MANAonline
Pink eye affects 12,000 people countrywide
By Beatrice Bangula
Blantyre, April 1, Mana: Statistics from Ministry of Health indicate that viral conjunctivitis, also known as Pink eye disease, has hit more than 12,000 people in the country.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe told Malawi News Agency that so far the disease has reached nearly all the districts in Malawi, adding that Karonga still tops the list with Lilongwe coming second.
Chikumbe added that Ministry of Health was trying all it can to contain the disease whose signs and symptoms include redness of the eyes, itching, watery eyes and pain in the eyes, among others.
“The disease is self-limiting that it goes on its own without requiring antibiotics within seven to ten days. However, the ministry encourages people to immediately seek medical attention to treat symptoms and reduce suffering; antibiotic may be given to treat secondary infections,” he added.
Chikumbe added that Ministry of Health was conducting sensitization sessions with various groups to increase public awareness on how the disease is spread and how it can be prevented.
He added that health facilities across the country also provide treatment to cases and further promote hygiene and sanitation ways of preventing further transmission of the disease, saying hygiene is key in preventing about 52% of communicable diseases that include pink eye.
Meanwhile, Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director George Jobe has called for more sensitization activities on the dangers of pink eye, adding that the disease has no medication and that it cures on its own after some time.
“Pink eye is highly contagious and affects human activities which include productivity. People cannot go to work, learners cannot go to school and healthcare workers cannot provide healthcare services when they themselves have pink eye disease,” Jobe said.
Pink eye disease was first reported in Karonga District in February this year before spreading further to other districts in central region and later to southern region.
Farmers urged to embrace early maturing crops
By George Mponda
Karonga, March 31, Mana: Crops Officer for Karonga District Agriculture Development Office, Stocker Nundwe, has asked farmers in the district to plant early maturing crop varieties to lessen the impacts of weather unpredictability and flood disasters on their agriculture productivity.
Nundwe said this at Mwangulukulu Village in the area of Senior Chief Mwakaboko in Karonga on Friday during an agriculture field day organized by SeedCo.
Nundwe said Ministry of Agriculture wants three things for a farmer namely; food security, good nutrition and financial security.
He said the three can be achieved if farmers use early maturing seed that can withstand drought and suit the climate conditions of their area.
"This aligns with the government’s growing calls for farmers to practise climate smart agriculture, which includes planting early maturing crop varieties in our district which is hit with disasters annually," he said.
Agronomy Manager for SeedCo Malawi, James Mtiesa, appealed to farmers to select appropriate crop varieties based on their agro-ecological regions to maximise yields.
"It all starts with the right seed and on display today we had maize, soya and rice which mature early. Some crops do not need much rain and I can assure farmers that they will still get a bumper harvest even when grown on a small piece of land," said Mtiesa.
Some of the crops on display were Kalulu maize seed which matures in not more than 80 days and Signal 110 soya seed which matures in 104 days.
Mtiesa said farmers can harvest 50 bags and 28 bags per hectare of the maize and soya respectively.
“Nerica 4 rice seed matures in 100 days and can be grown everywhere since it does not need much water hauling in 32 bags from a hectare," he said.
Mtiesa stressed that by selecting appropriate early maturing varieties and diversifying crop choices, farmers can mitigate the risks associated with uncertain rainfall patterns and increase their chances of achieving a successful and bountiful harvest.
One of the farmers, Paliph Msukwa, said adopting hybrid seed varieties which mature early and are drought tolerant can be a solution to the problems faced by farmers in Karonga and help increase yields, food and nutrition security.
Mzimba children applaud NGO for rescuing them from child labour
By Joel Phiri
Mzimba, March 31, Mana: Some children from Traditional Authority (TA) Khosolo in Mzimba have commended Impact Centre for Economic and Development (ICEED) for rescuing them from child labour in the coffee and tea estates they were working in and offering them vocational training.
The children were speaking Saturday in Mzimba when ICEED, with funding from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), presented start-up tools to some of the 150 youths who completed a three months vocational training.
In an interview, 17-year-old James Longwe from Lunkhumba Village, TA Khosolo said he dropped out of school in Form One into one of the coffee estates in the district to escape poverty.
“Things were not rosy at home and I decided to look for a job to earn a living. I left school due to lack of financial support.
“When ICEED came looking for under aged boys and girls I was identified and offered a place at Buwe Technical College where I studied carpentry and joinery. I can now earn money in a conducive environment,” said Longwe.
Another rescued youth, Anile Banda, who dropped out of school in Standard Six due to poverty said she has worked at a coffee estate for two years.
“I left school in 2021 to look for work. Looking at where I come from, where we could sometimes sleep on empty stomach, I decided to leave school and find work to support myself and survive,” she said.
