Items filtered by date: May 2025

By Bazilio Chingoli

Ntcheu, March 24, Mana: Learners in Ntcheu district have been encouraged to have career models for them to achieve their goals.

Speaking during the career day event that took place at Sharpevale primary school ground in the district, Executive Director of Tivekeni Initiative, Elias Matope said it is important for the youths to have models in life for them to realize their dreams.

Matope emphasized the need to educate young people and encourage them to have dreams for their careers.

"We cannot talk of the country's vision 2063 without youths' education, hence it is important to bring models close and give them a good picture of what is needed for them to achieve their aspired career goals," he added.

Clara Nswana, a standard 7 learner at Sharpevale primary school whose aspiration is to be a nurse, commended Tivekeni Initiative for organizing the event saying it has helped her to get first-hand information for career model.

Tivekeni Initiative is a local organization that supports students with learning necessities including school bursaries in the district.

By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, March 24, Mana: Police in Chitipa District are keeping in custody a 60-year-old man, Clement Kayange, for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old Standard 7 girl in the district.

Chitipa Police Spokesperson, Sub-Inspector Gladwell Simwaka said the incident occurred on Saturday, at around 9:00 hours at Chisansu in the area of Senior Chief Mwenemisuku.

Simwaka said it is alleged that on this material day, Kayange coaxed the girl into her parents’ home when she was left alone by her parents to prepare food for the family.

“The suspect asked the girl to have sex with him because his wife is now old for him, and that he would give her K100,000 for the deal.

“Despite the girl's resistance, the accused forced himself into the innocent child and was caught red-handed by the girl's father,” Simwaka narrated.

Simwaka said that the suspect will appear in court soon to answer a charge of having sexual intercourse with a minor, which is contrary to section 138 of the penal code.

Kayange hails from Kaleghania village in the area of Senior Chief Mwenemisuku in Chitipa district.

By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, March 24, Mana: In an effort to combat illegal fuel vending in Chitipa District, Chitipa Police have confiscated 1,200 litres of petrol and arrested one suspect for being in possession of fuel in jerry cans without proper documents.

In an interview, Chitipa Police Spokesperson, Sub-Inspector Gladwell Simwaka, said the law enforcers have intensified operations in the district, resulting in the arrest of Watwivwa Kayola aged 41 while others are at large.

“Kayola was found with over 400 litres of Petrol in jerry cans without proper documents. We also confiscated over 600 litres of Petrol in jerry cans at the Ilomba (Mbilima) border, as the owner attempted to smuggle it out to Tanzania,” Simwaka explained.

He further said the suspects at Ilomba are at large adding they dumped their motorcycles after noticing police officers were after them.

“We are hunting for the Ilomba suspects,” he said.

Simwaka disclosed that Kayola will appear in court soon to answer charges of illegal possession of petroleum products.

He then warned individuals against engaging in illegal fuel vending, saying police will continue to intensify operations across the district.

Kayola hails from Ishalikira village in the area of Senior Chief Mwabulambya in Chitipa district.

By George Mponda

Karonga, March 24, Mana; Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works Baba Steven Malondera says government has set aside K5 billion to rehabilitate the Karonga-Chiweta M1 road.

Malondera announced the development during a meeting with traditional leaders and businesspeople in Karonga on Sunday.

"The money has already been transferred to the Roads Fund Administration and maintenance works will resume in two weeks, with four contractors already assigned to the project. The poor condition of the Karonga-Chiweta Road is disrupting businesses and contributing to fatal accidents, making its rehabilitation a priority," said Malondera.

"The Ministry has engaged the Malawi Roads Authority to speed up the project because we do not have time to waste. I urge Members of Parliament from Karonga and Rumphi and all residents to come together and support this initiative,” he added.

He further warned against selfish leadership, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in national development efforts.

Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga and Chitipa described the development as a crucial step towards economic growth and road safety.

“This development will boost the economy and reduce accidents. I urge citizens to support government efforts instead of criticising, as no administration can fulfil all promises in a short period,” Kyungu said.

Kyungu also advised political leaders to respect voters' choices during the upcoming elections.

By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, March 25, Mana: Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) on Tuesday donated four push bicycles and other items to Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) to address some of the challenges mother care groups in the district face.

The items include backpacks, stationary storage boxes, umbrellas, raincoats and t-shirts to be distributed to four other care groups in the district.

Speaking after the donation, MHEN Executive Director George Jobe said the donation was part of the project they are implementing in four districts and a response to some concerns other care groups raised, which included limited mobility.

