BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
It seems there is a great desire in men to prey on any woman who avails herself to them. This desire is the driving force behind men’s behaviour of cheating on their spouses.
There are many husbands who flirt around while their loved ones back home are dying to enjoy conjugal rights from them (hubbies).
Although no scientific research has been conducted to establish the percentage of men who cheat on their wives, the numerous stories of the plight of abandoned women and their kids are suffice to prove the case.
What is more saddening is that most of these cheats rarely take responsibility for the offspring they sire outside wedlock thus burdening the innocent and economically-handicapped victims (abandoned women).
The media have and continue to unearth stories of influential men who have sired children at every corner of town, but are quick to deny their responsibility.
Such men usually disappear to unknown destinations where they prowl on more unsuspecting girls ready to plant more seeds.
Chifundo Mayere, 32, of Nasingo in Blantyre first got married in 1995 to a man she regarded responsible, loving and honest.
The man (name deliberately withheld) came with sweeties promising her total love and care in times of sorrow and joy.
But it was never to be. His love for Mayere faltered as time went and later he abandoned her altogether.
But the man, then working as a police officer, left after fathering three children with her.
“I hear he’s staying in Balaka with his new wife,” Mayere said.
Their first-born is now 16 years old and is doing his Form Two at Namame CDSS.
Like in a Nigerian movie, Mayere entered part two of her married life in 2003. This time it was a man from Dedza (again name withheld deliberately).
He left in 2006 having fathered her one child: a girl.
“The first man has never rendered support of any sort since he left. The Dedza man used to assist in bits, but eventually stopped last year,” she said in an interview at her grass-thatched house where she is struggling to provide for two men’s offspring.
Now Mayere does not want to believe any suitor because “I’ve had enough of these cheats who usually come with sweet-talk; sounding angelic when they’re wolves in sheep’s skin”.
“Even my relatives have advised me not to bow down to the desire of other would-be suitors. We’re afraid that like the two men, the would-be husbands would do the same to me.
“Already I’m struggling to provide for the four kids; and I don’t want another man to add more responsibility on me,” said Mayere with finality.
She is but one in a pool of women who have fallen victim to sweet-talkers and irresponsible men.
Just a few metres away from Mayere’s house, five other women are equally failing to feed children they bore from different husbands.
Femail investigations revealed that most of the abandoned wives face challenges in providing for their children. Most of the interviewees said they are illiterate and unemployed.
They live in dilapidated houses where they struggle to pay rent. Most of them subsist on selling fried nuts or plywood they buy from Limbe Raiply.
They don’t gain enough from their businesses, but have no choice. Education for their children has become a luxury to them.
They do not have the financial muscle to send their children beyond the free primary school. Even in primary school, very few children of abandoned wives finish their education because of lack of uniform and other needs.
Abandoned wives say they are all powerless to bring the deserters to book and thus they wonder how they can make these “cheats and heartless” men accountable for their actions?
Centre for Human Rights, Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) executive director Victor Mhango advises that the first step to holding men responsible is by formalizing relationships before engaging in sex.
Mhango thinks most men find loopholes in the way their marriages came into being before deserting their wives.
“Women become more vulnerable if their marriages are not formal because even if they’re dumped, it becomes difficult for them to seek court redress,” he explains.
Malawi laws recognize marriages by cohabitation, but Mhango thinks women would do themselves a service if they formalize their relationships.
“They should always demand to have their relationships formalized so that they should be able to take their deserting husbands to court for maintenance and affiliation redress,” the Chreaa boss stresses.
National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Southern Regional Civic Education Officer Christopher Naphiyo notes that perhaps it is lack of economic independence that drives women into jumping for every man that offers to marry them.
Naphiyo says this problem is quite rampant mainly because of lower literacy levels among women in Malawi.
“Perhaps, women lose sense of independence because of their economic situation. Women need to find ways of gaining economic independence and avoid aggravating the damage by jumping onto a new suitor before properly studying him,” he advises.
The civic educator further explains that women who have fallen victim to cheating men should find a forum where they can share their problems with others such as churches.
Naphiyo, however, notes the stigma and discrimination women with failed marriages bear in some churches, a development which deters most of such victims to open up.
It’s unfortunate that women with failed marriages become talk of town including churches. That’s why most the abandoned women don’t open up.
“And when another man offers to marry them they easily give in just to do away with the public shame,” he says.
Sometimes women may have contributed to the breakage of families, but both Mhango and Naphiyo advise men to be human enough and remember to provide assistance to their kids who they fathered elsewhere.
“Men should learn to be responsible without being pushed,” they say.
Mayere, on the other hand, has an idea she thinks would help curb men’s irresponsibility in families. She proposes that government, through Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Development, should intervene by introducing laws that would punish irresponsible men.
This, Mayere thinks, would help to ensure that children enjoy maximum support from their fathers even if parents divorce.
END
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
CCODE electrifies Chitala Village
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
The family of Kwazizira Banda, 45, of Chitala Village in the area of Traditional Authority Khombedza in Salima used to spend K800 per month on kerosene only to light his house.
Both Banda and his wife are illiterate. But they realize the need to move with time, especially now when “people preach that we are in a global village”.
The advancement in technology has helped in connecting people across borders. While in the past you needed a long process to communicate to a relation in town or abroad you can now reach him or her just by dialling digits on your cell phone.
So despite living in one of the remotest parts of Salima, Banda is not backward technologically.
He bought his own gadget few years ago. But the cell phone is not an easy thing to maintain, especially to people living in the rural areas where electricity is just an illusion.
But for the love of technology and easy access to his relatives living in towns and cities Banda was spending another K900 on charging his phone battery for a month.
This is not easy-to-find money for a man who solely relies on small scale farming as his occupation.
“It was not easy to provide for my family while at the same time maintain my cell phone. It seemed to me that the gadget was consuming
more money than my wife,” Banda told Grain Wyson Malunga, Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment at the launch of “Barefoot Women Solar Engineers Village Electrification Project” at Chitala Village on Tuesday.
The village is about 20 km away from Salima, but Banda used to cycle or even board a bust to the town to charge his phone battery.
Despite energy being lifeblood of economic development of every nation, the access to electricity is still very low.
Statistics show that only 8 percent of the total population has an access to electrical energy. Of this, only one percent is in the rural areas. The situation presented above means that the majority of the country’s population has no access to any form of electricity.
Usually, the unserved population tends to rely on other alternative energy sources for their convenience and common among such sources include paraffin for lighting; firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Unfortunately though, these energy sources have contributed negatively to environmental degradation across the country.
Solar energy seen from this perspective of alternative sources offers a potentially attractive solution to the energy problems that Malawi is currently facing.
Currently, it is estimated that only about 0.02 percent of the population has access to solar electricity.
According to Malunga, this is far below the SADC overall average of 20 percent.
The minister emphasized that if Malawi is to achieve meaningful economic development, rural transformation, production enhancement and poverty reduction, there is urgent need to increase access to electricity by the rural populace.
“All the developed countries have reached where they are today because they, first of all, developed their energy sector,” said Malunga when he officially launched the project that Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE) initiated to improve energy services delivery in the rural communities.
He added, “For Malawi and other countries in the region, the full potential of the energy sector has remained far from being realized.
As stated in the Energy Policy Document, it is the intention of my ministry that a target of 10 percent access rate of electricity be partly achieved through rural electrification by the year 2010.”
Malunga disclosed that despite experiencing a tremendous increase in demand for energy, especially electricity, the level of production and supply at national level.
Therefore, promoting use of renewable energy sources such as solar electricity is one of the most convenient forms of alternative energy sources. To enhance affordability and adoption of solar energy, government has this year removed taxes on importation of all solar equipment.
According to CCODE executive director, Siku Nkhoma, the organization sent a ten-member team of semi-illiterate to Barefoot College in India where they read for solar installation and maintenance for six months.
CCODE Skills and Livelihoods Programme Manger, Boniface Kumwenda, said, with financial assistance from Trocaire, UNDP Global Environment Fund (GEF), Cara Malawi, and Barefoot College of India, his organization is targeting 135 families in Chitala and Chimonjo villages in Salima, 100 families in Kaphuka in Dedza while 81 families in Makunganya village in Zomba will benefit.
“So far, 60 families have benefited in Chitala village alone. The success of this pilot project will help us determine our next step to try to make this source of energy reach as many as households as possible,” said Kumwenda.
“The advantage is that we use semi-illiterate women in their localities to learn how to maintain in case of faults and other problems,” he said.
End
The family of Kwazizira Banda, 45, of Chitala Village in the area of Traditional Authority Khombedza in Salima used to spend K800 per month on kerosene only to light his house.
Both Banda and his wife are illiterate. But they realize the need to move with time, especially now when “people preach that we are in a global village”.
The advancement in technology has helped in connecting people across borders. While in the past you needed a long process to communicate to a relation in town or abroad you can now reach him or her just by dialling digits on your cell phone.
So despite living in one of the remotest parts of Salima, Banda is not backward technologically.
He bought his own gadget few years ago. But the cell phone is not an easy thing to maintain, especially to people living in the rural areas where electricity is just an illusion.
But for the love of technology and easy access to his relatives living in towns and cities Banda was spending another K900 on charging his phone battery for a month.
This is not easy-to-find money for a man who solely relies on small scale farming as his occupation.
“It was not easy to provide for my family while at the same time maintain my cell phone. It seemed to me that the gadget was consuming
more money than my wife,” Banda told Grain Wyson Malunga, Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment at the launch of “Barefoot Women Solar Engineers Village Electrification Project” at Chitala Village on Tuesday.
The village is about 20 km away from Salima, but Banda used to cycle or even board a bust to the town to charge his phone battery.
Despite energy being lifeblood of economic development of every nation, the access to electricity is still very low.
Statistics show that only 8 percent of the total population has an access to electrical energy. Of this, only one percent is in the rural areas. The situation presented above means that the majority of the country’s population has no access to any form of electricity.
Usually, the unserved population tends to rely on other alternative energy sources for their convenience and common among such sources include paraffin for lighting; firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Unfortunately though, these energy sources have contributed negatively to environmental degradation across the country.
Solar energy seen from this perspective of alternative sources offers a potentially attractive solution to the energy problems that Malawi is currently facing.
Currently, it is estimated that only about 0.02 percent of the population has access to solar electricity.
According to Malunga, this is far below the SADC overall average of 20 percent.
The minister emphasized that if Malawi is to achieve meaningful economic development, rural transformation, production enhancement and poverty reduction, there is urgent need to increase access to electricity by the rural populace.
“All the developed countries have reached where they are today because they, first of all, developed their energy sector,” said Malunga when he officially launched the project that Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE) initiated to improve energy services delivery in the rural communities.
He added, “For Malawi and other countries in the region, the full potential of the energy sector has remained far from being realized.
As stated in the Energy Policy Document, it is the intention of my ministry that a target of 10 percent access rate of electricity be partly achieved through rural electrification by the year 2010.”
Malunga disclosed that despite experiencing a tremendous increase in demand for energy, especially electricity, the level of production and supply at national level.
