too small to matter and they assumed we wouldn’t grow enough to warrant much attention. As for the competition, they convinced themselves that a service-focused model would never work in London. Soon, they said we were only getting the accounts nobody wanted!” “If you think about it, it’s not too hard to figure out how you would like to be treated in a bank, and that’s what Shirley is great at doing. You don’t want to wait in line forever; you want the store to be open when you can get there. And the Metro Bank logo is seen behind the cashiers so you know without a doubt where you are. —— Any successful retail business develops a unique, engaging, and fun environment. That is what turns customers into fans – every time.” “One of our biggest challenges is to make sure we continue hiring the right people. Some people like the comfort of 9 to 5 hours, being told what to do, punching the clock, and not making waves. Most bankers have risen in an environment where, if you keep your head down and don’t say the wrong thing, a job in banking is almost an entitlement. That’s not the attitude we look for. Sometimes it takes a while to convince people that working harder than they ever before, and being held accountable at a higher level than ever before, may be right for them.”
Pictures from the Kuipatsa Moto Flames Fundraising Dinner at Kamuzu Palace
Pics by Lisa Kadango Malango
Project targets CBOs in ending Gender Based Violence
By Loness Gwazanga Blantyre, Mana: Art and Global Health Centre (ArtGlobe) is implementing a Make Art for Women’s Activism (MAWA) project that aims at building capacity of Civil Societies (CSOs) Organisations to deliver gender based violence and sexual and reproductive health programs. ArtGlobe program leader Sharon Kalima Nkhwazi revealed this when she briefed members of Blantyre District Executive Committee on Thursday. He said the project wants to see the CSOs remain relevant to their communities and advocate for change at district and national levels. “The CSOs will have to apply using application forms through the Area Development Committees (ADC) and then they will be selected after shortlisting. The CSOs should be from across the entire district rooted with a strong community foot print with support from District Social Welfare Officer,” said Nkhwazi. She additionally explained that the CSOs will be trained in project management skills including human centred design, project management, financial management, communications as well as monitoring and evaluation. Director of Planning and Development for the district Tamanya Harawa urged ArtGlobe to speed up the implementation of the project for the benefit of the people in district. Harawa said the project should at all means desist from outsourcing personnel but rather, use locally available human resource such as district council officials in the course of implementing a one-year project. “You need to start implementing the project now so that you are within the one year timeframe. We do not want to start hearing stories when the project reaches its final stages. You also need to be updating the DEC every now and then on how the project is going on,” said Harawa. The project which will also be implemented in the districts of Mulanje, Chikwawa and Chiradzulu is being funded by United Nations Trust Fund and K52 million has been allocated for each district.
Kamuzu Central Hospital Director wary with NCD situation; Sends SOS!
By Andrew Magombo Lilongwe, Mana: Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) Director, Dr Jonathan Ngoma, has pleaded for urgent support towards fighting Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) as current statistics indicate a sharp rise in morbidity and mortality rate. He made the plea on Friday in Lilongwe at KCH during the commemoration of World Diabetes Day under the theme: “Access to Diabetes: If not now, When?” According to Ngoma, Malawi’s life expectancy has risen sharply in the last two decades jumping from 37 to 60 which eventually has contributed to an increase in NCD’s surpassing highly infectious disease like HIV, TB and Cholera. He called for urgent help particularly towards infrastructure, procurement of equipment, and recruitment of medical specialist for non-communicable which now comprise 70 percent of admissions in hospitals. “We barely have radio therapy services so we can’t treat cancer. We need blood pressure machines, glucometers to test glucose levels but unfortunately our hospitals do not have this. “The system needs to support NCD so that we can avoid consequences like strokes, amputation and death solely because we do not have the infrastructure,” the Director said. Dr Ngoma lashed out at health workers who ignore clients who come for medical check-ups and instead paying attention only to those who look ill. He said: “We need to change our mind set as medical personnel as some people have lost their lives due to this negligence and it is embarrassing because access of NCDs should not be this hard even here at the central hospital.” Representative of People living with NCDs, Samuel Kumwanje said NCDs are preventable and all what was lacking was commitment. He asked the Ministry of Health for more support towards drugs, human resource and awareness campaigns as some of the way to prevent and control prevalence rate of NCDs. Principal Secretary Administration in the Ministry of Health, Bestone Chisamile admitted existing challenges in the system among others being minimal care of diabetes at health centre level. He said the Ministry was embarking on a number of initiatives to mitigate challenges of NCDs. “We have a strategic plan running from 2017 to 2021 where we have prioritised NCD including procurement of essential drugs like insulin for diabetes, hypertension and similar diseases.” “In term of human resources, we have been working on recruitment and we will continue adding more health workers because the ministry is endlessly working on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases,” Chisamile added. He asked people to reconsider their lifestyle of excessive alcoholism, smoking and lack of exercises which in turn exacerbates NCDs like diabetes. Globally, at least 4 million lives are lost each year due to diabetes and 80 percent of them occur in low and middle income countries like Malawi where prevalence rate is about 1.8 to 5.6 of the adult population.
