By Sarah Phiri

Mzimba, April 15, Mana: Nutritionist for Mzimba District Health Office (DHO), Elizabeth Mkandawire has advised members of the District Nutrition Coordinating Committee (DNCC) in Mzimba to consider propagating messages of the importance of complementary feeding to Under Five children to avoid malnutrition in children.

Mkandawire made the plea in Mzimba on Tuesday during a two days’ orientation on Complementary Feeding Modules to DNCC organized by Feed the Children under Child Focused Community Development Program.

She emphasized the need for parents and caregivers to give nutritious complementary food in addition to breast milk as this prevents malnutrition in the babies.

“There are so many detrimental effects that come as a result of malnutrition such as stunted growth, weakened immune system and developmental delays. At the age of 6-23 months such effects can be easily avoided if the proper nutritious meals are given to the babies,” she said.

She stressed the need for parents to adopt ways of feeding babies’ food that can be mashed such as meat, fish, and vegetables.

“In communities, parents give babies under two years starch with broth only while grown-ups eat the relish. Some nutrients do not dissolve with water so the broth does not give the required nutrients found in the relish. Therefore, we are asking them to be mashing the relish so that the baby can start benefiting from the nutrients,” said Mkandawire.

Mkandawire also thanked Feed the Children for the initiative that once adopted it will help in cost avoidance to the hospitals.

“Treating malnutrition related effects is very expensive, as DHO we appreciate Feed the Children and other partners that are assisting government to ensure that the district should be malnutrition free as this saves money and resources that can be channelled to other things at our facilities,” she said.

Acting Principal HIV/Aids and Nutrition Officer for Mmbelwa District Council, Gift Simkonda hailed the training saying it came at the right time as the district strives to scale up effort to eliminate stunted growth, wasting and underweight in Children.

“Stunted growth in children stands at 36.9 in Mzimba, wasting is at 3.6 while underweight is at 6.9. So as players in nutrition we should work harder to ensure we completely do away with these for the healthy if our children in communities”, said Simkonda.

He appealed to all organisations working in nutrition to scale up interventions aimed at reversing stunted growth by engaging communities on the importance of normal breastfeeding and complementary feeding which he said are crucial for the growth of children.

Child Focused Community Development Program funded by Feed The Children is targeting 5000 households in Traditional Authority Mzikubola in Mzimba district.

By Damiano Thengo

Nkhotakota, April 15, Mana: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has intensified the use of media theatre for change (Tfac) to reach out to vulnerable marginalized groups of women and girls with Obstetric fistula condition messages in order to improve their welfare in Nkhotakota.

Speaking during an engagement meeting with Vinthenga Community Radio Listening Club at Senior Group Village Headman Vinthenga in the area of Traditional Authority Malengachanzi in the district on Tuesday, UNFPA representative, Nelida Rodrigues, said the meeting was aimed at appreciating the way radio listening clubs are performing when it comes to disseminating Obstetric fistula condition messages.

Rodrigues encouraged radio listening club members and local leaders to work hand in hand to spread Obstetric Fistula messages and report suspected cases of the condition to the appropriate officials and authorities.

"I am impressed with how things are going on, and I hope this kind of addressing issues can help to change Malawi and improve the health of many.  I paid attention to the radio programme in which you were actively engaged, and it is really impressive, please! Let's continue to spread the message of Obstetric Fistula in our village and outside," said Rodrigues.

Nkhotakota District Health Promotion Officer, Garry Chilinga, asked Radio Listening Club members to continue preaching Fistula messages in various events happening in their locality.

He said once the construction of the fistula ward is completed at Nkhotakota District Hospital, they expect to receive more suspected women suffering from the disease.

Patricia Chitambaya, one of the members of the Vinthenga Community Radio Listening Club, commended UNFPA for considering the Tfac tool in conveying Fistula messages, saying that through radio drama and phone call programmes, people can learn effective strategies for handling women suspected to be suffering from the condition.

"Through radio programmes like drama and phone calls, we learnt and received messages concerning fistula, and we have also learnt that fistula cannot be cured by a traditional doctor, but it can be treated at the hospital,” she said.

