MANAonline
Maching NGO donates to female learners in Machinga
By Alice Ndunya
Machinga, May 08, Mana: Centre for Community Change and Youth Development (CECOYOD) on Wednesday donated pens and exercise books to 38 learners at Mtubwi Primary School in Machinga as one way of promoting quality education among needy school girls.
Chief Executive Officer for CECOYOD, James Chilongo, said the organization is commitment to grooming brighter leaders, adding that the donation targets needy girls as a way of encouraging them to work hard and excel in class.
“As CECOYOD, we noted that in most circumstances, girls face a number of obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goal.
“This donation is one among many other initiatives that include; providing school fees, uniform and pocket money, to students just to make sure they have all the necessities that should encourage them to perform well and succeed in their education,” he said.
One of the girls, a Standard 6 learner, Bertha Chibwana, hailed CECOYOD for the support and she pledged to work hard in class to prepare for her future.
“I am delighted to be among those that have received pens and exercise books. I really appreciate the gesture and I will work hard to achieve my goal,” added Bertha, whose ambition is to become a nurse.
Mtubwi School, Head teacher, Margret Mazengera, urged girls that dropped outs of school for various reasons to return to school.
“Educating a girl child is equal to educating a whole nation. I therefore appeal to young mothers to returning to school so that they can do better in life," added Mazengera as she received CECOYOD donation, which was worthy K430, 000.
One of Directors of the organization, Samson Funny, encouraged girls to work hard and continue with their education up to tertiary level.
He has since asked partners to assist CECOYOD with financial resources to ensure wider outreach in assisting needy girls to achieve their goals.
CECOYOD was established in 2020 to, among other areas; provide support to female learners in both primary and secondary schools in Machinga District.
Malawi delegation leading team at 2025 eLearning Africa Summit
By Paul Madise
Lilongwe, 7th May, Mana: Malawian delegation attending the 2025 e-Learning Africa Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has been selected as the leading team, with Minister of Higher Education Dr. Jessie Kabwira, and Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu at the helm of the team.
The Summit, which runs from 7th to 9th May, 2025, is being held at Julius Nyerere International Convention Center, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzani, and the two cabinet ministers are accompanied by senior officials from the two ministries.
A statement released by the Ministry of Higher Education Wednesday described the opportunity to host dedicated tables at the summit as a significant honour “reserved for selected delegations recognized by the organizer’s”.
The statement further said the gesture symbolizes Malawi’s influence and capability at fostering meaningful engagement in digital education and the development of the skills for the future.
Renowned education rights activist and Civil Society for Education Coalition (CSEC), Benedicto Kondowe, has since described the two-day summit as significant opportunity for Malawi to learn from cross boarder universities that offers best education practices.
Kondowe added that the Summit is an opportunity for Malawi to adopt an improved eLearning service delivery for Malawi`s higher learning institutions to significantly contribute towards Malawi 2063 Agenda.
“Human capital development relies on physical presence of students in various institutions of higher learning; our view is that eLearning is central for the purposes of expanding access to education, considering that physical spaces are limited,” he said.
The two-day e-Learning Africa Summit offers the continent's leading platform for exploring the intersection of technology, education and development hence Malawi's engagement during the Summit positions the country as a key player in shaping the future of digital learning across Africa.
Mother Care Group commended for vaccine coverage
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, May 7, Mana: Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director, George Jobe has expressed satisfaction with improvement registered in under-five vaccine and immunization coverage from 40 percent to 95 percent at Kajombo Village, Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre.
Jobe observed the success during monitoring of Ntonda Clinic in Blantyre on Tuesday, and he said commended the area’s Mother Care Group (MCG), Mabala, for its contribution to child vaccination and immunization.
He said the monitoring tour was aimed at identifying problems, success and challenges that Mabala MCG faces in the under-five vaccine and immunization process.
The MHEN Executive Director observed collaboration between Mabala MCG and Health Surveillance Assistants has proven to be instrumental in mobilizing communities to appreciate child vaccination and immunization, adding that community mobilization has in turn resulted in high child vaccine coverage.