“The mother care groups need items like bicycles and others. We brought bicycles to help them to go to hard-to-reach areas, raincoats to be used in rainy season, stationary boxes to keep their documents and t-shirts for their visibility and identification,” he said.

Director of Health and Social Services at Blantyre District Council, Dr Gift Kawalazira, expressed gratitude, saying this donation will help the community volunteers in child immunisation programme.

“MHEN is working in the district in collaboration with DHO basically to complement community participation as well as building the capacity of women care groups. The donation will help us to campaign and champion vaccination of the under-five.

“Involvement of mother care groups is giving positive results, as we have managed to vaccinate over 90% of the children. The district was awarded with a trophy for being one of the districts that have done well in under-five vaccines,” he added.

MHEN, in partnership with PATH - with financial support from Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) through the Ministry of Health - is implementing a project that helps to identify zero dose children on top of strengthening routine child vaccination in four districts, namely Blantyre, Mzimba North, Dowa and Mchinji.

By Yamikani Sabola

Mzuzu, March 23, Mana: Youth Officer responsible for Mzuzu City and Mzimba North, Misheck Msokwa has applauded Pakaya Initiative for empowering youthful women with digital skills.

Msokwa was speaking on Saturday during graduation ceremony for 13 youthful women who had undergone training in digital skills at Pakaya Initiative.

He said it is necessary to capacitate youths with digital skills so that they become relevant in the fast paced digital era.

“It is the goal of government to see youths realise some financial benefits from the internet world where at the end, our youths will be digital marketers among many other employment opportunities that are being realised from the internet world,” Msokwa said.

Director for Pakaya Initiative, Frank Banda said they are targeting women because they are a group of people that usually lag behind in terms of digital skills.

He said more women are expected to benefit from the digital skills training program with no entry qualification required.

“The goal is to bring technology to women regardless of their socio-economic status. We want to ensure that more women are empowered with digital skills which they can also use to grow their businesses,” he said.

One of the graduating students, Martha Chisi through the training she had acquired computer skills in programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.

Chiradzulu, March 23, Mana: Chiradzulu District Council has called on people to plant trees as part of increasing vegetative cover that in turn would mitigate impact of natural disasters.

Council Chairperson, Patrick Chintengo made the call over the weekend as the council launched 2024/2025 tree planting season at Chingoma Primary School, Traditional Authority Mpunga under the theme: Restore forests and land to secure food production.

He stated that many people in the district destroyed forests and were struggling with effects of extreme weather conditions, such as unpredictable rainfall and destructive cyclones.

“Recently, we were hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy which took away lives and damaged crops and property. Each year, many farming households fail to harvest enough crops to sustain themselves because of environmental degradation due to careless cutting down of trees.

“This is why we are urging communities to plant and care for trees to restore our forests, enjoy clean air and protect the environment,” Chintengo added.

He therefore thanked NBS Bank for providing the 210 seedlings which were planted at the school and for bailing out communities during the Tropical Cyclone Freddy devastation, saying the bank proven to be a trusted allay during time of need.

On his part, NBS Cluster Manager for Southern and Eastern Regions, Gracious Changaya, said the bank  decided to support the tree planting exercise as part of its cooperate social responsibility.

“Our partnership with the council dates back to many years. We were here with support during the time of Cyclone Freddy and now when the council needed us to help with the tree planting exercise, we did not hesitate.

“This is because we believe that for us to do better as a bank, it is because of the people and the partners we work with," said Changaya, and pledged to inject another K1 million into the tree planting exercise.

Traditional Authority Mpunga commended the council and NBS for organising the exercise in her area, and assured the council and the bank that she will work with fellow local leaders to ensure that the trees seedlings are cared for.

Chiradzulu District Council, Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dennis Zingeni indicated that the council plans to plant 60,000 trees in the 2024/2025 forestry season.

He however lamented that only 40 percent of planted trees planted in district survive

By Gift Chiponde

Lilongwe, March 22, Mana: Minister of Local Government, Richard Chimwendo Banda, has assured the people of Chiwamba that President Lazarus Chakwera remains committed to transforming their area through various development projects.

Speaking at a developmental rally held at Balang'ombe Ground in LIlongwe North East, Chimwendo highlighted the numerous initiatives that the government has already implemented such as schools, road construction among others, emphasising that more progress is on the way.

He announced that people in Chiwamba would be able to buy maize from the Agriculture Development Market Cooperation (ADMARC) depot in the area, ensuring food security and reducing reliance on vendors.

 He also urged residents to allow those in genuine need to access maize and not to entertain unscrupulous traders.