Youth key to peace keeping
By Andrew Ndhlovu Lilongwe, Mana: Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity has urged the youth to be ambassadors of peace and unity in order for the country to have meaningful social-economic development. Speaking during the graduation ceremony for Interfaith and inter-cultural peace facilitated by United Religious Initiative ( URI) on Thursday in Lilongwe, Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity Chrispine Mwale said it is the government goal to foster peace and unity in this country. “We are happy as government to see other stakeholders coming in to help this course and especially putting in front the youth as the drive force to make sure that there is peace and unity in our nation,” Mwale said. He further said that the ministry is very willing to work with such kind of people who have the country at their heart. “The government is delighted to work with organisation like URI as we have witnessed today the graduation of 20 youth graduating in peace, conflict resolution and unity which is very commendable.” Mwale said. He added that government through the ministry of civic education and national unity will partner with organizations like URI to make sure that their efforts are reaching their intended goals. “We will be working hand in hand with URI to make sure that they achieve their goals of making sure that there is peace and unity in this country,” Mwale said. In his remarks URI country coordinator Geoffrey Manasse said that after seeing the political motivation and religious related violence we thought of coming with a program to train the youth on how they can deal with that. “We planned to have trainings for youth on how they can solve conflicts being in religious or cultures in the society as most of them are used in carrying on violence in this country,” Manasse said. He further said that the trainings take 6months to equip them in the knowledge of peace. “We train youth from different religious backgrounds and culture in leadership skills, interface communication management and conflict management the aim behind is to have the society which is unified,” Manasse said. One of the graduates Imaan Msume said that he will continue to preach about peace and harmony among his fellow youth. “I have learnt and understood well the importance of keeping peace and unity for our country to develop and prosper. As we are going I will still engage my fellow youths on how we can solve our differences without violence,” Msume.
State President Chakwera lauds new Archbishop Tambala
By Yamikani Sabola Lilongwe, Mana: President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has lauded, Most Rev. George Desmond Tambala, new Archbishop for Lilongwe Archdiocese, describing him as a suitable shepherd. He was speaking at Civo stadium in Lilongwe on Saturday during installation Most Rev. Tambala as the new Archbishop for Lilongwe Archdiocese. Chakwera said the installation of Tambala as Archbishop was a manifestation of God’s faithfulness. He said Rev. Tambala’s life story was fulfilling and inspiring hence Roman Catholic faithfuls in the Lilongwe Archdiocese were blessed to have him at the helm. “Weaving through the life story of the new Archbishop, one cannot help but see the footprints of God leading him faithfully to this defining moment. “Looking at the needs of the church, at large, one cannot help but see the footprints of God leading the flock faithfully to a suitable shepherd,” the President said. Chakwera said the Lilongwe Archdiocese, which includes the Capital City, was faced with numerous challenges which the new Archbishop would be key in helping to address in his capacity. In his acceptance speech, Archbishop Tambala said he was a strong believer of a church that was self-evangelizing, self-reliant financially and open to mission. He said those three pillars would be central to his work as the new Archbishop. “We are living in a time of many challenges regarding our faith as priests and laity. I would like to dedicate the coming years, together with you, towards a new and deeper way of reaching out to all. “Let us look seriously into the question of what does it mean to be Roman Catholic Christian today,” Tambala said. The New Archbishop asked for support and collaboration from priests in the Archdiocese. “A good and mutually respectful relationship between the Archbishop and the priests is key to our working together. What I am looking forward to is this building up of our relationship,” Archbishop Tambala said. He said he would be supportive of all youth programmes in the diocese including supporting schools, colleges and universities to ensure the youth are getting access to education. Tambala was born in Zomba on November 11, 1968, was appointed Bishop of Zomba on October 15, 2015 and ordained Bishop on January 30, 2016. Archbishop Tambala has replaced late Archbishop Tarcisius Ziyaye who died on December 14, 2020 in Namibia where he was receiving medical treatment.
Government should take private sector seriously-Lea
By Carol Mkandawire Lilongwe, Mana: UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Acting Chief Economist, Nick Lea has advised the government that it should take private sector seriously as it the only sector which is employing a lot of people in the country. He made the remarks on Wednesday during High-level Roundtable discussion which was organised by National Planning Commission (NPC) in collaboration with the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe. The event was held to discuss priority policy options of the recently launched Malawi 2063 First 10 Year Implementation Plan (MIP-1). Lea said private sector would be the future of Malawi’s wealth and jobs, and government needs to take private sector very serious because most of the jobs come from private sectors. “Malawi should implement very serious consultation with the private sector and government should make Malawi the easiest place the private sector to invest as it grows job opportunities,” he added. Lea pointed out that Malawi as a country needs a clear vision for global marketers including the private sector because development involves transitions. He said that, export rate growth is only way Malawi could develop hence Foreign exchange has to be at the centre for Malawi brands development. Principal Secretary for Economic Planning and Development, Dr Winford Masanjala said that the private sector are depending on the state for business. He said instead of being innovating and growing economy they are scrambling for the little government procurement and government business. Masanjala further said that private sector remains the engine of broad and government acknowledges that.
One Step Foundation lobbies for an end to street handouts
By Andrew Magombo and Jabulire Phiri Lilongwe, Mana: Executive Director for One Step Foundation, Moses Mwalabu has appealed to Government and Parliament to consider constituting laws that would put an end to dishing handouts in the streets in a bid to permanently deal with the issue of street connected children, He made the statement on Friday in Lilongwe at a Press briefing where he addressed a number of challenges and recommendations concerning street connected children. Mwalabu said currently the situation was dire as people who have a habit of giving handouts instil a spirit of begging continuously hence rendering several initiatives to get them off street less effective. According to the Director, donations are more reliable when they have been handed to institutions that could take care of the children’s welfare. He said: “We are asking all good Samaritans to follow the right channelling of funds because there are clubs and rehabilitation centres which need more support and these are places which are more conducive to change the mindset of these vulnerable children.” The Executive Director, who claims to have grown up in the streets before turning into a University graduate at LUANAR University, sent a stern warning to people who take advantage of vulnerable children for their self-interests. Mwalabu said he has already made arrangements with leaders at dump sites in the country to deny entry at the site all individuals and organisations that come with donations as this is perpetrating street life. A representative for Cry for Widows, Sarah Mndolo said many street connected children come from poor families headed by widows. She added that widows are suffering injustices including property grabbing by relatives of their late spouses a situation which renders them destitute. Mndolo said “Children go into the streets because as widows we fail to give them basic requirements for survival such as soap, clothes and food so we are calling for help from Government and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like HRDC and Women Lawyers Association of Malawi.” At the Press briefing, there was no immediate comment from the Ministry of Gender but recently Minister responsible, Patricia Kaliati, propagated for the same cause of ending handouts promising to use effective policies and strategies to cub the situation.
Government trains district officers on transform
By Aliko Munde Dowa, mana: Deputy Minister of Local Government, Halima Daudi has said her ministry has intensified training for District Council Officials on transform to improve delivery and implementation of social protection programmes. She made the remarks on Friday during the closing of a five day Transform District Training Workshop, which was organised by the Ministry of Local government with funding from International Labour Organization (ILO) at Chikho Hotel in Mponela, Dowa. “The transform district capacity building training is an investment as it is in line with Malawi 2063 vision,” the Deputy Minister said. Daudi asked participants to use the skills and knowledge gained to their districts. She said that, “Because of these trainings there will be great improvement in social protection in district councils as well as at community level.” ILO Social Protection Technical Officer, Patience Matandiko said the training was aimed at enhancing the capacity of district officers in implementation of national social protection programmes. “Social protection plays a critical role in national development and can contribute to achieving an exclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation as outlined in the Malawi 2063 and the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals,” she explained. Matandiko said continued capacity building among practitioners at all levels was required to equip service providers with knowledge and skills to respond to the changing demands and trends in the social protection sector. One of the participants, Mary Zafaneya thanked the Ministry for organizing the training, saying it has come at the right time as most District Councils were implementing various social protection programmes. “Let me assure the government and ILO that we are going to use the skills and knowledge gained and implement the social protection programmes professionally,” she said. The transform training programme is an innovative learning package, whose prime objective is to build critical thinking and capacities of policy makers and practitioners at national and decentralized levels to improve the design, effectiveness and efficiency of social protection systems. Over 30 participants from M’mbelwa, Mchinji and Lilongwe District Councils participated in the training.