Banda studied tailoring and plans to launch her tailoring business.
ICEED Project Officer, Elvin Kalomba, said they are running a project called “Accelerating action in the elimination of child labour (ACCEL)” to rescue children from child labour and those at risk of child labour.
“Most of these children venture into child labour because of poverty in their families hence we thought by empowering them with vocational skills we will prevent them from being employed or engaged in child labour. They can start something of their own and make their own money,” said Kalomba.
Chief Labour Officer in the Ministry of Labour, Francis Kwenda, said the country faces a daunting task to end child labour because of poverty as most households struggle and as such send their children to work in estates.
“Currently child labour in Malawi stands at 38 percent, according to the 2015 National Statistical Office (NSO) survey. This is up from the 2002 survey which had child labour at 37 percent. Of these statistics, one percent of the children work in the agriculture sector,” said Kwenda.
He said the ministry is working with various partners such as ILO, tobacco industry players and other NGOs to end child labour.
Mzimba District Youth Officer, Yamikani Nyalugwe, applauded ICEED and ILO for empowering the youths with vocational skills which, he said, would help them become independent and self-reliant.
Inkosi Khosolo warned communities against offering children in estate saying he will punish every community member whose child or ward would be found working in estates.
Frequent blackouts infuriate Chitipa CSOs
By Aliko Munde
Chitipa, March 31, Mana: Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in Chitipa have expressed displeasure with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) for frequent power outages in the district.
The CSOs say the power cuts have affected operations of various businesses and offices including health facilities.
Speaking during a full council meeting on Thursday, Chairperson for Chitipa CSO Network, Patrick Ziba, wondered why Chitipa experiences blackouts everyday despite ESCOM assuring the nation that things have changed.
Ziba said the residents are not happy with the tendency by ESCOM to switch off power every day.
“We are losing lives in our hospitals because of lack of electricity and also some of our businesses have suffered for the same.
“As a district we need to do something because the blackouts are out of hand. Our neighboring districts are enjoying electricity every day, why Chitipa?” Ziba asked.
District Commissioner for Chitipa, MacMillan Magomero, assured that during the forthcoming full council meeting he will summon ESCOM officials to answer as to why there are frequent blackouts in the district.
ESCOM Chief Public Relations Officer, Kitty Chingota, acknowledged that Chitipa does, sometimes, experience blackouts as is the case with other parts of the country.
She, however, said that it might not be entirely correct to say that blackouts are the order of the day in Chitipa.
Chingota said that there has, of late, been an improvement in stability of power supply to Chitipa after her institution intensified efforts to repair faults on the power line that supplies electricity to the district.
“Oftentimes, ESCOM faces challenges carrying out maintenance of this line to Chitipa due to resource constraints,” she said.
She said ESCOM has prioritized Karonga to Chitipa line for 100 percent maintenance.
Meanwhile, ESCOM has received switchgear from the Ministry of Energy, through Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP), to install on the Chitipa line to help in localizing the faults.
“ESCOM engineers recently split the Chitipa and Songwe lines by maintaining a bundle conductor that was strung parallel to the airport. This means Chitipa and Songwe lines are now on separate breakers. This has reduced faults on both these lines,” Chingota explained.
She said ESCOM engineers are designing new structures that can withstand weather elements of the area.
“Additionally, the alternative supply line to Chitipa is being considered through Nyika National Park to Nthalire,” said Chingota.
No work, no allowances: Karonga DOs warned
By George Mponda
Karonga, March 31, Mana: Acting District Commissioner for Karonga, Frank Mkandawire, has warned Designated Officers (DO) working under the Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) against claiming allowances while not working on the ground.
Mkandawire made the sentiments Saturday in Chitipa at the end of a two-day review meeting for the programme’s third cycle attended by members of Karonga District Environment Sub-Committee (DESC) and DOs from 15 catchment areas.
"Officers are supposed to be on the ground supervising the project which aims to reduce risks associated with climate change and other disasters.
“We know that some of you are doing school which is not a bad thing but then you claim allowances for days which you did not work for; you will not receive that,” he said.
He expressed concern that some catchment areas lack supervision leading to shoddy work.
Mkandawire advised the DOs to exhibit firm leadership when dealing with extension workers and participants who are working under CS-EPWP in Karonga.
"We have heard reports that some of you are afraid to direct participants on how to do the work for fear of being bewitched. Leadership has no excuse; you just need to be courteous when dealing with participants and establish good communication channels and you will see the programme flourish in our district," he said.
President for the DOs, Webster Kanyimbo from Nyanja Catchment hailed the meeting for bringing out issues which will facilitate smooth implementation of the programme in Karonga.