Furthermore, Chimwendo commended President Chakwera for his unwavering dedication to protecting people with albinism, saying that his administration is committed to ensuring their safety and well-being.

In his remarks, Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North East, Winstone Kaimapanjira, expressed gratitude for the government’s continuous efforts in spearheading various development projects in the district.

He lauded President Chakwera’s resilience and leadership, which he said has brought positive changes to Chiwamba.

Kaimapanjira also hailed government for facilitating the Affordable Input Programme, which has significantly benefited local farmers.

Speaking Earlier, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Regional Chairman, Zebron Chilondola, urged people to rally behind President Chakwera and his administration, assuring them that more transformations are coming not just to Chiwamba but to the entire nation.

Before proceeding to the rally, Chimwendo inspected the site designated for police officers' housing at Chata Headquarters. His visit aimed to appreciate the government's progress in constructing these houses.

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By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, March 22, Mana: Members of the Gender Technical Working Group (GTWG) under Dedza District Council on Friday commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) with patients in antenatal, female and children’s wards at Dedza district hospital with a call to think outside the box when commemorating the day.

Dedza District Council, Gender and Development Officer (GDO), Lisnet Kathyole, said their visit to the facility followed a series of previous convergence in commemorating the day in which women from various backgrounds participated.

“This left behind women such as these who can’t take part due to their vulnerability. Hence, our decision this time around to come here so we can celebrate together the day,” said Kathyole.

The council’s GDO further said their visit to the facility, gave them another direction to consider when commemorating the day describing it as a learning point.

“Moving forward we will plan our activities in a way that there are people out there who need our interventions but they can’t due to their conditions.

“As we talk of IWD, let us also talk of women which is another area that we can plan for our future interventions,” she emphasized.

One of the women in the antenatal ward, Loveness Fideli, from Chilindaukwe village in Traditional Authority Kasumbu, expressed gratitude to the GTWG members for the assistance saying it will cover some gaps.

“We are eating once a day here and most of us do not have food of our own. This is a bailout to us,” she said.

On her part, Veronica Kamwendo, Senior Nursing Officer who is also Dedza district hospital Matron thanked the members for the donation saying it will help improve the lives of patients at the facility.

Kamwendo said some patients are unable to afford some basic necessities and that the donated ones would help them cover the gaps.

“Patients here lack a lot of things and it is our plea to other well-wishers to come forward and help us,” she stated.

Over 110 patients in all three wards were reached with each one of them getting a pack containing items like sugar, salt, flour, soya pieces and soap which were purchased to the tune of around K1.2 million.

The event in Dedza was made possible with support from the Gender Office, the Gender Justice Unit (GJU), the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and Self Help Africa (SHA).

 The global day celebrates women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.

It also recognises achievements and calls for action to accelerate progress towards gender parity.

By Robert Nayeja

Nsanje, March 22, Mana: Oxfam Country Director, Lingalireni Mihowa has called on authorities in Nsanje to move out from humanitarian assistance approach to implementing long term measures that should build resilience for people in Nsanje.

Mihowa made the appeal in the week at Mbwazi ADMARC in Senior Chief Mlolo’s area where Oxfam disbursed cash to 1,800 households that were affected by drought.

She said all stakeholders should to come together for resilience building mechanism to bail out people from climate shocks.

“Nsanje is the most vulnerable district and affected by either floods or drought including cyclones. Humanitarian response is costly,

“What we need to do, is to come together with long term solutions so that people can be resilient in various climate shocks, Time has come to invest in irrigation farming and support climate resilience programmes,

“There are multiple dimensions of the district challenges and people in Nsanje need to be supported. We have come here to donate cash to those affected by drought and each household will go away with K140,000 to buy food," she said and urged the recipients to use the cash for intended purposes.

District Commissioner for Nsanje, Dominic Mwandira said over 53,000 households are in need of relief food in the district.

He therefore hailed Oxfam for the support, adding this was complementing government effort in responding to effects of climate change.

Mwandira warned chiefs not to take away the cash from recipients, saying whoever will be found doing so will face the law.

The District Commissioner said government and development partners supports over 7,000 people in Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) and over 21,000 in Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) in Nsanje.

He said the social protection programmes aim at building resilience to various shocks people encounter in their day to day lives.

One of the beneficiaries Maria Kamota from Group Village head Chataika, Traditional Authority Mlolo said the cash from Oxfam will help her to buy food for her family.

“I lost my husband last year and he left me whilst pregnant. I have two other children. It has really been tough for me to feed the children. I thank Oxfam for bailing me out of difficulties,” she added.

Oxfam disbursed the cash following financial support from Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF)