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

Solving the Mbayani water jargons

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Tiyanjane Mathubu: Carrying a bowl of water

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

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

ESCOM suspends new connections

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has temporarily suspended connections to its new customers because the country’s sole power generator does not have materials, The Sunday Times can reveal.

The revelation comes after South West Education Division (Swed) manageress, Sr. Eunice Dambo, had earlier complained to the Deputy Minister of Education Wictor Songazaudzu Sajeni that despite Escom pocketing full payments over six months ago, the corporation is failing to connect Chifunga and Ligowe CDSSes in Neno.

Dambo asked Sajeni to intervene saying an extended delay to connect the schools would have a negative impact on the learners’ studies.

“We paid everything, but because of the reasons best know to Escom, they are not installing electricity at these schools. We would like to ask you to intervene; we want learners to be studying in electricity,” she implored.

Escom public relations officer, Kitty Chingota, confirmed to have received payment for connecting Chifunga and Ligowe and that they have failed to provide the service on time.

Chingota further revealed that the two schools are just a dot in a pool of clients on the waiting list. She further hinted that the applicants will have to wait a little longer because the corporation does not know when the materials will arrive from wherever they are ordering the materials.

“We don’t have materials in stock at the moment. As soon as we get the materials, we’ll certainly connect them,” she explained.

“The two schools are just some of the clients who have paid in full, but we can’t connect them because of the same reason. There are several others on the waiting list,” said Chingota.

Asked when the materials would be in, the ESCOM publicist could not commit herself to providing a date saying she also does not know the exact date when they [materials] will arrive.

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Ape conservation could reduce poverty in Africa

Submitted by Mike on Wed, 18/08/2010 - 16:07, edited by Watipaso Mzungu Jnr 
African countries with populations of endangered apes could do more to ensure that conservation activities bring benefits in the fight against poverty, according to two reports published today by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and partners.

The reports reveal important lessons from across the continent that policymakers and conservation groups can use to boost both biodiversity and the livelihoods of poor communities.

"Wherever you find apes in Africa you also find people living in poverty," says Dilys Roe, a senior researcher at IIED. "Efforts to conserve apes have great potential to also reduce poverty but the actual, or perceived, negative impacts of conservation may result in local antipathy — or even outright hostility — to conservation efforts."

Africa's apes — the bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas — are our closest living relatives. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classes them all as endangered or critically endangered because of hunting and deforestation.

Early efforts to conserve these species in strictly controlled protected areas often led to conflict with local communities who were restricted from accessing forest resources they had used for generations.

One report, focussing on Uganda, highlights how resistance from the surrounding communities seriously threatened the ability of the authorities to manage two national parks after they were set up in 1991 to protect mountain gorillas.

In response, the government and nongovernmental organizations adopted a range of "integrated conservation and development" strategies, which aimed to both create benefits for local communities and reduce their reliance on resources within the parks – and hence their negative impact on the gorillas' habitat.

Based on 15 years of experience, the report reveals that many have achieved successes but often in different ways to what was planned. The study also found, however, that to maximize both conservation and development outcomes such initiatives will need to have a greater positive impact on the poorest households.

"Integrated conservation and development has come under some criticism in recent years," says the report’s lead author Tom Blomley. "We found that the long term engagement of a range of development and conservation organisations working in a joint manner appears to have addressed both objectives."

The second report expands the focus beyond Uganda and highlights initiatives that seek to link ape conservation with poverty reduction in 18 nations — Angola; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Cote d'Ivoire; The Democratic Republic of Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Liberia; Nigeria; Congo; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Tanzania; and Uganda.

Activities range from simple outreach initiatives that aim to improve local attitudes to conservation, to initiatives that give communities decision making power over natural resource management and ways to benefit from them.

"These conservation initiatives are making a concerted effort to address poverty issues, but surprisingly few of them seem to explore whether or not they have been successful by measuring or reporting on the results of their efforts," says Chris Sandbrook, who headed the review.

Much of the best poverty impact data comes from studies of great ape tourism, which is a popular way of converting the presence of apes into money for local development – although even here the revenue from tourism is rarely shared with local people at a significant enough scale to give them real incentives to support conservation.

Many alternative initiatives exist, such as those that promote agriculture as an alternative to living off forest resources and, conversely, those that promote sustainable use of forest resources and so create incentives for conservation. But there are many missed opportunities and factors that can limit efforts to link great ape conservation and poverty reduction.

"These studies highlight the wealth of existing experience and provide key lessons for initiatives that seek to link conservation and poverty reduction," says Dilys Roe, coordinator of the 'Poverty and Conservation Learning Group', an international network of conservation and development organisations that IIED hosts. "We hope that they learn from these experiences in order to build on the success stories – and avoid some of the pitfalls and significantly increase the impact of conservation on poverty.”"

The studies were done with funding support from the Arcus Foundation, a leading global grantmaking foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues. Specifically, Arcus works to advance LGBT equality, as well as to conserve and protect the great apes.

END

Lilongwe to have Maximum Security Prison

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

  Sorry state inside Zomba Prison: Picture courtesy of amnesty.org

Malawi Prison Service (PS) has finally acquired land in Lilongwe where it is planning to construct a state-of-the-art maximum prison facility in place of Zomba Central Prison.

Zomba Central Prison, built in 1935, is the only maximum security prison in the country, holding prisoners with long sentences or serious offences, but human rights activists have condemned it for its poor conditions describing it “a death trap”.

PS spokesperson Evance Phiri said in an interview Thursday that the new prison facility will ease congestion problems that Malawian reformatory centres are best known for.

Phiri disclosed the new prison was a response to human rights’ call to have another facility in place of Zomba.

“Yes, it’s true that we are constructing a new maximum security prison in Lilongwe near Chitedze area. You know that human rights campaigners have long condemned Zomba Prison as unfit for human accommodation,” said Phiri.

The prison PRO further disclosed that work on the new prison has already started, but could not say when the project will be through.

“It’s in phases; so I can’t say actual dates of its completion. But suffice to say that after this project, we’ll carry out a mass rehabilitation project on Zomba Prison to give it a new face make it more habitable,” he explained.

Asked how much the project will cost, Phiri said it was difficult to quantify “because it run in phases”. So far, the prison department has already spent K80 million on and blue-print design) and compensating people surrounding the location of the new prison.

This is how prisoners sleep: Pic courtesy of amnesty.org

Earlier in the week, reports were rife to the effect that prison authorities intend to relocate Chichiri Prison to Chigumula where there is enough space for expansion and development.

But Phiri said his office does not have information relating to the movement of the Blantyre-based reformatory facility.

Our sources had confided that Chichiri Prison will be moving to Chigumula because the current structure is standing on a private property. The confidants further explained that the land is “too small for expansion”.

END

DFID dangles K300m for new schools

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

               Chivawa Primary School in Mchinji: Classrooms in a developed Malawi

British bilateral donor, Development Fund for International Development (DFID), has made availalbe funds for the construction of four new schools in Blantyre Urban Education District to decongest some primary schools, Maranatha Mzungu has learnt.

District Education Manageress (DEM) Ruth Samati-Kambali confirmed the development on Thursday and said new schools, which cost not less than K300 million, will greatly contribute towards the achievement of quality education saying congestion was one of the factors compromising the standards of education in the country.

Kambali explained that enrolments in most of the schools in Blantyre Urban have exceeded the recommended pupil-class of 100 pupils per class.

Current overall enrolment of Blantyre Urban schools stands at 144,000 while the average pupil-class ratio is at 157.

“One school will be constructed at Angelogoveya to decongest Kapeni Demonstration School; BCA will have a new school to decongest Naizi; then Chapima Heights to decongest Mbayani,” explained Kambali.

Malabada will also have a new school, which will cater for congested pupils from Makata, Chitsime and Nyambadwe Primary Schools.

The DEM stated that a proposal has already been submitted for the new schools, but it will be up to ministry to source funds elsewhere although DFID has already offered to support.

But Kambali could not commit herself on the actual date when the projects are expected to start because there are other logistics, which have to be sorted out before the projects could take off.

“At Angelogoveya, for example, we are facing a challenge to identify land where the school can stand. We are waiting for the Blantyre City Council to allocate us land for the projects,” she said.

“These projects should have started by July this year,” she added.

But Blantyre City Council (BCC) director of Town Planning and Estate Services Costly Chanza expressed ignorance about the development and stated they could not allocate land to the education authorities without being approached.

Chanza, however, expressed willingness to assist albeit “that would need thorough consultations”.

“The only readily available place we can allocate them now is inside Chichiri Prison…We’ve a space where a school can be constructed, but the challenge is that the school will cater for inmates only,” he said.

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Education managers violating teachers’ rights

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Watipaso and granny in Lilongwe in February, 2010

Deputy Minister of Education responsible for Basic and Secondary School, Wictor Songazaudzu Sajeni, on Wednesday could not hide his displeasure with some education managers who he accused of violating the rights of fellow workers and turning lives of teachers miserable.

Speaking after visiting offices of South West Education Division (Swed) offices in Blantyre, Sajeni stated that the ministry was aware that some bosses in the education sector that deliberately close doors to teachers who want to raise concerns thereby demotivating the staff.

“Some education managers and manageresses literary shout at a teacher who comes into their office to raise a concern [of some sort]. What picture are you giving to your juniors?” he asked.

“Let us be humble and respectful to those we’ve been employed to serve. We are where we are because there are people we’ve been employed to serve; so let us give them the respect they deserve,” said Sajeni.

Earlier, the deputy minister appealed to the teachers and education managers to stop living in what he described as “perpetual misery and complaints” and, instead, dedicate themselves to work saying education is the engine for future development of the country.

In her speech, Swed Education Division Manageress (EDM) Sr. Eunice Dambo highlighted a number of challenges impeding the growth of education in her area of jurisdiction.
Among others, Dambo said the current budgetary allocation her division gets from the Ministry of Education was not enough to cater for all its activities in a year besides the usual problems of shortage of teaching staff, classrooms and lack of teachers’ houses in schools.

“Our budget ceiling falls far short of our activity plans. We would like to appeal to the ministry to consider increasing the allocation to meet our [educational] needs,” prayed Dambo.

At the same meeting, Member of Parliament for Blantyre City East John Bande asked the Ministry of Education to consider extending the newly introduced hardship allowance to urban areas saying “teaching profession is one whether you’re in rural or urban school”.

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No electoral calendar, no civic education—Pacenet

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Despite the Electoral Commission (EC) accrediting 65 non-governmental organizations to undertake the task of civic educating the masses on local polls, the civil society says civic education can only roll out after the electoral body releases the calendar of events.

In the press statement made available to The Daily Times, Pan African Civic Education Network (Pacenet) says since EC has not released the electoral calendar, it could be counterproductive for the NGOs to start educating voters on the polls.

Pacenet executive director Steve Duwa argues that in the absence of such information, it could difficult for the accredited NGOs to design messages and that donors would not easily fund them without a clear calendar of events.

“There is no electoral calendar at the moment and nobody knows…apart from MEC itself, when the local polls will take place. For which election are people to be prepared?” asks Duwa.

He also states that the NGOs would find it hard to source funding for the voter and civic education because an electoral calendar acts as a backing to their project proposals [to their donors].

“Our experience in elections and donors in Malawi is that no donor can release funds for electoral activities in the absence of an electoral calendar including the actual polling date.

“Currently, there are no structured messages from EC on these elections, which should also form part of the messages accredited NGOs are to give out to the public,” Duwa explains.

In an interview yesterday, EC spokesperson Richard Mveriwa could neither fault the civil society for their decision on voter and civic education nor provide the date when the calendar will be made available to the accredited NGOs.

But Mveriwa explained that EC will have to consult the president on when to release the calendar.

“We are currently busy working on the calendar and soon our stakeholders [donors and political parties] will have a chance to see it before release,” he said.

Earlier, EC had set November 23 this year as a date when local polls would be held. But the polls were postponed to an indefinite date without explanations.

END

OG Plastics penetrates int’l market

            Jagot: We're very excited with development

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

OG Plastic Industries, one of the local manufacturers of plastic products, has finally realized its dream of exporting its products to other countries after finding markets in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia, Managing Director Abdul Wahab Jagot confirmed on Wednesday.

Jagot described the development as a big achievement for Malawi, which has long been considered a predominantly importing country. He also stated that Malawi’s economy will greatly benefit a lot from its foreign markets.

OG Plastic Industries was established in 2008 with a vision to be the market leader in manufacturing and exportation of polypropylene and polythene bags in Malawi, according to the company’s boss.

“We’re quite excited with this...This is a big achievement for Malawi as we strive to move from predominantly importing to exporting nation,” said Jagot.

He attributed the success to the company’s emphasis on quality.

“On our part, this is a plus since we've been in the industry for a short period of time, as compared to others who have been in the industry for over two decades. Our success and achievement has greatly encouraged us and it is our hope that we should attain our vision in the short term,” he added.

Jagot explained that the exports were crucial as they help in generating foreign exchange for the country and thus contribute to the growth of the economy.

Asked about future plans, the OG Plastic Industries boss said from August this year, the company will diversify its range of products to include the production of many household products such as basins, buckets, plates, mugs and jugs.

“The idea is to provide durable and newly designed plastic ware products for the comfort of our customers in their homes,” disclosed Jagot.

He thanked local customers and staff members for their support, saying this could not be achieved without their input.

END

Teen marriages are fuelling poverty--Kanyumba

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

     Signing visitors' book: Kanyumba

Minister of Youth Development and Sports Lucius Kanyumba on Friday appealed to parents in Balaka to stop marrying off their daughters at tender ages and, instead, let the adolescents concentrate on education.

Speaking after paying a visit to a Balaka-based Nkhadze Alive Youth Organization (Nayorg) on Friday, Kanyumba lectured the parents that marry off their daughters in exchange for fortunes that teen marriages cannot solve the socioeconomic challenges, but increase the poverty levels.

“Give children a chance to learn…they have a right to education. Don’t force them into marriages because that won’t solve your socioeconomic problems. Early marriages will just exacerbate the poverty situation of the families,” said the minister.

Kanyumba stated that studies have shown that a majority of teen marriages suffer from complications and often the relationships to not last long.

“It’s teenage mothers that are at greater risk of socioeconomic disadvantage throughout their lives than those who delay childbearing. As parents, you need to know that adolescent pregnancies are associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality for both the mother and infant,” he said.

  Presenting Likuni Phala to the needy child: Kanyumba

But the minister hailed Nayorg for its youth programmes saying they are inspiring young people to concentrate on education.

Nayorg executive director Charles Sinetre said his organization was committed towards empowering the youths with skills for HIV and early marriage prevention.

“We’ll remain committed towards empowering young people to achieve their dreams,” Sinetre assured.

END

Drug abuse, youth and crime

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

“On your own plea of guilty, this court finds you guilty and duly convicts you. Before I pass sentence, do you have anything in mitigation?” says First Grade Magistrate Esther Elia Phiri of Lilongwe registry as she straightens her head up to see the reaction of the convict, Anusa.


“Yes worship! I pray to this court to exercise lenience on me because this is my first time to commit a crime. I would also like to confess here that it was not my intention to commit this crime, but I was cheated by my friend who told me chamba gives academic ingenuity,” pleads an 18-year old Anusa while looking down in depression and regret.

“It was my friend, Zonizo, who handed me a cigarette of cannabis sativa to smoke while we were partying…and I did not know it was such a dangerous drug that could put me in such a difficult problem,” he adds

Anusa raises his head up to look at his parents who are sitting in the public gallery. He sees them shedding a tear or two as they try to shy away from his gaze. Though he is pleading for lenience, Anusa knows quite well that the crime he committed just last night, rape with violence, will still earn him separation from his parents and relatives through death penalty.

He is fully aware that if he is lucky enough he will be spared death, but still earn a considerable custodial sentences of not less than ten years for rape attracts a maximum of 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.

“Considering that you are young and that you have had no criminal record before as you and the state have submitted, this court will take these as your mitigating factors.

“This court is also mindful of your tender age and that you still have a future to make, and considering that maximum sentences are reserved for serious criminals, this court is compelled to exercise its lenience on you. I will also consider the factor that you showed remorse by pleading guilty to the charge and that you did not waste court’s time as your mitigating factors,” says magistrate Phiri.

She pauses a bit, takes a bottle of water, drinks and puts the container down again.

“But this court feels obliged to pass a meaningful custodial sentence on the convict because cases of rape and women abuse are becoming rampant. This court does not find it necessary to exercise on the convict because he committed the crime under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” she states. She looks the public gallery to see the people’s reaction.

Phiri sees some faces expressing approval of what she is putting forward to Anusa, especially ladies who are most of the times victims of alcohol and drug abuse in families, schools and any other places of entertainment. The convicts’ parents are still tucked in shame while silently shedding tears of deep sorrow. They have to because they also know this is the beginning of a new life in their family.

They will no longer see him. They will not be able to send him to buy something at the grocery. He will be temporarily unavailable for some years. In short, this is the end of their son’s future, or do they just fear?

The magistrate takes a few minutes scribbling some notes on her file, which no one can access with naked eyes from afar. And the court remains quiet with Anusa still standing in the dock with his hands akimbo.

He is visualizing life in prison; life far from parental care at his age when he desperately needs them to pay his school fees. Anusa has heard stories before of people dying in prison due to lack of food resulting from congestion, a problem our country’s reformatories are best known for.

“I am doomed. My future is doomed. God forget the day I was born,” he curses within himself as he awaits his final destination from the magistrate.

After Phiri finishes writing whatever she was writing, she adjusts her sitting posture, drawing the chair closer to the desk. She clears her throat while facing the convict, parents sitting about five metres away the court clerk’s desk.

“This is your verdict,” she announces. “But before I do that, let me stress here that peer pressure is not an excuse for committing crimes and can never be a mitigating factor. Whether you committed a crime with or without help or influence, the court will pass the same sentence on you. It is up to you to choose who your good friend is.”

“I am, therefore, sentencing you to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour with effect from day of your arrest. This sentence shall serve as a warning to young people who think life is about abusing women after drinking or smoking unnecessarily,” concludes magistrate Phiri attracting the convicts’ loud cry.

“Nditengeni ine chonde mwana wanga msiyeni. Ndikagwire ukaidiwo ndineyo (Set him free. Take me instead, I will serve the sentence on his behalf),” says the mother in her grief-stricken tone. But on what crime can the court pass that sentence on her? Well, she can play Jesus, but courts do not believe in human saviours who can die for other people’s crimes.

Anusa was celebrating his selection to secondary school the previous day when his peers cheated him that beer offers maximum entertainment and celebration. So they went to a certain Mtonjane brewer where they guzzled more than enough that they even forgot their names and where they had come from.

“Takagwireni man kuti mtseguke m’maso. Izi zimachotsa manyazi mwene,” said his friend, Jungayunga, as he handed Anusa a locally-made cigarette of chamba.

The celebrant had no time to ask what the stuff was until the following day when he found himself standing before the magistrate answering questions from law-enforcers for forcing himself on a woman.

It was said that after taking one too much, Anusa decided to bed one or two girls as a way of bidding farewell to village girls as he was now going to secondary school that was far from his home. One has to spend not less than K1000 to reach the destination. Unfortunately, his new destination was now Maula Prison where he would be for the coming 12 years.

This is but one example of how alcohol and drug abuse can destroy somebody’s future in a short period of time. Abuse of alcohol and drugs have put many young men the world over in serious problems they would never imagine happening to them. Some have found themselves in mental hospitals after taking in too much of pills or smoking chamba wholesale.

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Earnest Malenga recently told journalist in Lilongwe that Malawi was one of the countries faced with serious drug production and, abuse and trafficking in the SADC region.

Malenga explained that about 75 to 80 percent of mental cases in Malawi were a result of alcohol and drug abuse, especially among young people.

“The Rapid Situation Assessment report on Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS in Malawi conducted by the Centre for Social Research of the University of Malawi undertaken in 2004 revealed that there is massive abuse of drugs in the country,” said the minister when he was signing memorandum of understanding on behalf of government of Malawi with FORUT, an international development organization that is trying to fight alcohol and drug abuse in different countries across the globe.

“There are three main drugs of abuse in Malawi , namely alcohol, cannabis sativa (locally known as chamba) and tobacco,” said Malenga. He added that excessive use of drugs and alcohol has led to many families breaking up, pupils getting expelled from schools and drivers causing unnecessary accidents and high infection rate for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS.

“The other problem with alcohol is that besides being dangerous to the individual drinker, it is also harmful to those around us such as women, children who bear the brunt of the aggression and violence caused by alcohol and drugs,” explained Malenga.

He blamed the problem on lack of active legislation on the use of alcohol and drugs citing drinking joints which remain open 24 hours because there was no law that guides bar owners on times of opening and closing. Malenga, however, reported that Malawi has now put in place a framework for combating the problem through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug Control chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

He warned that Malawi may risk degenerating into a society of drug addicts if use of alcohol and drugs is not properly managed.

On the MOU he signed on behalf of the government of Malawi, the minister said FORUT was committed to provide the country with technical assistance in the field of alcohol, specifically in areas of research and documentation, competence building, policy development, mobilization and awareness-raising, strengthening of law enforcement institutions and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug Control and Eradication of Cannabis Sativa (chamba).

In his remarks, FORUT Secretary General Morten Lonstad said the programme to combat the abuse of alcohol and drugs in Malawi came after Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation had advised the organization to involve countries in Southern Africa .

“Our aim is to build networks of national and international NGOs where ideas, experiences and knowledge on prevention strategies and policy advocacy can be exposed and further developed,” said Lonstad.
He added: “The programme in Malawi aims at linking the ADD issue to other development issues, as the spreading of HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence and children at risk.”

Lonstad promised that his organization will continuously help Malawi with the required assistance in her fight against alcohol and drug abuse.

“There are vested interests such as the alcohol industry, but if we work together, civil society, faith-based organizations, government ministries, politicians, traditional leaders and all stakeholders, I am sure we should be able to map the way forward to prevent and control alcohol and drug abuse in Malawi so that at the end of the day we should reduce cases of violence and other delinquencies resulting from too much consumption of beer or drugs,” said Home Affairs and Internal Security Principal Secretary Martin Mononga echoing the FORUT Secretary General.

“And we expect to have reduced cases of misbehaviours resulting from alcohol and drug abuse thereby reducing criminal acts also,” said Mononga.
END

Staggering and struggling for 50:50 campaign

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Alice Deliwe-Ngoma is a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) aspiring parliamentary candidate for Mzimba Luwerezi.

She is among 217 other female aspiring politicians that have presented nomination papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) expressing their interest and willingness to battle it out in a game that has for some time been regarded as a “no-go zone for ladies”.

But Deliwe-Ngoma attests that she has an uphill task to convince people she wants to serve that she can deliver. She knows how difficult it is to convince Malawians who have all along been made to believe that women are capable of nothing, but cooking and making a home.

“It is very hard,” she confirms, “but I am determined to prove that women can perform miracles if given a chance.”

Deliwe-Ngoma makes this brave statement in a society that is synonymous with rampant cases of gender-based violence; a society where men use everything at their disposal to suppress women aspirations.

In her speech during the commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative, Esperance Fundira, said gender-based violence in this country is still persisting despite the many efforts government and its development partners have stepped up to raise ladies’ profiles to match friends of the opposite sex.

Men have dominated almost every sector of life apart from preparing food at home and washing clothes and looking after the children at home.

It is, therefore, not surprising that some men have sarcastically referred to married women as “goal-keepers” for the mere fact that they had been relying on their husbands, parents or guardians for everything including simple basic needs.

All this has been happening despite the fact that Malawi is a signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), global platform for action and the Beijing Declaration; and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, just to mention a few.

At the regional level, Malawi is a signatory to the African Charter on Human Rights, the Solemn Declaration on Gender equality, and the protocol to the African charter on people and human rights on the Rights of women in Africa.

However, the question one would ask is: despite all these commitments government has made, are we in the right direction to the achievement of 50-50 campaign for women representation in decision-making positions? What exactly is this campaign about?

UNFPA’s Fundira says 50-50 campaign programme is not just about numbers, but making a difference in all levels of decision-making. It is about making a difference in repositioning gender equality issues in politics and national development agenda.

She believes that all these cases of domestic violence are a result of lack of empowerment and would have been history by now if women were empowered.

“If these girls and women were empowered enough to challenge any forms of gender-based violence, definitely they would never suffer the devastating and humiliating condition of fistula, unwanted pregnancies and HIV and Aids,” she says.

Fundira further states that women in decision-making positions like parliamentarians have the potential of fostering socio-economic development since “it is common knowledge that a woman has a loving heart”.

“Already the sitting female MPs have demonstrated that women can make a difference in the country’s social and economic development,” agrees Weston Msowoya, project manager of the Malawi Human Rights Youth Network (MHRYN) who is based in Lilongwe.

Msowoya concurs with Fundira that gender-based violence is one of the major challenges facing the campaign for 50-50 women representation in decision-making positions.

“We, first of all, have to champion for zero tolerance to violence against women and girls in schools, public places, homes, workplaces, worship centres and all our communities. It is time for men and women, boys and girls to work together to end these shameful violations of human rights,” he says.

However, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Undule Mwakasungula observes that there is need for concerted efforts to support and enhance the skills of the current crop of aspiring female parliamentarians ahead of the coming elections if Malawi wants to realize its dream of achieving the 50-50 campaign programme.

Mwakasungula discloses that experience from the previous general elections had shown that lack of confidence and campaign skills were two of the major obstacles to women’s entry into parliament and other decision-making structures.

In view of these facts, the CHRR boss said his NGO decided to come up with a capacity building trainings to enhance the skills and confidence of aspiring female MPs as the country is preparing to have general elections slated for May 19 this year.

It is not the civil society organizations that that shown their keenness to support women in their struggle to match men in decision-making positions.

Senior Chief Mabulabo of Mzimba has joined the bandwagon of the campaigners of the 50-50 women representation. Mabulabo declares that he will champion for the rights of women in his area including supporting women in politics.

Speaking at Emfeni LEA School ground during this year’s International Women’s Day where, among other things, he appealed to his subjects to desist from abusing the rights of women, girls and children saying the practice is detrimental to human and psychological health of the victims.

“Time has come my fellow Malawians that we should give women a chance to run the affairs of the society,” said the traditional leader.

“Gone are the days when women were confined to household chores like cooking, fetching firewood and water. Time is gone for discriminating women on the basis of sex; we were all the same in the eyes of God and we all have the capacity to change things if given a chance,” stressed Mabulabo.

The chief explained that he summoned his subjects to join government in commemorating the women’s day to show his commitment towards the achieve 50-50 women representation in decision-making positions.

“Malawi is today commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day and I thought it would be important that we, too, should take part. As a guard of traditions, I want to tell you that this day is very important to us all, not only women, to renew our commitment to the fight against gender based violence,” said Mabulabo.

On politics, the traditional leader asked people to support women in politics to enhance good governance and achieve gender equality. He, however, warned his subjects against voting into power people who cannot articulate issues saying that would dilute the whole idea of choosing responsible leaders.

“If I say we have to support women; I do not mean to say just vote for anyone as long as it is a woman, no. Let us vote for women who can help bring development in our area. Let us give people a vote on merit,” he said.

Minister of Gender, Women and Child Development, Anna Kachikho, said when she officially launched a Resource Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming of Human Resource Management at Capital Hotel that government was committed towards empowering women as evidenced by the initiatives being taken in social, economical and political spheres geared towards addressing imbalances that have all along existed.

Kachikho said the societal stereotypes that breed discrimination of one group of people from others is a major that retards development of the world economy.

“The world economy could have been so miles better off had it been that the problems of discrimination and bias against one sex group were inexistence,” she emphasizes.

And during the International Women’s Day under theme: End Violence: Support women in politics, Kachikho said: “We have made the theme to relate with the 50:50 campaign, which is currently underway. Women have been experiencing violence in many forms on of which are political in nature.”

“We, therefore, would like to set an environment where women are not subject to violence politically but instead they should be supported for the development of his nation,” she appealed.

But Kachikho has one thing to clarify to the general public if people have to take her seriously for her ministry is said to be discriminating the same women they are championing their rights and empowerment for.

The ministry recently issued a press statement stating that it will not support female aspirants standing on independent tickets. This is a drawback to the fight for equal opportunity to politics.

It is for this reason that the MCP’s Alice Deliwe Ngoma feels CHRR and other non-governmental organizations should continue lobbying political leaders and other agencies, such as the media, to create a more conducive environment for women participation in decision-making to become reality.

Ngoma complains that media houses only concentrate on candidates contesting in urban areas while neglecting those living in rural areas.

She, therefore, appealed to the media to open up and reach out to all candidates across the country to ensure that all voters are accorded opportunity to elect deserving people into positions of authority. She emphasized that media has a key role in providing eligible voters with relevant information about their candidates.

CHRR is running a series of campaigns aimed at promoting the role of women in decision-making with funding from Danish Church Aid.

Under the project, the organization is targeting female aspirants from the districts of Karonga, Rumphi and Mzimba in the north while in the centre Kasungu, Lilongwe, Dedza, Ntchisi, Ntcheu and Salima districts to build capacity for the women aspiring candidates so that they may be able to face men during campaign podia.

End

Women struggling to claim back safe motherhood

BY FRAZER POTANI a correspondent

Imagine you are not a celebrity but find yourself on national television!

This happened to Kawale resident Judith Shaba in Lilongwe City.

Shaba was some weeks ago beamed on Malawi Television (TVM) complaining that her baby died allegedly due to a health worker’s negligence at Kawale Health Centre during labour.

Even Judith’s husband, Bester, was seen on same TVM threatening to take legal action against the alleged health worker involved.

One may understand the couple’s anger and shock if he/she goes to Kawale Health Centre.

The same health centre where their baby died has visible writings on its walls encouraging more interaction between a mother and her baby through breast feeding.

The health centre therefore, is the last place to let pregnant woman lose her baby to advance its campaign of strengthening bonds between mothers and babies.

A random interview with residents seeking treatment from Kawale Health Centre revealed they get ill-treated by health workers.

A Kawale resident on condition of anonymity said he went to Kawale Health Centre to seek treatment after an attack by thugs on his way back from work late September hence lost money, mobile phone and vital portable materials and reported the matter to the police.

“But I returned without getting treatment instead went to a private clinic because the way a health worker talked to me it was as if the thugs attacked me out of my own wish,” he said adding that since then he does not go to seek treatment from the health centre.

Another Kawale resident also former nurse now a successful business woman running a restaurant and a tailoring shop in Lilongwe also said went to Kawale Health Centre with a relative.

“She was attacked by cerebral malaria but we left without her getting treatment because I was shocked by what one health worker did,” she said.

The former nurse disclosed that she witnessed a health worker at Kawale collecting health passports from patients who were standing on a queue to assist them.

“But after one patient on queue complained that health workers were slow while she was in pain, the health worker got angry, shouted at them and threw the health passports at the crowd,” she said adding that the crowd had to scramble for their passports in the process.

“My sick relative’s health passport was torn into pieces in the process,” she said adding that she no longer also goes to Kawale Health Centre for treatment.
“But as a former health worker I think the starting point to solve the problem is for government to construct more health centres in Lilongwe City and deploy adequate staff, drugs and equipment,” she said.
She disclosed that Kawale Health Centre is overwhelmed by many patients requiring treatment because they flock from Areas 22, 23, 24, Chilinde, Kaliyeka, Mchesi and many more townships.

“How do you expect a health centre to provide adequate, quality health service to the needy including treat patients with compassion when its staff is overwhelmed by many clients against inadequate staff, drugs and equipment?” she queried.

Unless health workers in public health institutions countrywide are however, friendly to pregnant women, government’s campaign to discourage deliveries elsewhere will not yield results.

Hawa Muhammadi, 42, a mother of nine from Chowe Area in Mangochi for example said she was ill-treated by a female nurse in a public hospital.

“During my fifth pregnancy a female nurse talked to me abusively before slapping me on the face for failing to follow her instructions due to severe pain,” she said.

Hawa disclosed her experience when, in a snap survey in Mangochi, the Blantyre based Centre for Reproductive Health Department (CRHD) took journalists on a media tour to that district.

Principal Secretary (PS) for Health Chris Kang’ombe said one problem contributing to some health workers’ bad attitude towards patients in public hospitals was pressure of work due to staff shortage.

He said government has laid strategies to recruit more health workers and will do everything to improve mothers’ and babies’ health.

Kang’ombe welcomed bad attitude health workers’ exposure however, also called journalists to motivate health workers doing their job professionally by highlighting them in the media.

White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRASM) – Malawi Chairperson Darlington Harawa disclosed that Malawi’s maternal statistics were gloomy.

“Maternal Mortality is at 807 per 100,000 live births. In simple mathematics this translates close to 16 women dying every day due to maternal health related complications,” he said.

Vice President Joyce Banda said during labour pregnant women go between thin line between life and death and even experienced it herself.

“I am told I collapsed because I lost blood and it was Dr. Chiphangwi who was called to save my life,” Banda told a crowd during Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) launch in Mchinji.

“I then asked myself the question: What would have happened if there is no doctor?” queried Banda.

The Washington based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) says a mother’s death in poor developing countries like Malawi increases death risk for her under five children by 50 percent.

However, Ministry of Health’s Senior Reproductive Health Officer, Prisca Masepuka said Malawian women can still claim back their safe motherhood joy if everyone in the community including men support pregnant women during and after delivery.

(Ends)

Business Guest

OG Plastics Managing Director: Abdul Wahab Jagot.

Manufacturing and exporting are some of the most important components of the country’s economy. In this edition, WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR talks to the Managing Director of OG Plastic Industries Limited; manufacturers and exporters of plastic products Abdul Wahab Jagot. Excerpts:


Q. Can you give me a brief background of your company?

OG Plastic Industries was established in 2008 with a vision to be the market leader in manufacturing and exportation of polypropylene and polythene bags in Malawi. We want to achieve our vision through the combined use of highly skilled and committed workforce, advanced technology, and efficient customer service.

Q. How big is your workforce?

Currently, we’ve 260 people working in our factory. We envisage that this workforce will greatly increase as we expand production capacity.

Q. How can you describe the plastic industry?
The industry is viable especially when i have enough expirience of market and production also in the wake that we are able to export someof our products to other countries in the region and earn foreign exchange for the country. On our part, we've been in the industry for this short period of time, as compared to others who have been in the industry for over two decades. Our success and achievement has greatly encouraged us and it is our hope that we should attain our vision in the short term.

Q. How is the plastic industry contributing to the economy of this country?

As alluded to earlier, we regard the industry as contributing greatly on foreign exchange savings since agriculturalists don't need to import bags from abroad since they can buy them locally at a cheaper price. In the past when Malawi didn't have an industry such as this, country used to lose a lot of money (forex) when importing bags from the region. By the same token, our exports to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia help to generate foreign exchange for the country. We're also contributing to the economy of this country through Value Added Tax (VAT). In addition, we feel that we are making a great contribution towards poverty reduction through employment.

Q. What are the challenges?

Our major challenge in the short term is that we cannot expand machine capacity and increase productivity levels due to lack of adequate technical expertise. This will be addressed in the long term by our in-house human resource development initiatives coupled with training outside the country.

The other challenge is that transportation of our raw materials through Beira and Nacala encounters some delays and this poses disruptions to our production. This is why we applaud government for initiating the Nsanje Port.

Since we are relatively new, our third challenge is to create awareness of our existence and our quality products on the market. We are addressing this through aggressive market campaigns and advertising.

Q. Where do you get the raw materials?

Our raw materials come from South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, India and United States of America.

Q. What are you next plans?

From August 2010, we intend to diversify our range of products to include the production of many household products such as basins, buckets, plates, mugs and jugs. The idea is to provide durable and newly designed plasticware products for the comfort of our custmers in their homes.

Q. Can you sum up?

I would like to thank our customers for buying our products and also i am thankful to my prodction team. I would like to assure our valuable customers of our desire to give them the best plastic products possible. I think we’ve achieved a lot in product quality so that by November 2010, our company will have ISO 9001: 2008 certificate. This means that our products will be recognized at an international level.

Coping with Aids in limited-resource settings

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

Although HIV and Aids has spared no one, poor people are the most vulnerable.

AIDS has caused households to dissolve as parents die and children are sent to relatives for care and upbringing. The disease also strips families of their assets and income earners, further impoverishing the poor.

In most cases, older people are heavily affected as they're forced to care for their sick children and are often left to look after orphaned grandchildren.

Grandparents left caring for the sick face the burden of providing financial, emotional and psychological support at a time when they would be expecting to receive such support as their energy levels drop with older age.

Further, HIV and Aids contribute to food insecurity as agricultural work is neglected or abandoned due to household illness.

HIV/Aids diminishes agricultural output and it is thought that by 2020, Malawi’s agricultural workforce will be 14% smaller than it would have been without the disease.

“Our fields are idle because there is nobody to cultivate them. We don't have machinery for farming, thus if we are sick, or caring for sick family members, we have no time to spend working in the fields," said a Blantyre-based widow, Ellen Kandikole.

Blantyre District Coordinator for Save the Children Panji Kajani said the most unfortunate response to a death in poorer households is removing the children (especially girls) from school.

“Often school uniforms and fees become unaffordable for such families and the child's labour and income-generating potential are required in the household,” said Kajani.

How Aids affects children

As parents and family members fall sick, children take responsibility to earn an income, produce food, and care for family members. It is harder for these children to access adequate nutrition, basic healthcare, housing and clothing.

In such a situation, children may be forced to abandon their education. Girls may turn to prostitution to earn a living.

How the pandemic impacts on economy

Aids affects the economy by reducing the labour supply through increased mortality and illness. Amongst those who are able to work, productivity is likely to decline as a result of HIV-related illness.

Government income also declines, as tax revenues fall and governments are pressured to increase their spending to deal with the expanding HIV epidemic.

International Committeee for the Development of People (CISP) in-come generating activities (IGA) expert Maclean Mtokota says in such a situation families that are infected and affected can raise their economic base by participating in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Mtokota explains that SMEs are an important source of employment, particularly for low-skilled workers, as well as women and young people.

“In such a situation, SMEs become the only sure way for earning an independent among people living with HIV and Aids. In some countries, SMEs have proved to be crucial in local development and income generation to mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids on poor households,” says the IGA expert.

How much should PLWHAs be assisted?

Although antiretroviral drugs have helped thousands of Malawians, hundreds of thousands of people still need the life-prolonging medication. However, the challenge to infected people is lack of financial resources for buying nutritious food on the market.

When he tested HIV positive over six years ago, George Bannet, 43, of Machinjili in Blantyre had no source of money let alone someone who could provide him care.

His wife had died two years earlier with unknown disease. Initially, Bannet, who was too sickly the time his wife passed away, dreaded going for HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) fearing the prospects of testing HIV positive.

“I thought I'd become the object of taunt if I tested positive. I also feared for my children's future,” Bannet said.

But with assistance from Save the Children, Bannet managed to go for the test. He was immediately put on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) because his CD4 had drastically declined to lower levels.

Today, he is enjoying good health and optimistic about the future: “I hope to continue working hard and assist fellow PLWHAs. Besides, I’m currently building the future for my children.”

Bannet is lucky because his children have already started receiving educational and psychological support from Save the Children Programme and Malawi Girl Guide Association (Magga).

Project Malawi Country Coordinator Claudio Tonin explains that in the past individualistic approach to the fight against HIV/Aids and its impact has not benefited the people they served.

Tonin says with funding from an Italian leading bank called Itensa San Paolo, Project Malawi devised an inclusive approach in order to arrest the spread of the virus while at the same time lessening the pain among the infected and affected persons.

“Infected people have to be supported in all areas of need. It is not enough to provide them with ARVs when they cannot access nutritious meals. There is need also to help their children who can't access education because of financial resources,” says he.

Thus under Project Malawi the initiative has fused together Save the Children, CISP, Community of Saint Egidio's Dream Program, Malawi Girl Guide Association (Magga) and the Department of Nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) so that people living with the virus can be assisted in all aspects of need.

Tonin explains: “These organisations have different approaches and goals that aim at complementing the other. Working under one umbrella makes the fight against Aids and its impact more complete and successful.”

Tonin says the primary goal of the project was to pilot strategies for strengthening each country’s capacity to scale up comprehensive HIV/Aids programs by providing care and treatment in an effective, affordable way.

Project Malawi believes these difficulties can strongly limit the patient’s adherence to the therapy and, therefore, make it less effective.

Thus in all Dream centres, people living with HIV and Aids can access quality medical and nutritional support at no cost.

“After providing them with nutritious meals, we refer our clients interested in businesses to CISP for training. For children that need school sponsorships, we refer them Save the Children,” he said.

This holistic approach to dealing with HIV and Aids pandemic and its impacts has lessened fears among PLWHAs and, therefore, increased adherence to the drugs.

Thus trauma and hardship that children affected by HIV and AIDS are forced to bear are reduced.

Principal Secretary for Nutrition, HIV and Aids, Dr. Mary Shawa states that the partnership was influential in the reduction of the prevalence rate.

“I don't think we could have realized this success if we worked individually,” said Shawa.

END

Safe motherhood fight is everyone's responsibility

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

“Imagine a world without useless wastes of money and with a concrete development for all the communities of developing countries. Imagine a world where expatriates earn the same salary of locals, where health services are free to everyone, where funds from donor community and international funding agencies are really destined to the final beneficiaries and they will produce finally some results. We are living in a completely different world”.

These are the words of Dr. Mario Bacchiocchi, executive director of Centre of Health Education and Health Appropriate Technologies (CESTAS), an Italian-Malawian non-governmental organization, which has joined government efforts in the promotion of safe motherhood, fighting drug and alcohol abuse, among other programmes.

Bacchiocchi notes that during his time in Africa, he has noted some NGOs, which have invested a lot of money in projects with less benefit to the lives of the intended beneficiaries. This represents how huge amounts of public resources are being wasted and mismanaged.

While most of the local NGOs are operating in urban areas, their services are desperately needed in the rural areas where a larger population is illiterate. Women of the child-bearing ages need information on life-saving antenatal care.

Women in the villages rarely seek professional help during pregnancy. There are several factors that deter them from doing so.

Often they lack the time to visit health centers. Access to professional healthcare is a nightmare for many people in the rural areas because of lack of health centres in such places.

The situation sometimes forces determined women to spend almost all the day walking to the nearby health centre to seek professional antenatal care services.

In some instances, lack of knowledge on the importance of such services also contributes to women’s failure to seek professional help during pregnancy.

Improvements in local health care play a central role in reducing African child mortality rates and preserving mothers' lives. But making these improvements will require bringing information and training to local communities, mothers, and healthcare providers across the country.

CESTAS boss believes this cannot be the case if the civil society joined government in mobilizing and implementing safe motherhood programmes.

In some countries like Nigeria, through traditional dances and songs, the civil society managed to attract women to their consultation areas, where they deliver messages on the importance of seeking antenatal care services during pregnancy.

In Bacchiocchi’s thinking, men can also meet with healthcare personnel, who could be conducting on-site routine checks, dispense drugs, provide reproductive health and family planning information, and make referrals to health centers as necessary.

Settings such as markets and community centres can also allow for outreach to all community members, including adolescents, mothers and fathers.

“There is a huge necessity to be focused on specific intervention and to be able to have the needed continuity and long-term action without jumping from one program to another just because of available funds or institutional opportunities,” says he.

“I never understand why other organizations are not partnering with government in the fight against maternal and neonatal deaths. I have often approached the donor community on this issue, but rarely do they seem interested to fund projects of such nature,” mourns Bacchiocchi.

With funding from UNICEF, CESTAS has managed to introduce and maintain in-service training courses for midwives and health workers who work at Bwaila and Kamuzu Central Hospitals in Lilongwe and Dowa District Hospital in Dowa.

These courses have helped health workers in improving the delivery of essential maternal and neonatal care to their clients.

“CESTAS attaches greater importance to the training of health personnel for them to provide quality healthcare to the patients,” says Bacchiocchi.

“We ensure there is on-going in-service training for all midwives and health operators at Bwaila, Dowa and KCH through different training curricula, which have been designed by the same target group in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Unit (RHU) and the Lilongwe and Dowa’s District Health Offices (DHOs),” he adds.

And with support from UNICEF CESTAS intends to extend its outreach and training activities to Community Rural Health Centres in selected Zones of Lilongwe District.

The organization will has also signed an agreement with the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa that will see KCH, Bwaila and Dowa hospitals receiving a donation of motorcycle ambulances.

END