"There are a number of issues which need to be addressed like the unavailablity of gadgets for proper documentation and late payments of participants wages which is also affecting the quality of work in the programme," Kanyimbo said.
CS-EPWP is implemented, in Karonga, by the National Local Governance Finance Committee with funding from the World Bank.
Over 13,000 participants are working on interventions which include construction of swales, contour marker ridging, caring for naturally regenerating trees, afforestation and river bank protection.
Water for People dress Mudi Catchment Area with trees
By Tikondane Vega
Blantyre, March 31, Mana: Water for People, in collaboration with stakeholders, on Saturday planted trees around Mudi Catchment Area in Blantyre as one way of increasing water levels that can be supplied to the community.
The trees were planted under Blantyre-Mulanje Water Fund, a deliberate source of fund established by the organization and other partners, to resource finance for water sustainability.
Speaking during the tree planting exercise, Chairperson for the fund steering committee, Dwight Kambuku, said they decided to plant trees in Mudi Catchment to protect water supply in the district.
“Trees are one of the most important aspects if we are to have clean and sustainable water. When planted in the right place, trees provide multiple benefits to people. It plays a critical role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters such as floods.
“The catchment protection and restoration helps control siltation in Mudi Dam thereby reducing the cost of purifying water for a tenth of the city’s population,” said Kambuku.
Kambuku, who is also Chief Executive Officer for National Water Resources Authority (NWRA), added that the restoration of Mudi River has potential to reduce water tariffs since Blantyre Water Board’s (BWB) production costs will be lower due to good quality of water.
Water for People Director of Influence and Scale, Kate Harawa, said all trees that have been planted are indigenous in nature that can inhabit the environment without any human intervention.
Harawa expressed concern that lack of trees affects quantity and quality of water saying the trees planted swill ensure that water is available all the time to the public.
“This is the reason stakeholders are establishing Special Water Fund to ensure that there are resources for water sustainability by helping us come up with different interventions targeting concerned stakeholders such as the surrounding community,” she said.
BWB Director of Technical Services, Mavuto Chiipanthenga, commended Water for People and other partners saying such gesture has made Mudi catchment regain its lost glory.
Chiipanthenga said trees make water available all the time since they significantly increase water infiltration rate into soil and storage.
“When water is available the costs of treatment is always lower; that is why today we are saying our water production cost has slowly reduced. We ask other stakeholders to come and plant more trees,” he said.
Delegates to the exercise emphasized the need to monitor and caring for the trees planted.
Self Help Africa for durable WASH facilities
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, March 30, Mana: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Project Manager for Dowa Chifundo Mandala says WASH infrastructure must be resilient to natural disasters to ensure people still have access to portable water in case of emergencies.
He made the remarks Thursday during a district executive meeting when he presented the Self Help Africa WASH project progress report to the committee.
Mandala said one of the lessons learnt during project implementation was that when the district was hard hit by flash floods last year, there was loss of WASH infrastructure because some of the structures such as boreholes and the VIP latrines were not resilient enough.
“So, as an organisation, we found that there was a gap in terms of structural resilience. When we talk of resilience, we are talking of structures being able to withstand some harsh occurrences like flash floods which some of the structures failed to.
“For example, we had some boreholes which were submerged because of the floods, either because the location or the structure itself was not resilient enough to that natural disaster,” he said.
Mandala said loss of WASH infrastructure during floods also raises the risk of people contracting water borne diseases like Cholera due to loss of WASH facilities.
According to Mandala, it was also evident that some local structures managing WASH facilities were not aware of what to do in case of such emergencies.
“So, as an organisation, we put it as a recommendation that, together with the council, we can sit down and come up with more plans and designs which can be integrated in our construction works to make sure we are constructing durable WASH infrastructures resilient enough to natural disasters,” he said.
He said, this will ensure survivors have access to clean water during disasters and save finances to construct other new facilities.
Dowa District Water Officer, Cecilia Banda, concurred with Mandala saying the country is experiencing climate change whose impact are the high occurrences of floods and other disasters.
“It is, therefore, important to have durable structures which can reduce the loss of WASH facilities during these disasters,” she said.
Chakwera participates in the Way of the Cross in Lilongwe
By Elia Chibwe
Lilongwe, March 29, Mana: People from all corners of the country belonging to different Churches on Friday came together in participating the Way of the Cross as part of commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
President Dr Lazarus McCathy Chakwera joined the Christians in participating in the Way of the Cross procession from Capital Hotel round about through the Presidential Road Drive to Botanic Gardens in Lilongwe where the entire commemoration service took place.
The commemoration with the theme “Revive us again,” is observed during Easter celebrations, where Christians reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In his speech Chakwera urged all Malawians to make use of the sermon during the service on Good Friday, with the theme “Revive us again”, saying the advice given during the sermon will help in skill creativity and build a self-reliant Malawi.
Chakwera said there is need for citizens to dwell on the word of God, and consistently pray for the betterment of the country.
Chakwera also urged citizens to stand firm and have faith that God will provide ways to deal with challenges facing the country, including floods, diseases, and dry spells.
In his sermon, Apostle Stanly Ndovi thanked Chakwera for his humble spirit he expressed by participating and carrying a cross on the big walk to Botanical Garden.
“We cannot take it simple as we are celebrating the Way of the Cross to see that the president and the first lady joined us on the Way of the Cross, I know there is the purpose for the nation as Malawi is great Nation,” Ndovi said.
Chairperson of the Way of the Cross, Reverend Rangford Chokhotho applauded Chakwera for involving God in building the country’s development.
“President recognized that we can never build this nation without God’s involvement as Psalms 127:1 bible says unless the Lord build the house, the labour build in vain,” Chokhotho said.
The event was organized by Evangelical Association of Malawi and African Enterprise.
Government applauds Rotary Club International
By Martha Simchimba
Lilongwe, March 29, Mana: Government says it appreciates the role different stakeholders play in complementing its efforts in providing good health service delivery to people across the country.
Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud made the remarks on Wednesday at Chilimampunga ground in Traditional Authority Njewa in Lilongwe during the launch of Rotary Family Health days whose aim was to bring health care services closer to the community.
Daud said what Rotary Club International is doing by bringing health services closer to the community is what government is advocating for, and called on other players to emulate the gesture, stressing that government on its own cannot manage to offer all the services.
“As government, we are so happy with this initiative because many people will have an opportunity of being diagnosed different type ailments such as eyes, ears, dental, family planning, TB, HIV and AIDS,” she said
Daudi further said the rotary family health days will also assist the people who could not have access to health facilities which are very far from where they stay.
President of the Rotary Club International Dr. Gordon Mcinally said the family health care days help to minimize the time and costs people use when visiting health facilities.
"This is the beauty of rotary family health days which are mobile clinics, we are bringing health care services closer to the people so that they should not travel long distance to access health services,” he said.
Mcinally then assured the people that they will continue working hand in hand with government in order to improve health services in the country.
in a separate interview, one of the beneficiary residing in Mtandile township Elina Kamanga expresses gratitude and excitement to rotary family health days, saying she has been visiting the hospital to know whether she had Tuberculosis (TB) or not, but no to avail.
"I want to applaud this initiative, because today they have diagnosed me with TB, and I also went to test my eyes and they have given me eye glasses. I am encouraging those who feel they have got health problems to utilize this opportunity by getting free treatment," she said.
With funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) the Rotary Club International also conducted similar initiative last year to the tune of US$3.5 million at Mitundu Community Hospital in Lilongwe.
CISONECC challenges councils to incorporate Climate change in development plans
By Wellington Sibale
Neno, March 29, Mana: Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) has urged district councils to integrate Early Warning Systems (EWS) including loss and damage issues into the council’s District Development Plans (DDP).
The network’s National Coordinator, Jullius Ng’oma, made the call during a meeting with Neno district council officials in Blantyre.
Ng’oma said councils should incorporate the importance of including loss and damage at policy and strategy level considering various challenges coming due to climate change.
“We have increased in frequency and density of climate related hazards, risks and disaster over the past few years and these need to be feared if we are actually trying to plan for any other interventions at national level including at district council level,” Ng’oma said.
He added that there is need to have guiding laws for the implementation of the policy to materialise.
The National coordinator said the country’s economy is bleeding because the climate-related issues are affecting social economical system.
He therefore, said there is need to scale up financing towards loss and damage to manage issues related to climate change.
Neno District Council Director of Planning and Development, Charles Lomoni said the initiative is very crucial as the district has been experiencing issues of climate change, indicating that they are formulating their district development plan.
“CISONECC has invited us here and help us to plan as we are preparing our district development plan which we are in the process of formulating and we will include issues of climate change” Lomoni said.
In his remarks, Department of Disaster and Management Affairs (DoDMA) Recovery officer, Ollings Mghandira said all councils need to embrace climate change in their plans.
“This art of incorporating these issues of loss and damage where most of the communities are affected and lose a lot of properties, will help the district to plan better as to what they are supposed to do and even if the district is not exposed to these other hazards,” said Mghandira.
CISONECC and Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) with funding support from Christian Aid are implementing the Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Energy in Malawi (CCASE): Investments for prevention of Loss and Damage in Malawi Project in Neno.
The project aims at developing anticipatory, Absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities in Neno while financing risk reduction measures to prevent, minimise and address loss and damage ultimately strengthening national and local resilience to disaster risk and promoting sustainable development.