“Mother Care Groups and Health Surveillance Assistant (HSAs) play a crucial role in dispelling myths and misconceptions about vaccine,” he said, and continued: “MCG also plays advocacy role in providing accurate information that brings a sense of trust in immunization, which leads to increased child vaccine coverage.”
He urged men to embrace child vaccine, describing men’s involvement as significant in improving child vaccine coverage and overall child health.
Senior HSA for Mtonda Clinic, Getrude Kamanula, said community members had no interest in under five vaccines due to cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge and myths and misconception until the Mabala MCG and HSAs jointly carried out awareness campaigns, which brought about the positive change.
She noted that MCGs and HSAs have been instrumental in addressing community misconceptions about child vaccination, thereby improving vaccine uptake among under-fives.
MHEN is an independent alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to improve distribution, quality, and access to health services throughout the country, promoting equity and quality in health for all people in Malawi._
Human rights crucial in public service programming
By Tamala Kamanga
Dowa, May 7, Mana: Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says public service has to mainstream and align issues of human rights as they execute their work, saying this can help achieve effective service delivery.
MHRC Deputy Director of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Lucius Pendame was speaking Tuesday after conducting a training on Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) training for Dowa district council officials.
The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of council officials in mainstreaming HRBA in the planning and implementation of public services at the district level, especially as the country works on achieving the Malawi 2063 agenda.
"Development, effective service delivery, and even Malawi 2063 plan cannot be achieved if duty bearers are not holding on to human rights principles.
"So this training is meant to ensure that as we move towards implementing development and the country’s 2063 ambitious plan, duty bearers must embrace the principles of human rights as they work.
"This will not only ensure the promotion of people's trust in daily public services and upholding of human rights but also promote people's participation in Malawi's 2063 agenda. So this training was very important," said Pendame.
The workshop also provided a platform for engagement, knowledge-sharing, and discussions on best practices, ensuring that human rights principles are effectively integrated into public service frameworks.
Sectors involved in the training included planning and development, gender, information, social welfare, community development, police, health and administration.
In his remarks, Director of Finance for Dowa, Martin M'baya said the training will help the council to improve its implementation and incorporation of human rights issues.
"As a council, we have many plans and activities to implement regarding the promotion of Malawi 2063 plans. So this training has equipped us with skills of incorporating human rights issues in our service delivery programming," he said.
PGP move to raise K10 million through fundraising
By Rennie Tembo
Lilongwe, May 7, Mana; Pretty Girls Pray (PGP), a grouping of girls and women aimed to empower and uplift women through prayer and providing a supportive environment for spiritual growth and development, has organized a Tea Party with an aim of having a permanent place of worship.
PGP Administrator, Tiyamike Betha told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Wednesday that the event which will take place on 10th May 2025 at the Botanical Gardens in Lilongwe, is aimed at raising K10 million for the ministry to have its own buildings.
“For the past three years, PGP has been operating in a rented place, and we believe it is high time we have a place to call our own, where we can gather to pray and serve together effectively.
“We are optimistic that through this event, our dream of owning a plot will finally be achieved,’’ she said.
Betha then further said that the ministry is counting on the generosity of well-wishers, partners and friends to help reach the planned amount of K10 million.
“We are relying on well-wishers and friends to assist us in raising this amount. Any contribution, big or small, will be of much help to us and we shall be grateful to our members who have already started making their donations through buying tickets,” she said.
Founder of Mai Mbambande Foundation, Deborah Mbale, an invited guest to the function, thanked PGP for the initiative saying she is looking forward to seeing God’s glory descending on that day.
“As it is written in the Bible that ‘With God all things are possible’, so shall it be on that day,” she said.
The fundraising Tea party will start from 2 pm to 5 pm with a lineup of exciting activities such as raffle draws, games and live music performances.
PGP ministry was launched in the year 2020 and has branches in Mzuzu, Blantyre, Salima and Lilongwe as its headquarters, with over 2,300 members.
Government urges CSOs to spearhead alleviation of malnutrition
By Mary Makhiringa
BALAKA, May 7, MANA: Government has urged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Balaka to work collectively in spearheading the alleviation of malnutrition among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children under five children and adolescent girls.