Therefore, promoting use of renewable energy sources such as solar electricity is one of the most convenient forms of alternative energy sources. To enhance affordability and adoption of solar energy, government has this year removed taxes on importation of all solar equipment.
According to CCODE executive director, Siku Nkhoma, the organization sent a ten-member team of semi-illiterate to Barefoot College in India where they read for solar installation and maintenance for six months.
CCODE Skills and Livelihoods Programme Manger, Boniface Kumwenda, said, with financial assistance from Trocaire, UNDP Global Environment Fund (GEF), Cara Malawi, and Barefoot College of India, his organization is targeting 135 families in Chitala and Chimonjo villages in Salima, 100 families in Kaphuka in Dedza while 81 families in Makunganya village in Zomba will benefit.
“So far, 60 families have benefited in Chitala village alone. The success of this pilot project will help us determine our next step to try to make this source of energy reach as many as households as possible,” said Kumwenda.
“The advantage is that we use semi-illiterate women in their localities to learn how to maintain in case of faults and other problems,” he said.
End
Decent homes, a dream for many
By Frazer Potani, Lilongwe, Malawi
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| One of the habitable houses in the city of Blantyre |
Do you live in a house full of comfort and that you can proudly point a finger at, to show anyone without shame? Then count yourself lucky.
The United Nations Strategy to Combat Homelessness (UNSCH) says one great challenge worldwide is for every soul on the planet to live in a decent home.
“There are over 100 million people that are homeless across the globe,” says the agency. The homeless figures translates into one in every 60 people in the over 6.5 billion plus global population without a home.
Malawi’s Lands and Housing Minister, professor turned politician Peter Mwanza also said recently in Lilongwe at a site where government is building flats for policemen that is aware that people in the country’s towns and cities are struggling to identify a decent house to live.
He, therefore, said government will do all it can to through its housing agency, Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) construct more houses in the country for occupation.
Programme Director for UN-Habitat Malawi mission office John Chome said his office would like to in partnership with government and other partners help poor homeless Malawians living in shacks to own homes.
“Life is meaningless not only in Malawi but globally if one does not have a decent place where to live. Therefore, as UN-Habitat- Malawi office we want to work with government and all other partners to enable poor people in Malawi to have a good settlement that is established on best practices,” he said.
Chome further disclosed that only about 10 per every 100 people in Malawi owned decent homes.
“In Malawi nine out of 10 urban dwellers live in slums,” he said.
Chome’s claims are backed by just mentioning a few, the presence of some poorly planned and sub standard structures mixed with decent houses in townships such as Ndirande, Cholomoni, Bangwe, Chilobwe, Naotcha, Mtopwa in Blantyre City, Mchesi, Chilinde, Kaliyeka, Kawale, Areas 22,23,24,36 in Lilongwe City and Mchengautuwa, Zorozoro,Chibabvi, Chiputura in Mzuzu.
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| A typical pit latrine in Lilongwe's Mchesi Area |
To help government transform its reality of helping poor Malawians to own decent houses in the country the Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE) and its partners initiated a housing project.
With assistance from CCODE people including women in Area 49 in Lilongwe City are now living in their own houses.
Before owning the houses the beneficiaries lived in shacks that could fall on them and even injure or even kill them.
To own their houses however, the women had to sweat for them by molding 30 cm by 35 cm large bricks for building their 7 m by 7 m houses.
The Area 49 housing story was one of the projects that had put Malawi on the global map as was presented at UN-Habitat symposium in Vancouver, Canada in 2006.
CCODE director Sikhulire Nkhoma said the Area 49 housing project came into reality after Lilongwe City Assembly allocated some plots to the people with the help of her organization.
“Within six weeks after the breaking ceremony was conducted in September 2005 in Area 49 in Lilongwe the women got organized in the process of building their houses. 17 houses were built to roofing level then,” said Nkhoma adding that it was easy for women to realize their dream of owning own houses.
“Some of the women currently owning houses in Area 49 in Lilongwe were discriminated by their husbands. In one case one woman had her husband vowing that he would never step his feet in her house. But later after the woman had moved in the house the husband changed his mind and moved in,” she said.
Nkhoma further disclosed that another case was a sad one as after completing her house one woman died as she was about to move in.
“It was because most of the women showed their interest in the Area 49 pilot project than men that most of the houses are owned by the women,” said Nkhoma adding, “But some houses in this project are also owned by men beneficiaries.”
She also disclosed that some families in the Area 49 project also had ponds and gardens that were beehive of activities for income generation for their own benefit.
Nkhoma requested government to incorporate the housing sector in its programmes of fighting against poverty as Malawi’s poverty face as seen from housing sector is gloomy.
“It’s not easy for government alone to construct a decent house for everyone. But if government can find ways to empower the poor they can easily construct average decent houses for their own occupation,” she said.
Nkhoma further said for example, if government pumped some resources to at least 200,000 houses for the poor Malawi’s economy could get a boost.
She disclosed that at least 200 families in the Area 49 housing project during the pilot phase constructed their houses with K70,000 each house.
Nkhoma disclosed that apart from the Area 49 housing project Blantyre’s suburb, Angelogoveya also benefited 450 pilot plots where people were to construct their own houses for occupation.
In a report, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mission office in Lilongwe says at a rate of 5.22 per cent, Malawi has the fourth highest urbanization rates in Africa; the top three countries are those emerging from conflict.
“The 2008/2009 State of the world’s cities Report shows that 1,468,000 Malawians lived under slum conditions in 2005, representing 66.4 percent of the total urban population. The cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba and towns near these cities have increasing slum dwellers and increasing urban poverty,” says the report.
The report adds that these settlements are characterized by poor access to physical infrastructure such as roads, electricity and poor access to social services such as health, education, water and sanitation, insecure tenure and poor housing conditions.
UNDP Resident Coordinator Richard Dictus says Malawi’s urbanization trend will not be reversed.
“We therefore, must reform our planning processes so that cities can cater for the increasing population in the cities and arriving from the rural areas. It’s imperative that we pay serious attention to slum upgrading, improving basic urban services, good urban governance structures,” Dictus also UNDP Resident Representative in Malawi said adding that this would ensure that Malawi’s population lives in quality of life.
The UN-Habitat concurs with Dictus says Malawi should indeed prepare for an urban population boom in four decades time.
The agency projects that the country’s new urban population will be 22 times the current size of Lilongwe whose population is 674,448.
In a statement released for the World Habitat Day commemorated on October 5, the organization says while the current urban centres will continue growing, the highest rate of urban growth will be experienced in the current market centres, small urban centres and the bomas.
The agency, however, expresses concern that most of these centres are neglected in terms of urban planning and development.
“These are the centres that do not receive much attention and resources. They continue to grow haphazardly with little or no planning and little investment in public services,” says the agency.
The organization also says the future of Malawi is basically urban with projections showing that by 2050 about half of the country’s people will be concentrated in towns.
The agency discloses that in 1950 there were 101,000 people living in urban areas in Malawi translating to 3 percent of the population.
In the year 2000 on the other hand, 15 per every 100 or 1,764,000 people were living in urban areas in Malawi.
The agency further projects that by next year there will be 3 million Malawians living in urban areas representing 20 percent while by 2050 there will be 15.5 million Malawians living in urban areas, almost 49 percent of the population.
 |
| A bathroom in Masasa Township in Mzuzu |
“In the next 40 years Malawi will have to plan and provide for new urban population 22 times the current size of Lilongwe in terms of land, housing, water, sanitation, energy, health, education, roads, transport, jobs, food,” says the agency.
END
Dilemmas in achieving 50-50 women representation
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
“I’m still determined although I know I’ll face challenges because people here don’t believe in gender equality. I’m disadvantaged because all my male contenders have financial muscles, which they can use to inducing voters into electing them,” says Mayele who intends to represent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Machinga.
Despite the call for gender equality in all sectors of life, many people across the country still believe a woman can only be a leader in the presence of fellow women. This belief is largely influenced by religious or cultural traditions, which limit women authority to fellow women.
For example, in Islam, a woman cannot stand at the pulpit to preach the word of God because that is against the teachings of the Holy Quran.
Similarly, in Ngoni traditions, women have to submit to male children however young. Chimbizgani Jere of Embangweni in Mzimba explains that although their culture appreciates the role women play in the society, their authority is mostly limited to fellow women and male children less than five years of age.
“In our culture, every male child is regarded as king. Such being the case, every woman has to submit to him even if he’s young,” explains Jere.
This type of teachings, if incorporated in our cultural values and customs, can influence people’s attitude towards women as being inferior to men.
In its 24th April 2010 research paper, Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Educational Trust (Wilsa-Malawi) states that customary laws and practices dictate unequal gender relations, compounding discrimination that women face in public and private institutions.
Consequently, obstacles to gender equality persist in Malawi because of existing discriminatory statutory and customary laws and practices, the organization observes.
The large disjuncture existing between women’s constitutional rights and formal laws [customary laws and practices] also worsens the situation as they act as a barrier to women’s empowerment.
However, in Mchinji West Constituency people defied the status quo in the last general elections by electing a female Member of Parliament—Theresa Gloria. They have not been disappointed, so far, according to Traditional Authority Simphasi and his subjects.
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development provides for equal representation of women in all levels of government.
The protocol calls upon governments and states to commit themselves to the empowerment of women, elimination of all forms of discrimination and to achieve gender equality and equity through the development and implementation of gender responsive legislation policies, programmes and projects.
And to show Malawi’s commitment to gender equality, President Bingu wa Mutharika signed the protocol on October 19, 2009 where he also reaffirmed his determination to empower women in all spheres of the country’s development.
Mutharika told the multitude that gathered to witness the signing ceremony that he was, personally, committed to issues of women empowerment and that he would make sure Malawi was among the first countries to ratify and implement it.
The president observed that women, just like men, were capable of performing as long as they are told and empowered of their role and asked Malawians to accord women a safe environment where they [women] could be resourceful without being inhibited and intimidated.
“We can’t achieve gender balance if we don’t provide a favourable environment for women participation because many women will simply shy away,” said the president.
Pan African Civic Educators Network (Pacenet) executive director Steve Duwa says although Malawi has registered quite a considerable number of women being elected to parliamentary positions in the 2009 general elections, the political climate remains hostile to women and this may have a negative impact on the fight for 50-50 women representation.
Duwa attributes the stagnation to male politicians whom he accuses of using issues of women empowerment as a ploy for rising to top positions because little support or recognition is made to females who have managed to assume leadership positions.
“On paper, the political situation is friendly, but in practice very few women are given the opportunity to realize their potential,” he argues.
“It goes back to the issue of attitude towards women as being inferior to men. Women in elected or appointed positions are usually suppressed by men who want to dominate in all decision-making processes. Most women in appointed into positions are usually controlled by the appointing authorities,” he explains.
Duwa observes that, in most cases, women are given certain positions only when their presence would bring about significant benefits to the men around. He says unless more women are given reasonable share of political power and influence and that they act independently so that they can influence enactment of policies and laws friendly to women in general, the campaign for gender equality and respect for the rights of women will remain a mere rhetoric.
Of the 192 seats Malawi Parliament has, women occupy 42 seats representing 25 percent.
Mayele concurs with the Pacenet boss saying it is not enough to sign the protocols without showing commitment to their implementation. She says while signing of the protocols is a step towards achieving women empowerment, there is need for government to help in creating a fertile ground for women participation in public life.
“Government and the civil society need to work together in civic educating the masses on issues of women empowerment. It’s not easy to change people’s mindset, especially men. Hence there is need for more civic education over this matter,” she states.
Mayele mainly singles out male politicians as violators the legislations that call for women empowerment because they [men] consider women as threats to their political career.
“For example, since I expressed my desire to contest, male contenders have been threatening to deal with me. This shows how backward some people are thinking about us; they think we should be confined to kitchen work,” adds the aspirant.
In the spirit of gender equality and women empowerment, Mayele needs to be encouraged to nurture her interest in public life.
President Mutharika supports gender equality and would, therefore, be the first to support her aspirations. He, however, argues that gender balance does not necessarily every woman should be appointed into positions of authority just for the sake of it.
According to him, quality has to matter when the society is deciding on who should assume roles of leadership lest we compromise the delivery of services in both public and private institution.
“We really need to look at quality,” he said when signing the SADC protocol adding, “Be clear of what you want. It [the 50-50 campaign] should not just be a slogan.”
END
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| Mayele: Intimidation is the major challenge |
Immediately Beatrice Mayele, 32, of Ntokoma Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kawinga in Machinga expressed her interest to contest in the local government elections, she started receiving messages from anonymous numbers warning her to rescind her decision.
Of all the messages Mayele got, one made her shiver with fear. The message was so explicit no one would dare defy: “Don’t risk your life by contesting against our favourite. Don’t you have respect? As a woman, you can’t contest against men. If you continue with your intention to contest, you’ll be doing so at your own risk!”
She believes the messages were coming from people purposely hired by her male contenders to discourage her from realizing her political dreams.
Although Mayele has not given up the fight yet, she is, however, aware of the uphill task she has ahead of her to persuade people in her ward into giving her their precious votes.
“I’m still determined although I know I’ll face challenges because people here don’t believe in gender equality. I’m disadvantaged because all my male contenders have financial muscles, which they can use to inducing voters into electing them,” says Mayele who intends to represent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Machinga.
Despite the call for gender equality in all sectors of life, many people across the country still believe a woman can only be a leader in the presence of fellow women. This belief is largely influenced by religious or cultural traditions, which limit women authority to fellow women.
For example, in Islam, a woman cannot stand at the pulpit to preach the word of God because that is against the teachings of the Holy Quran.
Similarly, in Ngoni traditions, women have to submit to male children however young. Chimbizgani Jere of Embangweni in Mzimba explains that although their culture appreciates the role women play in the society, their authority is mostly limited to fellow women and male children less than five years of age.
“In our culture, every male child is regarded as king. Such being the case, every woman has to submit to him even if he’s young,” explains Jere.
This type of teachings, if incorporated in our cultural values and customs, can influence people’s attitude towards women as being inferior to men.
In its 24th April 2010 research paper, Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Educational Trust (Wilsa-Malawi) states that customary laws and practices dictate unequal gender relations, compounding discrimination that women face in public and private institutions.
Consequently, obstacles to gender equality persist in Malawi because of existing discriminatory statutory and customary laws and practices, the organization observes.
The large disjuncture existing between women’s constitutional rights and formal laws [customary laws and practices] also worsens the situation as they act as a barrier to women’s empowerment.
However, in Mchinji West Constituency people defied the status quo in the last general elections by electing a female Member of Parliament—Theresa Gloria. They have not been disappointed, so far, according to Traditional Authority Simphasi and his subjects.
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development provides for equal representation of women in all levels of government.
The protocol calls upon governments and states to commit themselves to the empowerment of women, elimination of all forms of discrimination and to achieve gender equality and equity through the development and implementation of gender responsive legislation policies, programmes and projects.
And to show Malawi’s commitment to gender equality, President Bingu wa Mutharika signed the protocol on October 19, 2009 where he also reaffirmed his determination to empower women in all spheres of the country’s development.
Mutharika told the multitude that gathered to witness the signing ceremony that he was, personally, committed to issues of women empowerment and that he would make sure Malawi was among the first countries to ratify and implement it.
The president observed that women, just like men, were capable of performing as long as they are told and empowered of their role and asked Malawians to accord women a safe environment where they [women] could be resourceful without being inhibited and intimidated.
“We can’t achieve gender balance if we don’t provide a favourable environment for women participation because many women will simply shy away,” said the president.
Pan African Civic Educators Network (Pacenet) executive director Steve Duwa says although Malawi has registered quite a considerable number of women being elected to parliamentary positions in the 2009 general elections, the political climate remains hostile to women and this may have a negative impact on the fight for 50-50 women representation.
Duwa attributes the stagnation to male politicians whom he accuses of using issues of women empowerment as a ploy for rising to top positions because little support or recognition is made to females who have managed to assume leadership positions.
“On paper, the political situation is friendly, but in practice very few women are given the opportunity to realize their potential,” he argues.
“It goes back to the issue of attitude towards women as being inferior to men. Women in elected or appointed positions are usually suppressed by men who want to dominate in all decision-making processes. Most women in appointed into positions are usually controlled by the appointing authorities,” he explains.
Duwa observes that, in most cases, women are given certain positions only when their presence would bring about significant benefits to the men around. He says unless more women are given reasonable share of political power and influence and that they act independently so that they can influence enactment of policies and laws friendly to women in general, the campaign for gender equality and respect for the rights of women will remain a mere rhetoric.
Of the 192 seats Malawi Parliament has, women occupy 42 seats representing 25 percent.
Mayele concurs with the Pacenet boss saying it is not enough to sign the protocols without showing commitment to their implementation. She says while signing of the protocols is a step towards achieving women empowerment, there is need for government to help in creating a fertile ground for women participation in public life.
“Government and the civil society need to work together in civic educating the masses on issues of women empowerment. It’s not easy to change people’s mindset, especially men. Hence there is need for more civic education over this matter,” she states.
Mayele mainly singles out male politicians as violators the legislations that call for women empowerment because they [men] consider women as threats to their political career.
“For example, since I expressed my desire to contest, male contenders have been threatening to deal with me. This shows how backward some people are thinking about us; they think we should be confined to kitchen work,” adds the aspirant.
In the spirit of gender equality and women empowerment, Mayele needs to be encouraged to nurture her interest in public life.
President Mutharika supports gender equality and would, therefore, be the first to support her aspirations. He, however, argues that gender balance does not necessarily every woman should be appointed into positions of authority just for the sake of it.
According to him, quality has to matter when the society is deciding on who should assume roles of leadership lest we compromise the delivery of services in both public and private institution.
“We really need to look at quality,” he said when signing the SADC protocol adding, “Be clear of what you want. It [the 50-50 campaign] should not just be a slogan.”
END
Mother-to-child transmission reduces to 2%
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Government has commended the Drug Resource against Aids and Malnutrition (DREAM) Programme for its efforts that have resulted in the reduction of cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the country to 2 percent.
Principal Secretary for Nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr. Mary Shawa made the remarks in Lilongwe when she opened a workshop on the new prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) perspectives in resource-limited settings.
Shawa explained that Malawi had registered a significant success in the fight against mother-child-transmission, especially in areas where DREAM Programme is implementing its PMTCT interventions.
“Our research has shown that transmission of HIV from the mother to the child has greatly declined from 35 percent to 1.8 percent and maternal mortality has declined to 0.003 from 1.1 percent in DREAM Centres. And this is not a mean achievement in the fight against HIV and Aids,” she said.
She further applauded the programme for its holistic approach to the fight against the pandemic.
“In the DREAM Centres, there is a social poverty analysis, which qualifies the pregnant woman and her family to be placed on nutrition support. The programme has assisted in delaying the progression of HIV into Aids condition and available studies have indicated that one can remain positive for nine to fifteen years before developing fully-blown Aids,” she said.
In his remarks, DREAM Programme Scientific Director Professor Leonardo Palombi said that among 1,000 women who were assisted by DREAM Programme the results showed that about 98 percent of the babies born to HIV-positive mothers survived and were free from HIV at the end of the first five years of their lives.
Professor Palombi said these results were not achieved in a special clinical trial, but a public health system run by the programme.
“The use of Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART) during pregnancy has demonstrated to reduce HIV transmission rates to less than 2%, and often to less than 1% in areas where treatment is available,” said Palombi.
He also assured government of his programme's continued support to its agenda to reduce maternal mortality and transmission of HIV from a mother to the child.
The DREAM is a public health prevention and treatment programme founded and run by the Community of Saint Egidio, but gets its funding from Intessa San Paolo, a leading Italian bank.
The programmne provides HIV care to over 55,000 infected individuals in 10 African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
END
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Government has commended the Drug Resource against Aids and Malnutrition (DREAM) Programme for its efforts that have resulted in the reduction of cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the country to 2 percent.
Principal Secretary for Nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr. Mary Shawa made the remarks in Lilongwe when she opened a workshop on the new prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) perspectives in resource-limited settings.
Shawa explained that Malawi had registered a significant success in the fight against mother-child-transmission, especially in areas where DREAM Programme is implementing its PMTCT interventions.
“Our research has shown that transmission of HIV from the mother to the child has greatly declined from 35 percent to 1.8 percent and maternal mortality has declined to 0.003 from 1.1 percent in DREAM Centres. And this is not a mean achievement in the fight against HIV and Aids,” she said.
She further applauded the programme for its holistic approach to the fight against the pandemic.
“In the DREAM Centres, there is a social poverty analysis, which qualifies the pregnant woman and her family to be placed on nutrition support. The programme has assisted in delaying the progression of HIV into Aids condition and available studies have indicated that one can remain positive for nine to fifteen years before developing fully-blown Aids,” she said.
In his remarks, DREAM Programme Scientific Director Professor Leonardo Palombi said that among 1,000 women who were assisted by DREAM Programme the results showed that about 98 percent of the babies born to HIV-positive mothers survived and were free from HIV at the end of the first five years of their lives.
Professor Palombi said these results were not achieved in a special clinical trial, but a public health system run by the programme.
“The use of Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART) during pregnancy has demonstrated to reduce HIV transmission rates to less than 2%, and often to less than 1% in areas where treatment is available,” said Palombi.
He also assured government of his programme's continued support to its agenda to reduce maternal mortality and transmission of HIV from a mother to the child.
The DREAM is a public health prevention and treatment programme founded and run by the Community of Saint Egidio, but gets its funding from Intessa San Paolo, a leading Italian bank.
The programmne provides HIV care to over 55,000 infected individuals in 10 African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
END
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
DPP chairpersons, chiefs tussle over leadership
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Namakhwa confirmed being approached by the chiefs. The chiefs requested him to help in solving the wrangle and ease the tension that had been created between politicians and custodians of our traditions, customs and culture.
“I was told party leaders were setting up parallel court structures where they [chairpersons] were trying and passing judgment on matters that are outside their jurisdiction,” said the MP.
At an inter-parte that took place at Khonjeni on Monday, GVH Makombe asked Namakhwa to discipline his people and civic educate them on their roles and responsibilities.
“This practice has been happening for a long time. Our role as chiefs is being overlooked because party chairpersons are now handling all the civil cases happening here,” said Makombe rather hopelessly.
“We’ve been exchanging bitter words at funerals...every party wants to look greater than the other. This behaviour has always ended into exchange of insults. We want this to stop. Tell your chairmen to know their boundaries,” he urged.
But his appeal was not received with the chairpersons who accused the chief of playing “Judas Iscariot”.
“No! That’s not true,” snapped constituency governor, Samson Magwaya.
The visibly angered Magwaya added, “Let us not betray one another here. It’s you the chiefs that have been causing trouble all this time and today you want to pose innocents. That’s very unfair...we’ll reveal your misdeeds.”
In his remarks, Namakhwa faulted the party leaders for failing to understand, define and implement their roles and responsibilities.
“Some of these issues are too small to settle. Politicians have no authority handling civil cases. Leave them to the chiefs,” he advised.
He further called upon the two parties to resolve their disagreements “for the good of development in the area”.
END
 |
| Makombe: We've lost our authority to DPP chairpersons |
A bitter wrangle has erupted in Thyolo Central Constituency involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) constituency and area chairpersons and chiefs with the latter accusing the politicians of wielding unnecessary power and assuming the roles of traditional authorities.
Recently, some traditional leaders [group village headpersons and village heads] lodged a complaint with Member of Parliament for the area, Kingsley Namakhwa, to the effect that their roles as adjudicators of civil matters had been usurped by the DPP chairpersons.
According to the chiefs, party leaders had become ‘untouchable’ and were wielding powers more than those of a traditional leader. They said even at funerals, the politicians where receiving more respect than chiefs, a development that did not please the traditional leaders.
Namakhwa confirmed being approached by the chiefs. The chiefs requested him to help in solving the wrangle and ease the tension that had been created between politicians and custodians of our traditions, customs and culture.
“I was told party leaders were setting up parallel court structures where they [chairpersons] were trying and passing judgment on matters that are outside their jurisdiction,” said the MP.
At an inter-parte that took place at Khonjeni on Monday, GVH Makombe asked Namakhwa to discipline his people and civic educate them on their roles and responsibilities.
“This practice has been happening for a long time. Our role as chiefs is being overlooked because party chairpersons are now handling all the civil cases happening here,” said Makombe rather hopelessly.
“We’ve been exchanging bitter words at funerals...every party wants to look greater than the other. This behaviour has always ended into exchange of insults. We want this to stop. Tell your chairmen to know their boundaries,” he urged.
But his appeal was not received with the chairpersons who accused the chief of playing “Judas Iscariot”.
“No! That’s not true,” snapped constituency governor, Samson Magwaya.
The visibly angered Magwaya added, “Let us not betray one another here. It’s you the chiefs that have been causing trouble all this time and today you want to pose innocents. That’s very unfair...we’ll reveal your misdeeds.”
In his remarks, Namakhwa faulted the party leaders for failing to understand, define and implement their roles and responsibilities.
“Some of these issues are too small to settle. Politicians have no authority handling civil cases. Leave them to the chiefs,” he advised.
He further called upon the two parties to resolve their disagreements “for the good of development in the area”.
END
Forex shortage delays Muluzi’s return
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Retired President Bakili Muluzi yesterday indicated he would not fly back home where he is also expected to attend court on the 3rd of September 2010.
His son, Atupele, said his father’s continued stay has been necessitated by shortage of foreign exchange (forex) in South Africa, which has forced the former president not to pay for his medical bills.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) yesterday said they had no problem with Muluzi extending his stay in South Africa as long as he makes himself available to take plea on the scheduled date.
The former president was initially expected to take plea in a corruption case on August 3 this year, but failed because doctors recommended him not fit to stand trial.
This resulted into his lawyers praying with the courts to extend Muluzi’s stay in South African for him to continue receiving his medical treatment.
And in his July 23 ruling, Justice MacLean Kamwambe of the High Court allowed Muluzi to continue staying in South Africa until yesterday.
But in a telephone interview from South Africa, the former leader confirmed he was not coming home.
“Yes! I’m not coming back today,” said Muluzi jovially, but refused to disclose when he would jet in. The retired politician could also not explain if his continued stay had something to do with his ill-health.
ACB director Alex Nampota stated that Muluzi’s failure to return yesterday would not have any implications on their case against the former leader.
“The court ordered all parties including Dr. Bakili Muluzi to attend court on the 3rd of September 2010. It did not make an order requiring Dr. Muluzi to come to Malawi this weekend. We expect that Dr. Muluzi will attend court as ordered,” Nampota said.
He also explained that the graft-busting institution has received communication from Muluzi’s lawyers that they will be raising objections to the plea on that day.
The lawyers are contending that they have applied to the Chief Justice for leave to institute constitutional review proceedings in the constitutional court. On account of this, they intend to move the court to adjourn the plea hearing to pave way for the constitutional review, according to Nampota.
Muluzi’s lawyer Jai Banda could not be reached, Atupele said his father would not make it yesterday because there is a bill at the hospital, which the former leader has to settle before being discharged.
“There was a shortage of forex… and eventually he failed to pay for the medical bill. Once that is done, my father is coming back any day,” said the younger Muluzi.
END
Retired President Bakili Muluzi yesterday indicated he would not fly back home where he is also expected to attend court on the 3rd of September 2010.
His son, Atupele, said his father’s continued stay has been necessitated by shortage of foreign exchange (forex) in South Africa, which has forced the former president not to pay for his medical bills.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) yesterday said they had no problem with Muluzi extending his stay in South Africa as long as he makes himself available to take plea on the scheduled date.
The former president was initially expected to take plea in a corruption case on August 3 this year, but failed because doctors recommended him not fit to stand trial.
This resulted into his lawyers praying with the courts to extend Muluzi’s stay in South African for him to continue receiving his medical treatment.
And in his July 23 ruling, Justice MacLean Kamwambe of the High Court allowed Muluzi to continue staying in South Africa until yesterday.
But in a telephone interview from South Africa, the former leader confirmed he was not coming home.
“Yes! I’m not coming back today,” said Muluzi jovially, but refused to disclose when he would jet in. The retired politician could also not explain if his continued stay had something to do with his ill-health.
ACB director Alex Nampota stated that Muluzi’s failure to return yesterday would not have any implications on their case against the former leader.
“The court ordered all parties including Dr. Bakili Muluzi to attend court on the 3rd of September 2010. It did not make an order requiring Dr. Muluzi to come to Malawi this weekend. We expect that Dr. Muluzi will attend court as ordered,” Nampota said.
He also explained that the graft-busting institution has received communication from Muluzi’s lawyers that they will be raising objections to the plea on that day.
The lawyers are contending that they have applied to the Chief Justice for leave to institute constitutional review proceedings in the constitutional court. On account of this, they intend to move the court to adjourn the plea hearing to pave way for the constitutional review, according to Nampota.
Muluzi’s lawyer Jai Banda could not be reached, Atupele said his father would not make it yesterday because there is a bill at the hospital, which the former leader has to settle before being discharged.
“There was a shortage of forex… and eventually he failed to pay for the medical bill. Once that is done, my father is coming back any day,” said the younger Muluzi.
END
Business Feature : Village loan scheme changes illiterate’s life
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
It also provided loans to the trainees. She was among them and it is for this reason that Maranatha Mzungu is writing about her today.
Waile is illiterate. She was expelled from school because of early pregnancy. She does not remember the year, but the reporter’s calculations show that she was 15 when Christopher Waile, 28, belaboured her thereby forcing her out of education.
“I fell in deep love with my boyfriend, Christopher, who ended up impregnating me. I was very young then,” she said.
Continued Waile, “But the goodness is that he accepted responsibility [for the pregnancy]. And we immediately married. This is how I dropped out of school.”
Waile confessed it was tough for the then teenagers to provide for themselves. This is typical of most teens found in unplanned marriages.
Most of the adolescents who decide to have an early marriage do so because they are faced with an unplanned pregnancy and they feel that they need to bear the responsibility of the child, even though they are not settled in their own lives.
In most cases, teen parents are not educated and immature to carry financial responsibilities let alone shoulder a family or parenthood.
Some of the challenges that teenage couples may have to face include inability to provide for themselves and coping with public shame as some people turn to look at them as irresponsible and ill-mannered.
The Wailes were not immune from this situation. The two did not receive support from parents when they married. Not that their parents abandoned them, but because they both come from poor families.
“I had no choice, but scramble for any job available at that time. I had to work to sustain my family,” said Christopher.
“That’s how I ended up into guarding profession although I was too young for the job. I worked as a guard for five years at a tea estate,” he added.
But the coming of this unknown money-lending institution opened a new chapter for the teen family. After graduating in business management, the micro financial organization loaned Bertha an amount of K10,000 for her to venture into any business of her choice.
She chose to open a grocery shop because there was none in the village at the time. Mikate is situated more than 30 km away from Luchenza.
But people from this village had to cycle to the trading centre if they wanted to buy their basic necessities such as soap and salt. Hence the opening of Waile Grocery in the village eased the problem among the residents.
“We’re told to repay the loan within six months with a profit of K2,400. But because I was the only one trading in groceries in the village, I managed to realize big profits within a short period of time. This helped me pay back the loans without difficulties,” explained Waile charmingly.
After repaying, the beneficiaries were given another chance to borrow more than the initial figure, but not more than K15,000. Waile settled for K15,000.
All this time, the husband was still working for the tea estate. But after borrowing for the second and third times, it became apparent to her that she needed a hand in running her business.
“I requested my husband to resign his job and help me. When he resigned, we charted the way forward on how to boost our business.
“We made new investments like piggery, construction of a family house and expansion of our grocery business,” she stated.
The third chance to borrow arose in 2008. She got K20.000 and both businesses [piggery and grocery] continued to grow.
Christopher said he found it necessary to partner with his wife because what he used to receive from his employer was far below the profits they are realizing in a week.
“I was getting K135 per day. This is very little compared to what we’re making with my wife,” he said.
International Committee for the Development of People (CISP) HIV/Aids and Income Generating Activity (IGA) expert Yusuf Kadwala believes a woman’s entry into businesses and labour market cannot only create the conditions necessary for women to achieve economic independence, but also help in strengthening their families’ economic standing.
Kadwala says there is need for more women to form Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) which he thinks would play a crucial role in empowering women in micro-financing activities and thereby reduce vulnerabilities and expand economic viable ventures in rural areas through improved financial services.
“In some places, VSLAs have been the best vehicles for transforming the socioeconomic development of people, especially women in the rural settings. Thus if such initiatives are localized everywhere, more and more women will attain economic independence and break the cycle of dependence and vulnerabilities,” said Kadwala in an interview.
Group Village Headman Mikate expressed happiness with the progress women have made since they started borrowing from the financial institution.
“This initiative is very good as it empowers rural people, especially women to actively take part in socioeconomic activities. It’s more empowering to teen marriages, divorced women and widows,” said Mikate.
Although during the last decades microfinance institutions have increased access to financial services for many, provision of access in rural areas remains a major challenge.
Traditional community methods of saving such as rotating savings and credit associations (ROCAs or Chipereganyo as they are popularly known in local cricles] and Village Savings and Loan Associations [VSLA], therefore, provide an opportunity to save or provide a means for borrowing.
The disadvantage, however, is that the means do not allow savers to earn interest on their deposits as a formal account would.
Waile is wary, though, that she does not have enough for expansion of her businesses.
But Member of Parliament for the area, Kingsley Namakhwa, assures the entrepreneur that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) will solve the problem.
“The mini market we are constructing in Mikate Village will act as a window for rural entrepreneurs. We want as many women entrepreneurs as possible to benefit from these structures,” said Namakhwa.
On Monday last week, the legislator handed over 48 iron sheets for roofing the mini market.
END
 |
| Waile outside the grocery: Today, she can afford a smile |
Bertha Waile, 25, does not remember its name, but this money-lending institution has its offices at Luchenza Trading Centre in Thyolo.
Waile cannot remember either when exactly it was, but this unknown organization visited and offered trainings in business management to women from Mikate Village in the area of Traditional Kapichi in the district.
It also provided loans to the trainees. She was among them and it is for this reason that Maranatha Mzungu is writing about her today.
Waile is illiterate. She was expelled from school because of early pregnancy. She does not remember the year, but the reporter’s calculations show that she was 15 when Christopher Waile, 28, belaboured her thereby forcing her out of education.
“I fell in deep love with my boyfriend, Christopher, who ended up impregnating me. I was very young then,” she said.
Continued Waile, “But the goodness is that he accepted responsibility [for the pregnancy]. And we immediately married. This is how I dropped out of school.”
Waile confessed it was tough for the then teenagers to provide for themselves. This is typical of most teens found in unplanned marriages.
Most of the adolescents who decide to have an early marriage do so because they are faced with an unplanned pregnancy and they feel that they need to bear the responsibility of the child, even though they are not settled in their own lives.
In most cases, teen parents are not educated and immature to carry financial responsibilities let alone shoulder a family or parenthood.
Some of the challenges that teenage couples may have to face include inability to provide for themselves and coping with public shame as some people turn to look at them as irresponsible and ill-mannered.
The Wailes were not immune from this situation. The two did not receive support from parents when they married. Not that their parents abandoned them, but because they both come from poor families.
“I had no choice, but scramble for any job available at that time. I had to work to sustain my family,” said Christopher.
“That’s how I ended up into guarding profession although I was too young for the job. I worked as a guard for five years at a tea estate,” he added.
But the coming of this unknown money-lending institution opened a new chapter for the teen family. After graduating in business management, the micro financial organization loaned Bertha an amount of K10,000 for her to venture into any business of her choice.
She chose to open a grocery shop because there was none in the village at the time. Mikate is situated more than 30 km away from Luchenza.
But people from this village had to cycle to the trading centre if they wanted to buy their basic necessities such as soap and salt. Hence the opening of Waile Grocery in the village eased the problem among the residents.
“We’re told to repay the loan within six months with a profit of K2,400. But because I was the only one trading in groceries in the village, I managed to realize big profits within a short period of time. This helped me pay back the loans without difficulties,” explained Waile charmingly.
After repaying, the beneficiaries were given another chance to borrow more than the initial figure, but not more than K15,000. Waile settled for K15,000.
All this time, the husband was still working for the tea estate. But after borrowing for the second and third times, it became apparent to her that she needed a hand in running her business.
“I requested my husband to resign his job and help me. When he resigned, we charted the way forward on how to boost our business.
“We made new investments like piggery, construction of a family house and expansion of our grocery business,” she stated.
The third chance to borrow arose in 2008. She got K20.000 and both businesses [piggery and grocery] continued to grow.
Christopher said he found it necessary to partner with his wife because what he used to receive from his employer was far below the profits they are realizing in a week.
“I was getting K135 per day. This is very little compared to what we’re making with my wife,” he said.
International Committee for the Development of People (CISP) HIV/Aids and Income Generating Activity (IGA) expert Yusuf Kadwala believes a woman’s entry into businesses and labour market cannot only create the conditions necessary for women to achieve economic independence, but also help in strengthening their families’ economic standing.
Kadwala says there is need for more women to form Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) which he thinks would play a crucial role in empowering women in micro-financing activities and thereby reduce vulnerabilities and expand economic viable ventures in rural areas through improved financial services.
“In some places, VSLAs have been the best vehicles for transforming the socioeconomic development of people, especially women in the rural settings. Thus if such initiatives are localized everywhere, more and more women will attain economic independence and break the cycle of dependence and vulnerabilities,” said Kadwala in an interview.
Group Village Headman Mikate expressed happiness with the progress women have made since they started borrowing from the financial institution.
“This initiative is very good as it empowers rural people, especially women to actively take part in socioeconomic activities. It’s more empowering to teen marriages, divorced women and widows,” said Mikate.
Although during the last decades microfinance institutions have increased access to financial services for many, provision of access in rural areas remains a major challenge.
Traditional community methods of saving such as rotating savings and credit associations (ROCAs or Chipereganyo as they are popularly known in local cricles] and Village Savings and Loan Associations [VSLA], therefore, provide an opportunity to save or provide a means for borrowing.
The disadvantage, however, is that the means do not allow savers to earn interest on their deposits as a formal account would.
Waile is wary, though, that she does not have enough for expansion of her businesses.
But Member of Parliament for the area, Kingsley Namakhwa, assures the entrepreneur that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) will solve the problem.
“The mini market we are constructing in Mikate Village will act as a window for rural entrepreneurs. We want as many women entrepreneurs as possible to benefit from these structures,” said Namakhwa.
On Monday last week, the legislator handed over 48 iron sheets for roofing the mini market.
END
Three more operations on girl with fistula
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Surgeons at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital last week successfully operated on the 11 year-old girl who had been grappling with fistula for over seven years in Lilongwe, but recommended that she requires three more ‘separate’ operations.
Mr. Price, one of the chain stores in the country, had initially offered to pay an estimated K200,000 towards meeting the costs of the operation on the child. But after the operation, the bill rose to K300,000.
In an interview Thursday, Mr. Price Stores Manager Robtcher Mughogho confirmed the development adding that the shop will also settle the costs of the next operations.
“In total, the girl will undergo four operations. The next operation is scheduled for September 13, 2010,” said Mughogho.
Asked if the top class shop will also pay for the remaining surgeries, the manager said: “Mr. Price is committed to meet all the costs on the girl”.
He said the remaining operations will cost K600,000 bringing the total cost for the exercise to K900,000.
END
Surgeons at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital last week successfully operated on the 11 year-old girl who had been grappling with fistula for over seven years in Lilongwe, but recommended that she requires three more ‘separate’ operations.
Mr. Price, one of the chain stores in the country, had initially offered to pay an estimated K200,000 towards meeting the costs of the operation on the child. But after the operation, the bill rose to K300,000.
In an interview Thursday, Mr. Price Stores Manager Robtcher Mughogho confirmed the development adding that the shop will also settle the costs of the next operations.
“In total, the girl will undergo four operations. The next operation is scheduled for September 13, 2010,” said Mughogho.
Asked if the top class shop will also pay for the remaining surgeries, the manager said: “Mr. Price is committed to meet all the costs on the girl”.
He said the remaining operations will cost K600,000 bringing the total cost for the exercise to K900,000.
END
FAO donates computers to BLADD
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has donated two desktop computers to Blantyre ADD worth about K500,000 to ease challenges of data management the ADD is facing in its operations.
Speaking during the donation, FAO Country Resident Representative, Pinit Korsieporn, said proper data management was crucial in ensuring efficiency in agricultural issues.
“We’re glad to make a contribution in easing the problems that BLADD is facing in as far as data management is concerned,” said Korsieporn.
In his remarks, BLADD Programme Manager, Nelson Mataka, thanked the organization for the donation. Mataka said the computers will help them in improving management of information systems and increase efficiency.
“We’ve a lot of challenges in providing services because we do everything manually because of lack of computers. As ADD, we are very grateful and we would like to ask other well-wishers to emulate the good example set by FAO,” he said.
Blantyre and Phalombe district agricultural offices will share the two computers, according to Mataka.
END
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has donated two desktop computers to Blantyre ADD worth about K500,000 to ease challenges of data management the ADD is facing in its operations.
Speaking during the donation, FAO Country Resident Representative, Pinit Korsieporn, said proper data management was crucial in ensuring efficiency in agricultural issues.
“We’re glad to make a contribution in easing the problems that BLADD is facing in as far as data management is concerned,” said Korsieporn.
In his remarks, BLADD Programme Manager, Nelson Mataka, thanked the organization for the donation. Mataka said the computers will help them in improving management of information systems and increase efficiency.
“We’ve a lot of challenges in providing services because we do everything manually because of lack of computers. As ADD, we are very grateful and we would like to ask other well-wishers to emulate the good example set by FAO,” he said.
Blantyre and Phalombe district agricultural offices will share the two computers, according to Mataka.
END
Don’t rush chieftaincy wrangles to court—Kachikho
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
 |
| These issues are not for the courts: Kachikho |
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Anna Kachikho Friday installed a 32-year old, Helmes Moliyo Kanduku, as the new Traditional Authority Kanduku sounding a strong displeasure against royal families rushing to seek court injunctions blocking installation of appointed heirs.
Just like many other traditional authorities, Kanduku chieftaincy was riddled with injunctions and counter-injunctions because the royal families could not agree on who should ascend to the throne after the death of T/A Kanduku on September 13, 2010.
“If you, as royal families, can’t solve the disagreements on your own, engage other chiefs to intervene. Don’t rush these matters to the courts when you can amicably solve the chieftaincy wrangles among yourselves,” said Kachikho further revealing that her office is full of injunctions blocking the installation of many other chiefs countrywide.
“This is very counter-productive. This is retarding the development of this country,” the minister explained.
Kachikho also reminded the traditional leaders to desist from corrupt practices saying the law will not spare them. A recent report by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) named chiefs as the second most corrupt after the police.
“I wish to appeal to our chiefs to desist from corruption and soliciting of bribes because the practice retards development,” said Kachikho adding that government will not back any traditional leader involved in the malpractice.
She further asked the newly installed chief to respect his subjects, especially by ensuring that vulnerable groups such as women enjoy their constitutional rights without hindrance.
Member of Parliament for Mwanza Central Nicholas Dausi expressed happiness with the installation saying his area needed the chief to help in facilitating and mobilizing people in development activities taking place in his area.
“No development can take place in the absence of a chief. I’m happy, therefore, that after a long battle over who is the legitimate heir to the chieftaincy, we finally have him. As a chief, you’ve a bigger role in mobilizing and initiating development activities in this area,” said Dausi.
People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) president Mark Katsonga, MP for Blantyre Kabula and T/A Bvumbwe were some of the dignitaries that attended the installation where they also spoiled him with monetary gifts.
END
Honorarium fuelling chieftaincy disputes
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
In an interview Friday, Director of Chiefs Administration in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Lawrence Makonokaya said the “very good lump sum allowances” that government gives to the chiefs has been the major contributor to the wrangles in royal families as everyone wants to benefit from the facility.
The chiefs payroll indicates that a paramount chief gets K55,000 every month while a senior chief goes away with K38,000.
A traditional authority (T/A) draws a monthly honorarium amounting to K25,000 while his deputy (Sub T/A) gets K18,000. Group Village Headpersons and Village Headpersons pocket K5,000 and K2,500, respectively.
Said Makonokaya, “Unlike in the past when traditional leaders were working purely on voluntary basis, nowadays everybody that comes from a royal family wants to benefit from this arrangement.”
But the director said the trend will soon be history because government is working on measures to deal with the problem.
According to Makonokaya, every royal family will now be required to submit what he described a “chieftaincy tree” and line of succession to the Ministry of Local Government to avoid the protests when one is anointed to succeed their late ancestors.
“This will be done in the presence of the reigning chief,” he said adding that the exercise has already started in some parts of the country, but on a small scale.
A few days ago, Paramount Chief Chikowi of Zomba confessed before Minister of Local Government Anna Kachikho that the monthly stipend they get was driving many people [from royal clans] to want to assume the position of a chief.
END
 |
| Chieftaincy has become lucrative job: Kachikho installing TA Kanduku |
The mouth-watering honorarium traditional leaders draw from government coffers every month is the main driving force behind wrangles over succession, government has said.
Malawi has of late witnessed an increase in the number of royal families fighting over chieftainship. And most of these families handed up dragging each other to the courts.
In an interview Friday, Director of Chiefs Administration in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Lawrence Makonokaya said the “very good lump sum allowances” that government gives to the chiefs has been the major contributor to the wrangles in royal families as everyone wants to benefit from the facility.
The chiefs payroll indicates that a paramount chief gets K55,000 every month while a senior chief goes away with K38,000.
A traditional authority (T/A) draws a monthly honorarium amounting to K25,000 while his deputy (Sub T/A) gets K18,000. Group Village Headpersons and Village Headpersons pocket K5,000 and K2,500, respectively.
Said Makonokaya, “Unlike in the past when traditional leaders were working purely on voluntary basis, nowadays everybody that comes from a royal family wants to benefit from this arrangement.”
But the director said the trend will soon be history because government is working on measures to deal with the problem.
According to Makonokaya, every royal family will now be required to submit what he described a “chieftaincy tree” and line of succession to the Ministry of Local Government to avoid the protests when one is anointed to succeed their late ancestors.
“This will be done in the presence of the reigning chief,” he said adding that the exercise has already started in some parts of the country, but on a small scale.
A few days ago, Paramount Chief Chikowi of Zomba confessed before Minister of Local Government Anna Kachikho that the monthly stipend they get was driving many people [from royal clans] to want to assume the position of a chief.
END
Entrepreneurship offering hope to jobless youth
Unemployment is rising at an alarming rate. Many young people are graduating from colleges, but no prospect for securing a job. Could entrepreneurship offer alternatives to the loafing graduates? Watipaso Mzungu Jnr explores in this feature.
Its owner, a 25-year old Emmanuel Zamadika Jamu, had just finished his secondary education in 2002, but had no steady source of living. Prospects of securing his most cherished job, accountant, were next to nothing considering the rise in the unemployment figures among the youth.
Executive Director for National Youth Council of Malawi Aubrey Chibwana explains that more than half of the population in Malawi are youth under the age of 25years whose literacy rate is estimated at 78 percent with slightly more males (81%) than females (74%).
Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) also states that unemployment among the youth has worsened over the last 20 years.
Increasingly, the youth are completing their education with very little prospect of securing a job, or engaging in entrepreneurial activities.
One of the growing concerns among employers is that most graduates lack experience for them to get a formal employment. This means that if no one employs young people after they finish their education due to lack of hands-on experience, it follows then that they will forever be unemployed as they will have nowhere to develop the expertise necessary for a job.
For long, the role of entrepreneurship has been underrated in the society, but today it is fast becoming an alternative employment not for young people alone, but middle-aged loafing citizens as well.
Jamu graduated with Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) in 2002, but realizing the stiff competition on the labour market due to the countless graduates graduating yearly from universities, he opted for small scale business as a means for survival. His paper was too ‘inferior’ to move the employer, so he thought.
“I started my business on small scale just to sustain myself. I had no hope of securing a job and, therefore, I had to devise other means of making ends meet,” he said in an interview.
“That was the basis for opening a grass-thatched grocery at Misesa. I opened with simple grocery items such as sugar, soap, bread and other perishable goods. But since then, I have never looked,” Jamu added.
True to his words, he has never looked back to the extent that he is now an employer of four people who would otherwise be jobless.
“I was single when I ventured into the grocery business. But as time went and my business registering a significant growth, I married so that the woman could be helping me in serving customers.
“But that was not enough! Hence I employed three shopkeepers and one guard whom I am paying handsomely right here,” Jamu stressed.
“I now have two cars of my own, two shops and houses which I am renting out. I’m happy that I have managed to reach this far,” he prided.
But Jamu stated that this is just the beginning because his plans now are that he should open a big wholesale shop in Limbe in the next two years where more people will get employment opportunities.
When closing a four-week “project management and business plan writing” course in Blantyre recently, Minister of Youth Development and Sports Lucius Kanyumba said formation of new business leads to job creation and has a multiplying effect on the economy.
Kanyumba observed that entrepreneurship empowers citizens, generates innovation and changes mindsets of the people.
“Entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment creation. It also reduces the burden that people looking after the unemployed youths,” he said.
Jamu, however says instability of prices for commodities in wholesale shops is greatly affecting small entrepreneurs in the country. He appealed to government to consider checking and regulating market prices saying some foreign investors fleece the locals because they don’t keep their prices steady.
END
 |
| Small scale businesses are improving people's lives |
Atamandike Shop, situated at Misesa in Blantyre, started just like any other simple grocery trading in basic items such as bread, salt, sugar, matches and candle, among others.
Its owner, a 25-year old Emmanuel Zamadika Jamu, had just finished his secondary education in 2002, but had no steady source of living. Prospects of securing his most cherished job, accountant, were next to nothing considering the rise in the unemployment figures among the youth.
Executive Director for National Youth Council of Malawi Aubrey Chibwana explains that more than half of the population in Malawi are youth under the age of 25years whose literacy rate is estimated at 78 percent with slightly more males (81%) than females (74%).
Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) also states that unemployment among the youth has worsened over the last 20 years.
Increasingly, the youth are completing their education with very little prospect of securing a job, or engaging in entrepreneurial activities.
One of the growing concerns among employers is that most graduates lack experience for them to get a formal employment. This means that if no one employs young people after they finish their education due to lack of hands-on experience, it follows then that they will forever be unemployed as they will have nowhere to develop the expertise necessary for a job.
For long, the role of entrepreneurship has been underrated in the society, but today it is fast becoming an alternative employment not for young people alone, but middle-aged loafing citizens as well.
Jamu graduated with Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) in 2002, but realizing the stiff competition on the labour market due to the countless graduates graduating yearly from universities, he opted for small scale business as a means for survival. His paper was too ‘inferior’ to move the employer, so he thought.
“I started my business on small scale just to sustain myself. I had no hope of securing a job and, therefore, I had to devise other means of making ends meet,” he said in an interview.
“That was the basis for opening a grass-thatched grocery at Misesa. I opened with simple grocery items such as sugar, soap, bread and other perishable goods. But since then, I have never looked,” Jamu added.
True to his words, he has never looked back to the extent that he is now an employer of four people who would otherwise be jobless.
“I was single when I ventured into the grocery business. But as time went and my business registering a significant growth, I married so that the woman could be helping me in serving customers.
“But that was not enough! Hence I employed three shopkeepers and one guard whom I am paying handsomely right here,” Jamu stressed.
“I now have two cars of my own, two shops and houses which I am renting out. I’m happy that I have managed to reach this far,” he prided.
But Jamu stated that this is just the beginning because his plans now are that he should open a big wholesale shop in Limbe in the next two years where more people will get employment opportunities.
When closing a four-week “project management and business plan writing” course in Blantyre recently, Minister of Youth Development and Sports Lucius Kanyumba said formation of new business leads to job creation and has a multiplying effect on the economy.
Kanyumba observed that entrepreneurship empowers citizens, generates innovation and changes mindsets of the people.
“Entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment creation. It also reduces the burden that people looking after the unemployed youths,” he said.
Jamu, however says instability of prices for commodities in wholesale shops is greatly affecting small entrepreneurs in the country. He appealed to government to consider checking and regulating market prices saying some foreign investors fleece the locals because they don’t keep their prices steady.
END
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Three more operations on girl with fistula
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
In an interview Thursday, Mr. Price Stores Manager Robtcher Mughogho confirmed the development adding that the shop will also settle the costs of the next operations.
“In total, the girl will undergo four operations. The next operation is scheduled for September 13, 2010,” said Mughogho.
Asked if the top class shop will also pay for the remaining surgeries, the manager said: “Mr. Price is committed to meet all the costs on the girl”.
He said the remaining operations will cost K600,000 bringing the total cost for the exercise to K900,000.
END
 |
| Blue color: Ray of hope for the needy. |
Surgeons at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital last week successfully operated on the 11 year-old girl who had been grappling with fistula for over seven years in Lilongwe, but recommended that she requires three more ‘separate’ operations.
Mr. Price, one of the chain stores in the country, had initially offered to pay an estimated K200,000 towards meeting the costs of the operation on the child. But after the operation, the bill rose to K300,000.
In an interview Thursday, Mr. Price Stores Manager Robtcher Mughogho confirmed the development adding that the shop will also settle the costs of the next operations.
“In total, the girl will undergo four operations. The next operation is scheduled for September 13, 2010,” said Mughogho.
Asked if the top class shop will also pay for the remaining surgeries, the manager said: “Mr. Price is committed to meet all the costs on the girl”.
He said the remaining operations will cost K600,000 bringing the total cost for the exercise to K900,000.
END
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Business Feature : Entrepreneurship offering hope to jobless youth
 |
| The writer of the article: Watipaso |
Unemployment is rising at an alarming rate. Many young people are graduating from colleges, but no prospect for securing a job. Could entrepreneurship offer alternatives to the loafing graduates? Watipaso Mzungu Jnr explores in this feature.
Atamandike Shop, situated at Misesa in Blantyre, started just like any other simple grocery trading in basic items such as bread, salt, sugar, matches and candle, among others.
Its owner, a 25-year old Emmanuel Zamadika Jamu, had just finished his secondary education in 2002, but had no steady source of living. Prospects of securing his most cherished job, accountant, were next to nothing considering the rise in the unemployment figures among the youth.
Executive Director for National Youth Council of Malawi Aubrey Chibwana explains that more than half of the population in Malawi are youth under the age of 25years whose literacy rate is estimated at 78 percent with slightly more males (81%) than females (74%).
Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) also states that unemployment among the youth has worsened over the last 20 years.
Increasingly, the youth are completing their education with very little prospect of securing a job, or engaging in entrepreneurial activities.
One of the growing concerns among employers is that most graduates lack experience for them to get a formal employment. This means that if no one employs young people after they finish their education due to lack of hands-on experience, it follows then that they will forever be unemployed as they will have nowhere to develop the expertise necessary for a job.
For long, the role of entrepreneurship has been underrated in the society, but today it is fast becoming an alternative employment not for young people alone, but middle-aged loafing citizens as well.
Jamu graduated with Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) in 2002, but realizing the stiff competition on the labour market due to the countless graduates graduating yearly from universities, he opted for small scale business as a means for survival. His paper was too ‘inferior’ to move the employer, so he thought.
“I started my business on small scale just to sustain myself. I had no hope of securing a job and, therefore, I had to devise other means of making ends meet,” he said in an interview.
“That was the basis for opening a grass-thatched grocery at Misesa. I opened with simple grocery items such as sugar, soap, bread and other perishable goods. But since then, I have never looked,” Jamu added.
True to his words, he has never looked back to the extent that he is now an employer of four people who would otherwise be jobless.
“I was single when I ventured into the grocery business. But as time went and my business registering a significant growth, I married so that the woman could be helping me in serving customers.
“But that was not enough! Hence I employed three shopkeepers and one guard whom I am paying handsomely right here,” Jamu stressed.
“I now have two cars of my own, two shops and houses which I am renting out. I’m happy that I have managed to reach this far,” he prided.
But Jamu stated that this is just the beginning because his plans now are that he should open a big wholesale shop in Limbe in the next two years where more people will get employment opportunities.
When closing a four-week “project management and business plan writing” course in Blantyre recently, Minister of Youth Development and Sports Lucius Kanyumba said formation of new business leads to job creation and has a multiplying effect on the economy.
Kanyumba observed that entrepreneurship empowers citizens, generates innovation and changes mindsets of the people.
“Entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment creation. It also reduces the burden that people looking after the unemployed youths,” he said.
Jamu, however says instability of prices for commodities in wholesale shops is greatly affecting small entrepreneurs in the country. He appealed to government to consider checking and regulating market prices saying some foreign investors fleece the locals because they don’t keep their prices steady.
END
Friday, August 20, 2010
Solving the Mbayani water jargons
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Imagine your wife waking up as early as 2am leaving you in bed to queue on a long line to draw water from a communal kiosk just because there was no water during the day.
It may sound allegoric, but that’s what people in Mbayani Township and many others living in urban areas are going through.
Water is life, so they, but when regular, safe, affordable supplies of water and sanitation services are such an expensive commodity, people have no hope of living.
A 2008 research by a local consulting company, Alma Consultancy, shows that over 60 percent of the population lives in informal settlements where access to clean water and sanitation services remains poor.
This is despite the fact that diarrheal disease, which is caused by consuming unsafe water, accounts for an estimated 4.1 percent of the total global burden of diseases and is responsible for the deaths of 1.8 million people every year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO estimates that 88 percent of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and is mostly concentrated in children in developing countries.
A typical way most Malawians get water is that women and children walk a couple of miles away to shallow wells and rivers carrying big buckets on their heads.
Although the water drawn from rivers is usually untreated, many people do not think about treating their water with water guard or chlorine before consumption. There are several reasons to this.
The initiative by Malawi government to sink boreholes as a low-cost technology option for domestic water supply in Malawi brought joy among many. When properly constructed and maintained, they provide consistent supplies of safe and wholesome water with low microbial load and little need for treatment of the drinking water.
Human rights activists say clean water is a basic human right, but statistics show that there are billions and billions of people in the world that don’t have access to clean water.
Among others, the objective of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce persistent poverty and promote sustainable development worldwide, especially in developing countries.
Improvement of drinking water supply and sanitation is a core element of poverty reduction. The MDG target for water is to ‘halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation’.
In its quest to meet this goal, government through the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development is implementing the National Water Development Programme II and one of the programme components is to improve water supply and sanitation services to low income communities in the urban areas.
As a pilot programme, Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has embarked on an Urban Water Supply and Sanitation component of the programme in Mbayani, Blantyre and in November 2009 last awarded a contract to Water for People-Malawi (WfP) to provide technical and facilitation services for water and sanitation to low income areas. The project is being piloted with funding from the World Bank.
“It is expected that in this pilot project, 18 new kiosks will be constructed in Mbayani to increase access to water by the community in the area. Water for People will also rehabilitate broken kiosks to reduce non-accounted for water,” BWB chief executive officer, Andrew Thawe said in an email interview.
Mbayani is one of the highly populated areas in the commercial capital where sanitation is poor and access to potable water is just a dream among most of the residents.
But the situation may soon change as (WfP) plans to construct and repair a total number of 363 water kiosks in almost all low income areas of the commercial city to give residents affordable water systems. The project is targeting 543,253 people in the low income areas.
(WfP) Project Manager Elias Chimulambe said at the launch of the project at Mbayani Primary School early July that with a budget of K84million, his organization plans to construct 18 new water kiosks while a good number of broken taps will face rehabilitation in Mbayani alone.
Chimulambe explained that the project aims at supplying low income earners with affordable water sources as one of the means of fighting dysentery and other diseases resulting from use of contaminated water, reduce the long distances women walk to fetch water and improving sanitation among the residents.
“Water is a catalyst for good health and good sanitation. We believe these kiosks will play a crucial role in the improvement of sanitation among residents of this area,” he said.
“It’s sad that sometimes women rise as early as 3 am to fetch water, especially when there have been water shortages or interruptions during the day. And what’s more sad is that it’s during this type of errands that criminals rape them and snatch their bowls,” said Chimulambe.
Alice Phiri, one of the Mbayani residents likely to benefit from the project, applauded the board for the initiative saying it will greatly improve the status of women who have to take about more 30 minutes to have their turn to draw water from public kiosks, especially when the flow is low.
“Water problems are one of the main reason women have been long confined to kitchen work. We believe that if BWB constructs more kiosks, we’ll no longer be spending much of our time waiting on the queue to have our turn,” said Phiri, a semi-literate woman.
BWB can construct the kiosks, but the challenge remains. Malawian water users are best known for defaulting paying for utility services. What measures has the board put in place to curb this vice?
“Yes, defaulting payment of water bills really affects our operations. But this time, we will facilitate the formation of water users’ associations to run the kiosks as business entities to reduce cases of default among water users,” said Thawe.
“People have to pay their bills so that the board can be able to construct new more kiosks,” he added.
END
 |
| Tiyanjane Mathubu: Carrying a bowl of water |
It may sound allegoric, but that’s what people in Mbayani Township and many others living in urban areas are going through.
Water is life, so they, but when regular, safe, affordable supplies of water and sanitation services are such an expensive commodity, people have no hope of living.
A 2008 research by a local consulting company, Alma Consultancy, shows that over 60 percent of the population lives in informal settlements where access to clean water and sanitation services remains poor.
This is despite the fact that diarrheal disease, which is caused by consuming unsafe water, accounts for an estimated 4.1 percent of the total global burden of diseases and is responsible for the deaths of 1.8 million people every year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO estimates that 88 percent of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and is mostly concentrated in children in developing countries.
A typical way most Malawians get water is that women and children walk a couple of miles away to shallow wells and rivers carrying big buckets on their heads.
Although the water drawn from rivers is usually untreated, many people do not think about treating their water with water guard or chlorine before consumption. There are several reasons to this.
The initiative by Malawi government to sink boreholes as a low-cost technology option for domestic water supply in Malawi brought joy among many. When properly constructed and maintained, they provide consistent supplies of safe and wholesome water with low microbial load and little need for treatment of the drinking water.
Human rights activists say clean water is a basic human right, but statistics show that there are billions and billions of people in the world that don’t have access to clean water.
Among others, the objective of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce persistent poverty and promote sustainable development worldwide, especially in developing countries.
Improvement of drinking water supply and sanitation is a core element of poverty reduction. The MDG target for water is to ‘halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation’.
In its quest to meet this goal, government through the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development is implementing the National Water Development Programme II and one of the programme components is to improve water supply and sanitation services to low income communities in the urban areas.
As a pilot programme, Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has embarked on an Urban Water Supply and Sanitation component of the programme in Mbayani, Blantyre and in November 2009 last awarded a contract to Water for People-Malawi (WfP) to provide technical and facilitation services for water and sanitation to low income areas. The project is being piloted with funding from the World Bank.
“It is expected that in this pilot project, 18 new kiosks will be constructed in Mbayani to increase access to water by the community in the area. Water for People will also rehabilitate broken kiosks to reduce non-accounted for water,” BWB chief executive officer, Andrew Thawe said in an email interview.
Mbayani is one of the highly populated areas in the commercial capital where sanitation is poor and access to potable water is just a dream among most of the residents.
But the situation may soon change as (WfP) plans to construct and repair a total number of 363 water kiosks in almost all low income areas of the commercial city to give residents affordable water systems. The project is targeting 543,253 people in the low income areas.
(WfP) Project Manager Elias Chimulambe said at the launch of the project at Mbayani Primary School early July that with a budget of K84million, his organization plans to construct 18 new water kiosks while a good number of broken taps will face rehabilitation in Mbayani alone.
Chimulambe explained that the project aims at supplying low income earners with affordable water sources as one of the means of fighting dysentery and other diseases resulting from use of contaminated water, reduce the long distances women walk to fetch water and improving sanitation among the residents.
“Water is a catalyst for good health and good sanitation. We believe these kiosks will play a crucial role in the improvement of sanitation among residents of this area,” he said.
“It’s sad that sometimes women rise as early as 3 am to fetch water, especially when there have been water shortages or interruptions during the day. And what’s more sad is that it’s during this type of errands that criminals rape them and snatch their bowls,” said Chimulambe.
Alice Phiri, one of the Mbayani residents likely to benefit from the project, applauded the board for the initiative saying it will greatly improve the status of women who have to take about more 30 minutes to have their turn to draw water from public kiosks, especially when the flow is low.
“Water problems are one of the main reason women have been long confined to kitchen work. We believe that if BWB constructs more kiosks, we’ll no longer be spending much of our time waiting on the queue to have our turn,” said Phiri, a semi-literate woman.
BWB can construct the kiosks, but the challenge remains. Malawian water users are best known for defaulting paying for utility services. What measures has the board put in place to curb this vice?
“Yes, defaulting payment of water bills really affects our operations. But this time, we will facilitate the formation of water users’ associations to run the kiosks as business entities to reduce cases of default among water users,” said Thawe.
“People have to pay their bills so that the board can be able to construct new more kiosks,” he added.
END
Celebrating Malawi’s independence with questions
BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
The day, 6th July every year is a great day for Malawians. On this day in 1964 Malawi attained its independence from Britain. The Macmillan English Dictionary defines independence as freedom from control by another country or organization. Independence could also mean the ability to make decisions and live your life free from the control or influence of other people.
If we go by these definitions, however, one would be tempted to doubt Malawi’s independence, especially considering that Malawi, just like many countries in Africa, cannot run her economic affairs without relying on benevolence of the same people or countries we claim to have been freed from.
Malawi, landlocked as it is, heavily depends on agriculture, with tobacco, tea, and sugar as our most important export crops. Agriculture represents 34.7% of the GDP and represents about 80% of all exports.
Nearly 90% of the population engages in subsistence farming. Smallholder farmers produce a variety of crops, including maize, beans, rice, cassava, tobacco, and groundnuts (peanuts). The agricultural sector contributes about 63.7% of total income for the rural population, 65% of manufacturing sector's raw materials, and approximately 87% of total employment.
Financial wealth continues to be concentrated in the hands of a small elite.
Malawi's manufacturing industries are situated around the city of Blantyre. Recent years have seen increased activity in Malawi’s historically undeveloped minerals sector. In 2009, a major uranium mine opened in the north of the country that is expected to contribute significantly to export earnings and overall growth domestic products (GDP).
A full bankable feasibility study began in late 2009 on what is projected to be a similarly significant niobium deposit in Mzimba.
Malawi's economic reliance on the export of agricultural commodities leaves it vulnerable to external shocks such as declining terms of trade and drought. Labour costs are low, but high transport costs, which can amount to 50% of the price of imports and exports, constitute an impediment to economic development and trade.
A shortage of skilled labour; corruption; and inadequate and deteriorating transportation, electricity, water, and telecommunications infrastructure further hinder economic development in Malawi.
Although Maupo Chisambi, 24, is semi-literate and does not fully understand economic issues, he confessed on Wednesday that he cannot subscribe to the idea that Malawi is an independent nation amid its economic dependence on the west.
Chisambi thinks we can only pride ourselves as independent if we achieve total freedom from the west.
“What does independence mean if not doing what pleases you without someone interfering? Can we do that today?” he asked. Chisambi cited the recent incident where Malawi government was forced to free the gay couple or face economic sanctions.
President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned the gay couple who were jailed for 14 years soon after holding talks with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe. Although Mutharika initially said the pardon on Steve Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga was out humanitarian grounds and not because of pressure from the donors, his speech on return from France on June 2, 2010 revealed it all.
“The story ends there… I don’t want to hear anyone commenting on them. Nobody is authorized to comment on the gays. You will spoil things,” Mutharika told reporters on arrival from the France-Africa summit.
“I am looking at donors now… what will they say about the pardon? Is it possible to stop aid to Malawi because of two people who are insane?” Mutharika asked.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Undule Mwakasungula says dependence on donor aid is not enough reason for Malawians to lose their sense of independence and freedom.
Mwakasungula believes that we’re very much independent because we have our own elected democratic government. He states that since we are politically independent, that should give us a sense of being a free state.
“Yes, we can’t talk of independence when our national budget is 40 to 50 % supplemented by donors. We have to boost our economic base and increase our revenue collection to support our economy to some way or the other. But being economic dependent will not stop us from enjoying our political freedom,” he argues.
Recent government initiatives targeting improvements in the road infrastructure, together with private sector participation in telecommunications, have begun to render the investment environment more attractive. Negotiations underway with the World Bank and the Millennium Challenge Corporation for major projects in the electricity sector promise to significantly improve access to power.
The 2010 Index of Economic Freedom says Malawi’s economic freedom score is currently at 54.1, making its economy the 122nd freest. Its score has increased 0.4 point from last year, primarily reflecting improved fiscal freedom. Malawi is ranked 22nd out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is below the world average.
Malawi has achieved average economic growth of 7 percent over the past five years, but sustaining this growth will be challenging without institutional reform. Malawi ranks just below the world average in most areas of economic freedom. However, despite some lingering barriers, foreign investment is generally welcome.
The small financial sector is relatively stable compared to others in the region. Malawi has taken steps to improve its regulatory framework in order to enhance its business environment and encourage a vibrant private sector, but progress has been slow.
United States of America, United Kingdom and other donors continue to assist Malawi in addressing daunting challenges that face the country in areas of health, education, economic development and poverty reduction, among others.
In his speech at the 2008 Independence Day Celebration, U.S. Ambassador Alan Eastham said his government is working diligently to empower Malawians to take hold of their own economic destinies.
“We are encouraging entrepreneurial Malawians through programmes such as those that assist small fish, dairy and coffee farmers, and others that target vulnerable households to increase their food security and incomes,” said Eastham.
Eastham observed that Malawi has taken substantial steps in achieving macroeconomic stability, and I commend the Government for this progress. Inflation and interest rates are down and economic growth has been strong, he said.
“Much work remains undone however. Is the effort to improve the business environment continuing, or has momentum been lost in the face of bureaucratic inertia? Are Malawian markets attractive to investors – be they foreign or domestic? Or are short-term considerations leading government back to the days of continual, short-sighted interference in the markets, as opposed to wise efforts to develop Malawi’s people and thereby its economy?
“I pose these questions, Madam Minister, not in accusation, but out of genuine concern. It has been said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Continued vigilance is equally needed to protect the conditions necessary for economic vitality. The threats posed to Malawi’s economic sovereignty are real and they must be addressed with a view to securing the foundation that the country requires to achieve sustained growth, and break loose of its reliance on donor assistance,” said Eastham.
So maybe as we celebrate this year’s Independence Day, every Malawian’s question should be: what role shall I, as an individual, play to contribute to my country’s total emancipation from donor dependence?
It is possible that you, as an individual, are holding the key to Malawi’s economic independence. As Mwakasungula concludes, stop asking questions about what government is doing to attain economic freedom. It is time to lead the way in liberating our country from relying on donors.
END
The day, 6th July every year is a great day for Malawians. On this day in 1964 Malawi attained its independence from Britain. The Macmillan English Dictionary defines independence as freedom from control by another country or organization. Independence could also mean the ability to make decisions and live your life free from the control or influence of other people.
If we go by these definitions, however, one would be tempted to doubt Malawi’s independence, especially considering that Malawi, just like many countries in Africa, cannot run her economic affairs without relying on benevolence of the same people or countries we claim to have been freed from.
Malawi, landlocked as it is, heavily depends on agriculture, with tobacco, tea, and sugar as our most important export crops. Agriculture represents 34.7% of the GDP and represents about 80% of all exports.
Nearly 90% of the population engages in subsistence farming. Smallholder farmers produce a variety of crops, including maize, beans, rice, cassava, tobacco, and groundnuts (peanuts). The agricultural sector contributes about 63.7% of total income for the rural population, 65% of manufacturing sector's raw materials, and approximately 87% of total employment.
Financial wealth continues to be concentrated in the hands of a small elite.
Malawi's manufacturing industries are situated around the city of Blantyre. Recent years have seen increased activity in Malawi’s historically undeveloped minerals sector. In 2009, a major uranium mine opened in the north of the country that is expected to contribute significantly to export earnings and overall growth domestic products (GDP).
A full bankable feasibility study began in late 2009 on what is projected to be a similarly significant niobium deposit in Mzimba.
Malawi's economic reliance on the export of agricultural commodities leaves it vulnerable to external shocks such as declining terms of trade and drought. Labour costs are low, but high transport costs, which can amount to 50% of the price of imports and exports, constitute an impediment to economic development and trade.
A shortage of skilled labour; corruption; and inadequate and deteriorating transportation, electricity, water, and telecommunications infrastructure further hinder economic development in Malawi.
Although Maupo Chisambi, 24, is semi-literate and does not fully understand economic issues, he confessed on Wednesday that he cannot subscribe to the idea that Malawi is an independent nation amid its economic dependence on the west.
Chisambi thinks we can only pride ourselves as independent if we achieve total freedom from the west.
“What does independence mean if not doing what pleases you without someone interfering? Can we do that today?” he asked. Chisambi cited the recent incident where Malawi government was forced to free the gay couple or face economic sanctions.
President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned the gay couple who were jailed for 14 years soon after holding talks with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe. Although Mutharika initially said the pardon on Steve Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga was out humanitarian grounds and not because of pressure from the donors, his speech on return from France on June 2, 2010 revealed it all.
“The story ends there… I don’t want to hear anyone commenting on them. Nobody is authorized to comment on the gays. You will spoil things,” Mutharika told reporters on arrival from the France-Africa summit.
“I am looking at donors now… what will they say about the pardon? Is it possible to stop aid to Malawi because of two people who are insane?” Mutharika asked.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Undule Mwakasungula says dependence on donor aid is not enough reason for Malawians to lose their sense of independence and freedom.
Mwakasungula believes that we’re very much independent because we have our own elected democratic government. He states that since we are politically independent, that should give us a sense of being a free state.
“Yes, we can’t talk of independence when our national budget is 40 to 50 % supplemented by donors. We have to boost our economic base and increase our revenue collection to support our economy to some way or the other. But being economic dependent will not stop us from enjoying our political freedom,” he argues.
Recent government initiatives targeting improvements in the road infrastructure, together with private sector participation in telecommunications, have begun to render the investment environment more attractive. Negotiations underway with the World Bank and the Millennium Challenge Corporation for major projects in the electricity sector promise to significantly improve access to power.
The 2010 Index of Economic Freedom says Malawi’s economic freedom score is currently at 54.1, making its economy the 122nd freest. Its score has increased 0.4 point from last year, primarily reflecting improved fiscal freedom. Malawi is ranked 22nd out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is below the world average.
Malawi has achieved average economic growth of 7 percent over the past five years, but sustaining this growth will be challenging without institutional reform. Malawi ranks just below the world average in most areas of economic freedom. However, despite some lingering barriers, foreign investment is generally welcome.
The small financial sector is relatively stable compared to others in the region. Malawi has taken steps to improve its regulatory framework in order to enhance its business environment and encourage a vibrant private sector, but progress has been slow.
United States of America, United Kingdom and other donors continue to assist Malawi in addressing daunting challenges that face the country in areas of health, education, economic development and poverty reduction, among others.
In his speech at the 2008 Independence Day Celebration, U.S. Ambassador Alan Eastham said his government is working diligently to empower Malawians to take hold of their own economic destinies.
“We are encouraging entrepreneurial Malawians through programmes such as those that assist small fish, dairy and coffee farmers, and others that target vulnerable households to increase their food security and incomes,” said Eastham.
Eastham observed that Malawi has taken substantial steps in achieving macroeconomic stability, and I commend the Government for this progress. Inflation and interest rates are down and economic growth has been strong, he said.
“Much work remains undone however. Is the effort to improve the business environment continuing, or has momentum been lost in the face of bureaucratic inertia? Are Malawian markets attractive to investors – be they foreign or domestic? Or are short-term considerations leading government back to the days of continual, short-sighted interference in the markets, as opposed to wise efforts to develop Malawi’s people and thereby its economy?
“I pose these questions, Madam Minister, not in accusation, but out of genuine concern. It has been said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Continued vigilance is equally needed to protect the conditions necessary for economic vitality. The threats posed to Malawi’s economic sovereignty are real and they must be addressed with a view to securing the foundation that the country requires to achieve sustained growth, and break loose of its reliance on donor assistance,” said Eastham.
So maybe as we celebrate this year’s Independence Day, every Malawian’s question should be: what role shall I, as an individual, play to contribute to my country’s total emancipation from donor dependence?
It is possible that you, as an individual, are holding the key to Malawi’s economic independence. As Mwakasungula concludes, stop asking questions about what government is doing to attain economic freedom. It is time to lead the way in liberating our country from relying on donors.
END
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