Freedom from fistula, in collaboration with UNFPA, is implementing a three-year project called Bridging Hope: Empowering women with Obstetric fistula to ensure access to quality Obstetric fistula care and social reintegration in Nkhotakota district.

By Augustus Nkhwazi

Mzuzu, April 15, Mana: The Economic Planning and Development (EP&D) under Ministry of Finance (MoF) says it looks forward to creating a conducive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) environment for evidence based programming and policy decisions in the public sector.

Principal Economist at EP&D, Joseph Maliki made the remarks during a National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy (NMEP) dissemination meeting at Mzuzu City Chambers on Tuesday.

Maliki said the NMEP will bring about public trust and good governance in the public sector.

He noted that before the policy, a lot of uncoordinated system approaches existed among departments and created gaps which he said the policy seeks to bridge.

“Institutions were operating monitoring activities without guidelines and that created inconsistencies,” he said.

He added that the EP&D is scaling up efforts to have the M&E systems institutionalized in order to achieve improved public sector service delivery, accountability, and good governance.

Maliki told the meeting that previously Malawi did not have the policy hence developing it is critical to providing the necessary framework.

Speaking earlier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)for Mzuzu City Council (MCC) Gomezgani Nyasulu applauded the Ministry of Finance for the policy saying it is vital for ensuring vibrant monitoring systems even for Mzuzu City.

He said national policies are important as they provide sanctions for monitoring systems.

“I like the sanctions included in the M&E which empowers my office to closely follow and assess contributions and respond to needs of the community,” he said.

He added that previously it was challenging to discipline project implementors over under-performance as there were no guidelines to base the discipline upon.

The CEO called upon council officials to make use of the policy for them to move forward with it’s development objectives.

He assured them that the delegation from EP&D that MCC will do it’s best to ensure consolidation of efforts by various  stakeholders such as the faith community, the private sector and Non- Governmental Organizations, among others.

The policy, developed in 2024, will run up to 2027.

It seeks to enable ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to continuously generate quality data to measure the level of achievement of development policies and programmes.

By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, April 15, Mana: Farmers and agriculture staff at Kameme Extension Planning Area (EPA) are excited after Chitipa District Council constructed an office under World Bank Funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project.

One community member, Doreen Mvula from Kameme 1 Village in the area of Senior Chief Kameme, said due to inadequate space at the old EPA office, they were conducting meetings under a tree, which she said was a challenge during the rainy season.

Mvula said the newly constructed K93 million office would help ease space challenges during meetings.

“We may just conclude that we did not have an EPA office because the one we had been using was in a dilapidated state and very small,” he said.

Concurring with Mvula, Charles Simkonda from Nang’ambi 2 Village in the area of Senior Chief Kameme, thanked the government for constructing the office saying it will go a long way in improving service delivery as the council will be compelled to send additional extension workers at the office.

“Our extension workers will also feel motivated to work in the district because of the conducive work place,” he said.

Agriculture Extension Development Coordinator (AEDC) for Kameme, Malizgani Lucky Chiselu, thanked the council for the construction of the EPA office, which he said will ease shortage of space for workers and even farmers.

“The new EPA building has four office rooms, two halls and will sometimes be used as stores for farm inputs and other things for our farmers. We have enough space that we will now work in a conducive environment,” Chiselu said.

He said the office has also a resource center where farmers will learn and broaden their knowledge on modern farming techniques on the internet.

Director of Planning and Development (DPD) for Chitipa District Council, Smith Mnenula, thanked government for decentralization, which he said has capacitated district councils and personnel with skills and knowledge.

“This EPA office was requested by the people of Kameme. We are glad that the project came from the community’s village action plans. We are excited that communities own the project,” he said.

By Mirriam Bwanali

Blantyre, April 16, Mana: To address the increasing number of street-connected children, the Blantyre City Council (BCC) and the Concerned Youth Organization (CYO) held a stakeholders’ engagement on Tuesday to discuss potential initiatives.

Speaking during the event, Vice Board Chairperson for CYO, Dr. Estiner Katengeza said the project aims to come up with interventions to address the plight of street connected children and build a responsive, inclusive and child friendly city.

“We are in the process of developing strategies that will work in addressing the issues surrounding the presence of street children," she said.

Mayor for BCC, Joseph Makwinja said some people fail to visit Blantyre City because of street connected children.

"Everywhere in Blantyre City you will find street connected children. Some sleep under the bridges due to lack of shelter and struggle every day to survive. It is our duty as leaders to help those children fulfil their dreams," he said.

Makwinja said not all street connected children are criminals as some come in the streets just to find basic needs.

A former street connected child, Innocent Tengeza, who is also the Director of Hope for Children Trust said in order to end the presence of street connected children, BCC needs to find people who have a good relationship with the children so that they can guide them and change their mentality.

"Giving money to street connected children is what encourages them to continue living in the streets.

“Instead of giving them money, we can just provide them with what they are lacking and you will see that their numbers will reduce,” Tengeza said.

The meeting was attended by councilors, lecturers, Non-governmental Organizations, street connected children, police and representatives from various commercial banks.

By Gift Chiponde

Lilongwe, April 16, Mana: A heated land dispute has erupted in Lilongwe's Area 44 under Traditional Authority Tsabango, where community members are strongly opposing the decision by the Lilongwe City Assembly to review the boundaries on land belonging to Msambeta Primary School.

The controversy centres on a piece of land that, according to the title deed seen by Malawi News Agency (MANA), belongs to Msambeta Primary School but Zion Christian Church and other individuals encroached the land and they are also developing on it.

It is revealed that Zion Christian Church was already allocated land in Area 17 in order to stop encroachment but they are still clinging to the land having also taken the land in Area 17.

Chiefs and residents have argued that the land was legally and rightfully designated for educational use to meet the growing demand for school infrastructure in the area and the land was previously used as market.

Speaking to MANA, block leader Gomani confirmed that the land in question was reallocated to the school after a thorough assessment of the community’s needs.

 “The area was previously used as a market, but considering the pressing demand for education facilities in the area, we made the decision as chiefs in this area to allocate for the construction of Msambeta Primary School in 2007,” he said.

He further noted that the relocation of the market was done in the interest of development and that it was a community-driven initiative aimed at prioritising education for future generations.

Echoing the chief’s sentiments, the area’s councilor, Ben Chafungatila, said that the community followed all the necessary procedures including land registration, and now possess a valid title deed for the land in question.

“We have evidence of proper registration and documentation, the land belongs to the school and its purpose was clearly laid out from the beginning. This decision did not happen overnight—it was the result of a participatory process involving local leaders and the Ministry of Lands,” he said.

The School Management Committee chairperson Patson Kamphero further clarified the history of the land, stating that although it is not linked to the church, the land served as the market in the past.

 “People who were trading at the market were relocated, but they were not compensated because they welcomed the development; the land now legally and morally belongs to Msambeta Primary School,” he said.

Concerns have also emerged over the church’s claim to the land. When approached for comment, one of the church’s trustees noted that, in accordance with Zion Christian Church policy, only their spokesperson in South Africa is authorized to speak on behalf of the church.

Adding to the tension, Msambeta Primary School’s headteacher Shadreck Nandolo has raised alarm over ongoing encroachments that are severely hindering the school's operations and expansion plans.

“Despite the school having the land, people are cultivating crops on it without our consent. This is not only a violation of the school’s rights but also a major setback to our development goals,” the headteacher stated.

He added that plans to construct additional classroom blocks and recreational facilities have been delayed due to the uncertainty surrounding land ownership and encroachment by community members and, now, the church.

Community members are urging the Lilongwe City Assembly to intervene and resolve the issue swiftly and justly. They say the review of the boundaries of school land undermines efforts to improve educational infrastructure and deprives children of their right to learn in a conducive environment.

Currently, Gift Nankhuni, a prominent lawyer, has said that he will provide "pro bono" services to people of Msambeta in order to safeguard the land belonging to Msambeta Primary School.