Principal Nutrition HIV/AIDS Officer (PNHAO) from the Department of Nutrition in the Ministry of Health, Clara Mvula, made the call Tuesday in Balaka when ‘We Effect’ in partnership with Self Help Africa (SHA) presented the Nourishing Futures: Empowering Malawi's CSOs for Sustainable Nutrition project to the District Executive Committee (DEC)
According to Mvula, women and children under five from rural communities are more vulnerable to issues of malnutrition because they have limited access to fortified nutritious food, which contains iodine, zinc and vitamin A, among others.
"Malawi is still among the developing countries in Africa whose households are grappling with issues of access to a balanced diet, particularly for pregnant and lactating women and underage children.
“Recent studies have shown that out of general population in Malawi, 36 percent of under five children are retarded, 12.5 are under weight and 15.6 percent of adolescent girls are malnourished," she said.
"Hence, we are calling for CSOs in Balaka to jointly complement the government's effort by partnering with sectors like Health, Agriculture, Education and Trade to build strong awareness and capacity among the community members on issues of nutrition," added Mvula.
Balaka District CSOs Chairperson, Helix Chimutu hailed the project saying it will act as a game changer for other nutrition-related interventions such as school feeding programmes which are already on the ground.
He assured the communities that CSO network will work collectively with all relevant authorities, including the media, to successfully disseminate the messages that highlight benefits of consuming a balanced diet and how households would access it using local resources.
The project will be implemented through joint effort from ‘We Effect’, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), Catholic Development Commission of Malawi (CADECOM) among others with funding from European Union (EU) and it will targets over 9,000 beneficiaries from Traditional Authority Amidu and Sub TA Matola starting from March 2025 to August 2029.
NGO to equip over 12,000 beneficiaries with vocational skills in Balaka
By Andrew Phiri
Balaka, May 7, Mana: Foundation for Civic Education and Social Empowerment (FOCESE) has committed to equip with vocational skills to over 12,000 female-headed households, mothers of under-five children, survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and adolescent girls in Balaka District.
The Organization’s Project Coordinator, Mercy Chakoma made the pledge Tuesday when presenting the Institution Strengthening project to Balaka District Executive Committee (DEC) with the goal of restoring and empowering the underprivileged groups with entrepreneurial skills in order to uplift their lives.
"The major challenge with female-headed households, mothers of under five children, survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and adolescent girls in our communities is a shortage of financial capacity; hence some people, especially men, who are doing well financially take advantage and harass them in various ways," she said.
According to Chakoma, FOCESE will partner with Technical Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) to take on board the targeted beneficiaries from the three Group Village Heads (GVHs) under Traditional Authority (T/A) Chamthunya with various life empowering programmes such as tailoring for income generation, homestead farming for nutrition knowledge among others.
She therefore called for a joint effort from all relevant authorities including district council officers, parents, police, chiefs and faith leaders, to work together to protect and uplift the lives of targeted people.
Balaka District Council Gender Development Officer, Scholastica Shaba has commended the initiative considering that many girls and women in Balaka are being victimised resulting from financial challenges.
FOCESE will be implementing the Institution Strengthening Project for one year, 2025, with a tune of K142 million from IM Swedish Southern Africa Development Partners, with the ultimate goals of improving financial and nutrition capacity among the communities in Balaka.
WaterAid commemorates World Hand Hygiene Day
By Ernest Mfunya
Mangochi, May 7, Mana. WaterAid Malawi on Tuesday commemorated World Hand Hygiene Day in Mangochi, to educate communities on the importance of handwashing with soap in preventing diseases related to poor hygiene.
Speaking during the event at Nangalamu Health Centre ground, Senior Medical Officer for Mangochi District Hospital, Dr Salimu Kaunda, said that the day encourages practices like hand washing with soap, thereby reducing infection, promoting public health and global action toward improved health outcomes.
"Hand hygiene is a crucial component of our health systems. Most illnesses we see in health facilities are due to infections that can be prevented through simple hygiene practices like handwashing with clean water and soap," said Kaunda.
He noted that for the past years, Mangochi has grappled with various diseases such as cholera outbreaks, diarrhoea and others that come due to poor hygiene and drinking unsafe water.
WaterAid Malawi hygiene specialist, Maria Soko, noted that Malawi has been severely affected by cholera and other diseases linked to poor hygiene.
"We wanted people to understand the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention of diseases related to poor hygiene. We might use other measures like gloves, but hand hygiene surpasses everything," said Soko.
She added that the organization was building sanitation facilities such as toilets and bathrooms in hospitals and providing communities with clean and safe water to promote public health and prevent diseases.
Patuma Mamu, a resident of Group Village Headman Chikamba in the district said that through the interventions, she has learnt how she can protect her family from diseases linked to poor hygiene by using safe and clean water, washing hands with soap after using the toilet, before preparing food and other practices.
During the commemoration, WaterAid handed over sanitation facilities such as buckets and sanitisers to four health facilities, including Nangalamu.
Being observed under the theme "it might be gloves. It's always hand washing" this year, World Hand Hygiene Day is commemorated each year on 5 May to maintain a global profile on the importance of hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement globally.
Mission Rabies in Blantyre for dog vaccination
By Memory Khutuliwa
Blantyre, May 7, Mana; Vet Surgeon at Paws and Claws Veterinary Clinic, Owen Chausa says vaccination of dogs was the only way to prevent transmission of diseases to promote animal well-being and urged pet owners to follow recommended vaccination schedules to keep their pets free from diseases.
Chausa made the remarks on Tuesday as dog vaccination campaign by Mission Rabies Malawi continues in Blantyre.
He said that vaccination in pets supports public health, preventing transmission of diseases, promoting herd immunity, reducing animal suffering, thereby improving animal welfare, adding that the vaccination mitigates the spread of zoonotic diseases such as rabies.
“The vaccination is crucial as it protects pets from life-threatening diseases in dogs such as hepatitis, parvovirus, kennel cough, canine distemper, parainfluenza and leptospirosis. Cats suffer from life-threatening diseases such as feline rhinotracheitis,” he added.
The Vet Surgeon therefore urged pet owners to they should follow recommended vaccination schedules and to always keep their pets vaccination records, saying accurate records determine accurate times for boosters to understand core and non-core vaccines.
Mission Rabies Malawi, Country Director, Dr.Inga McDermott, described the vaccination programme as an important step towards protecting city residents and their pets from rabies, expressing optimism that the exercise will significantly stop spread of rabies in Malawi.
“We have a target, we want our post-vaccination surveys to show that we have reached at least 70% of dog population in Blantyre, and this is a crucial percent to keep the community safe”
Blantyre City 2025 vaccination campaign is meant to vaccinate over 20,000 dogs within 10 days.
Old Mutual hands over classroom block to Rumphi District Council
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, May 7, Mana: Old Mutual handed over a K115 million classroom block at Katete Primary School in Senior Chief Mwahenga in Rumphi on Tuesday which school authorities said will improve the learning environment.
In an interview, Director of Education and Sports for Rumphi, Fides Msowoya, said the structure will improve learning at the school.
"Learners will now be learning efficiently and comfortably, as they have also been promised desks. Our teachers, as well will have a conducive environment for preparing their lessons with the new office that has been attached to the block and we expect the children to perform well," said Msowoya.
She further said the council would also continue to engage other partners to support other needs at the school, including housing for teachers.
She also said her office would engage relevant committees at the council to consider upgrading the school from a junior primary to a full primary school.
Chairperson for Old Mutual Foundation, Tawonga Manda, said they have built the block to bail out young learners who were walking long distances to school to access education.
Member of parliament for the area, Jappie Mhango, said the classroom block would attract more learners to school.
He also called on partners, including Old Mutual and CARE Malawi who collaborated on the project, to continue supporting them as the Government's resources are not adequate to resolve all challenges.
He further urged Government and development partners to make rural schools attractive for teachers by constructing decent houses for them in order to facilitate quality learning.
