Speaking during a media briefing in Lilongwe on Monday, CfSC Executive Director Father Dr. James Ngahy said they want forthcoming the budget to be true and realistic for the citizens of Malawi, most of whom are living in absolute poverty.
He said it is their deeply felt desire to have a budget that can raise the standard of living of the citizens of Malawi.
“it is our hope that this budget will address the social and economic challenges we are facing such as high cost of living, food insecurity, limited access to essential services, including water and sanitation, that is hindering the fight against cholera, just to mention a few. And this budget should be of the progressive vision and not simply of the business as usual,” he demanded.
Father Ngahy: Our desire is to see the living standard of every Malawian improving
He added, “The standards of living of Malawians should not continue to be the same as it was in the last financial budget, we need to see a difference and we need to learn from the past and we must forward not backward.”
He also proposed that the National Budget must be designed to set Malawi on the trajectory towards the achievement of the nation’s aspirations towards 2063, and must accelerate implementation towards wealth creation, job creation, and food security.
Father Ngahy said with increased corruption, Malawi remains one of the poorest countries and all sectors of the economy suffer from widespread corruption.
He, therefore, challenged MPs to ensure they empower citizens to demand for transparency and accountability in line with the revised public finance management act saying transparency and accountability must be promoted from the office of the President to government officials on how is being spent on external trips.
CfSC is a faith-based organization founded in 2022 with the aim of promoting research and action on social issues linking Christian faith and social justice and transforming the unjust structure in Malawian Society through research and advocacy to ensure a sustained change in policies for the betterment of all in line with their human dignity.
The charity’s call comes after Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera last week launched the “Tithetse Cholera m’Malawi campaign” at Mgona in Lilongwe.
The Malawi leader also conceded in his State of Nation Address last Friday that the cholera crisis is as a result of “collective neglect.”
While welcoming the appeal for support, ActionAid Malawi says the cholera crisis is a clear manifestation of the country’s limited investment in Health and WASH sectors, a development that slows down the country’s progress towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
ActionAid Malawi Executive Director, Pamela Kuwali, said the organisation believes government’s austerity measures including staff recruitment freeze in public sector have resulted in multiple sufferings for vulnerable groups especially women, girls who have been pushed further below the poverty ladder.
“The cholera outbreak has significantly disrupted the delivery of health services in Malawi, which is still struggling with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Like any other emergency, the cholera outbreak has disproportionately affected women and girls, increasing the unpaid care work burden as they support those affected,” said Kuwali.
“We call upon the government and non-state actors to rise to the emergency by ensuring that care, treatment and preventive measures reach all at risk of the outbreak.
The cholera outbreak presents an opportunity to Malawi government to abandon austerity measures, re-look its expenditure priority and invest resources towards key gender-responsive public services in line with Malawi government’s commitments such as the Abuja Health Declaration and the Universal Health Coverage spelt out in the Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan,” she added.
Kuwali: government and non-state actors should rise in the fight against the outbreak
Since the cholera first case was recorded in March, 2022, ActionAid Malawi and its local partners have been implementing various interventions in the communities to prevent the spread of cholera.
Malawi is experiencing the worst Cholera crisis which by 19th February 2023 claimed 1,468 lives and recorded 45, 784 cases across the country.
Meanwhile, the crisis has forced the government through the Ministry of Health to appeal for more support from well-wishers and Development partners.
The government said in a recent press release the support would enable the ministry of Health to cover various gaps being currently experienced in the prevention, control and management of the cases across the country.
In November 2022, the organisation donated medical supplies support worth K14 million towards cholera response in Rumphi and Mzimba districts.
Prophet Angel who is the Presidential Envoy and Ambassador At Large for the country of Zimbabwe to Europe and the Americas made the remarks on Friday as he spoke to the media when he arrived in Malawi.
The Prophet who is a spiritual father to Prophet Bushiri said believers need to understand how the things of God work and position themselves to benefit from all that God has prepared for them.
Angel, The founder of Spirit Embassy: The Good news Church highlighted the need to celebrate Prophet Bushiri who is a spiritual gift to the nations.
Prophet Angel sharing the word at ECG
“Prophets have a certain level of dimensions, the bible says many shall fall and rise by the appearance of this child (Luke 2:34) meaning you have a chance to fall or rise by the prophetic, so when a prophet is sent to you, its very important to celebrate.
“It’s a significant milestone to have the advent of this new age hence we need to celebrate what God gave to Malawi and the nations through the birth of the man of God,” Prophet Angel said.
Meanwhile, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri cherished the presence of his spiritual father stating that these are moments of acquisition of knowledge and prayer.
“It becomes great if you have a father who is a major Prophet, It is a wonderful thing and the biggest gift in my life to have him come and honor me.
“I am here to learn more, from his guidance and above all pray with him because impartation is not by association it comes by submission to his lessons,” Prophet Bushiri said.
Prophet Angel has since his arrival conducted two services, the Sunday service at Golden Peacock and the evening service at Bingu International Convention Centre.
During the Sunday service, he taught about Spiritual casualties from Luke 2:34
Prophet Bushiri’s birthday is on 20 February and celebrations on the day, including a church service that will be held in Lilongwe an event that has attracted international visitors and other worshippers across the country.
The residents have since planted the seedlings at the graveyard and surrounding areas.
Mthunzi Funeral Services General Manager, Onismas Karakadzai, said the donation is part of the activities the company lined up for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for this year.
Karakadzai stated that as a business that provides funeral services, the company recognizes the importance of wood and its products such as coffins and caskets.
Mthunzi Funeral Services General Manager handing over tree seedlings to Councillor Chimbanga
“This is a small step, but plans are big. We want to make sure that all the communities are aware of the need to plant and conserve trees. We will also have initiatives in the near future where we engage the youth, through adopting the schools where we can plant trees with school children,” he said.
Councillor for Naperi Ward Leonard Chimbanga commended the company, saying its donation had come at the right time when other communities were involved in tree planting initiatives.
Chimbanga pledged his commitment to encouraging residents to take care of the trees.
“Mthunzi Funeral Services has done its part. It’s now our responsibility to water them and look after them so that they grow,” he said.
In his remarks, Group Village Headman Zingwangwa assured the company that they will take care of the donated tree seedlings.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera launched 2022-2023 the tree planting season in December 2022 with an appeal to Malawians to take multiple and sustained actions to reserve the destruction of natural forests.
According to Kawale Police Public Relations Officer Mabvuto Phiri, Mthiko was arrested on February 18, 2023, in Area 24 in the city.
Phiri told us in an interview that the law enforcers were tipped by people who became suspicious with strange smell, which was coming from Mthiko’s house.
“The suspect used to conduct his business as a mobile vendor while roasting the meat on his charcoal burner around Area 24 and surrounding areas in the disguise of goat meat. On Saturday, February 18, 2023, Area 24 Police officers received a tip-off that they are sniffing a strange smell from the suspect’s house,” said Phiri.
The dog meat Mthiko prepared to sell
The police publicist added that detectives went to find out only to discover that the suspect was busy doing braii (kanyenya).
“When asked, he lied to police officers that it’s goat meat for his personal consumption. But his confession that it is dog’s meat came in when officers discover skulls and fresh dog heads on top of the roof of his bathroom,” he said.
After his arrest, it was further discovered from onlookers, who have been his customers for a while, that the suspect disguised the dog meat as goat’s.
The suspect will appear in court soon to answer charges of offering on sale noxious food and drinks.
Andrew Mthiko hails from Kalumbu Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kalumbu in Lilongwe District.
Kasungu NICE District Civic Education Officer (DCEO), Pilirani Chaguza, said cholera is a deadly disease and that it should be everyone’s responsibility to eliminate it.
Chaguza made the sentiments at Lwangwa Full Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mnyanja on Wednesday where the organization conducted an awareness meeting with parents and children on the rights of children.
NICE officials engage parents in a discussion on children’s rights–Photo by Watiapso Mzungu
With financial support from UNICEF, NICE and Malawi Law Commission are jointly implementing a Legal Literacy Programme, which aims to increase awareness of gender-related violence.
Chaguza said cholera has created a lot of pain and economic devastation in Malawi as evidenced by loss of productive lives and financial resources channeled towards the fight against the disease.
“The outbreak is causing the country a lot of pain as we have lost many productive lives and financial resources, which were supposed to be used to develop this country, have been diverted to the fight against the pandemic. It is our appeal, therefore, that in areas where there have been no cases registered yet, communities need to exercise extra care and continue observing sanitation and hygiene practices to avert the spreading of the disease to those areas,” said Chaguza.
Primary Education Advisor (PEA) for Kawiya Zone, Mathias Mthunzi, commended NICE for taking a leading role in disseminating cholera messages in the area.
Mthunzi assured the organization that his office will work closely with NICE to ensure the messages are spread to all learners and parents in the area.
In a joint communique released Saturday afternoon, the CSOs want the voices of African communities to be heard during discussions during the 36th AU Heads of States and Governments Summit, taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), emphasized the importance of prioritizing the voices of Africans and ensuring justice for all.
“We recommend the convening of an African Peoples’ Summit on Climate Action at the instance of the AU, the African Group of Negotiators, the Civil Society, and other Non-State Actors to reassess the utility of the UNFCCC process to Africa after two decades,” said Dr. Mithika.
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Sarah Ngoy, Coordinator of the Forum for Climate Change in Tanzania, called for collective action within African countries and urged leaders to make decisions that respond to the needs of communities at the frontline of the climate crisis.
“We need to strengthen collective action within African Countries, leaders must come up with decisions that respond to the needs of the communities at the frontline of the Climate Crisis,” said Ngoy.
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Yared Deme from the World Resources Institute called on the African leaders to support research and the African Group of Negotiators to advocate for African inputs into the newly created facility for the financing of loss and damage.
“We reiterate the importance of increasing the number of funds/investments that are channeled towards research on climate change, and climate action for Africa, especially to ensure that there is substantiated evidence that boosts negotiations for Africa,” said Yared.
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Dr. Augustine Njamnshi urged the AU, the United Nations, and other bodies to reject the appointment of Sultan al-Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as the President-designate of COP28.
“Addressing the climate crisis requires deep cuts in the production and use of fossil fuels. That course of action is squarely at variance with al-Jaber’s business interests. It is hard to see al-Jaber leading objective, science-backed negotiations in the interest of the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Augustine.
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Fidele Niyigaba, Communication and Knowledge Management Manager of PACJA, signed the press release, emphasizing the need for urgent climate action in Africa.
Malawi President Dr. Lazarus MacCarthy Chakwera will not be part of the summit, instead he has delegated Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo.
The 36th ordinary Session of the AU Assembly will be held in Addis Ababa under the theme, “Accelerating African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation” from February 18-19, 2023.
Apart from bringing a new face to Mzimba and its neighboring districts of Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Karonga, and Kasungu, the university will create space for more students to attain tertiary education.
The stalling of the project during the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regime angered many Malawians, especially parents whose children failed to make it to public universities because of a lack of space.
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Officials in the DPP administration shared resources meant for the construction of the college through, among others, employing ghost lecturers and ground workers for the yet-to-be-built institution.
But hope has been rekindled following the announcement by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera in the National Assembly on Friday that construction of the university will start in the coming fiscal year.
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“Madam Speaker, we are finally commencing the construction of the Inkosi Ya Makhosi M’mbelwa University,” he said, adding that his administration has already completed the expansion and rehabilitation of the School of Economics at the University of Malawi, including the construction of a 350-seater lecture theater and a 100-seater computer laboratory.
Chakwera delivering the 50th SONA in Parliament on Friday
The government has also completed the construction of the new administration block and teaching complex at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).
President Chakwera further disclosed that the rehabilitation of two campus hostels and the expansion and upgrading of Domasi College of Education has also been completed in addition to accelerating the construction of the technical education building at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), and the administration block at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), which is expected to be completed by 2025.
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“We have secured funding for the Kamuzu HighTech University Teaching Hospital, and the industrial park at MUST is at 65 percent completion. As far as increasing access to tertiary education is concerned, we have increased it from 45,809 in 2019 and 55,002 in 2021 to 65,057 in the 2022/2023 academic year, representing a 21.9 percent increase. We will continue on this trajectory to achieve our goal of increasing enrolment to 85,000 by 2030,” he said.
At primary level, President Chakwera said his government has set priorities for compulsory education. He said they are implementing various projects with billions of investments, citing support from the German Government (KfW), which has gone towards completion of the rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems at Blantyre, Lilongwe, and St. Joseph Teacher Training Colleges.
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The government, added the President, and we have constructed 308 classrooms and 120 teachers’ houses in teaching practice schools.
“We have successfully constructed three fully furnished Teacher Training Colleges in Mchinji, Chikwawa, and Rumphi districts, and we have recruited 1,800 teacher trainees to date. We trained 5,070 primary school teachers, mobilized 250 million dollars under the Malawi Education Reform Programme to help in expanding access, and improving the quality and performance of the primary sub-sector. As of today, we have successfully recruited 2,200 primary school teachers and have hired 7,395 primary school auxiliary teachers, with 3,270 being hired in the 2021/2022 fiscal year and an additional 4,125 hired in the current fiscal year,” he said.
Under the Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) Project, President Chakwera said 30 urban Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs) were expanded in the 2021/2022 fiscal year, and 30 new rural CDSSs were completed and opened last month.
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Chakwera said his government will continue with the construction of eight rural CDSSs, which are at an average of 51.2 percent completion rate, while the construction of 51 rural CDSSs will commence in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
“We are continuing with our agenda to construct 34 Secondary Schools of Excellence, and construction works for schools in six locations will commence in the 2023/24 fiscal year,” he said.
Education rights campaigner Benedicto Kondowe commended the government for the initiatives it is undertaking to achieve education for all in Malawi.
Kondowe: government needs to ensure strong enforcement strategies
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Kondowe, who also heads the Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC), stated that about 10 percent of children in Malawi are currently out of school; hence, the need for government to ensure strong enforcement strategies.
According to a spokesperson in the Ministry of Education, Mphatso Nkuonera, the ministry is preparing to push for full compulsory primary education as current enrollment stands at 88 percent.
BBC News Africa reports that Barajah was the founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church situated in the central province of Manica.
His demise was confirmed on Wednesday, and he had been receiving medical attention at a hospital in Beira after being evacuated in a critical state.
During the fast, Barajah lost an immense amount of weight, which led to him being unable to stand, bathe, or walk.
After fasting for 25 days, he was taken to the hospital following the insistence of relatives and followers. However, all attempts to restore his health were unsuccessful, and he ultimately passed away.
Given the extreme weight loss and physical deterioration he had undergone in recent days, members of his church and neighbors were not surprised by the tragic turn of events.
Speaking after donating the items, the group’s Public Relations Officer Takondwa Velemu said the donation was part of the goal of the group which is reaching out to different people who are in need.
She said OHN members felt it very important to join hands in boosting learners at the school with the writing materials.
“At OHN as our motto suggests, we believe that sharing is caring. We are here to make this donation in support of Mwana Alembe Project which aims at making a difference to learners by providing them with various materials” she said.
OHN members donating writing materials to students
On his part, Mwayi Primary School Headmaster, Mac Lennan Kengere commended the youth group for the good gesture.
“We are very thankful for this donation. As teachers, we are aware that many children do not have enough materials as things are now expensive such that many parents are finding it hard to provide these writing materials to their children.
“We do not take this for granted because the donated materials will make a difference,” Kengere said.
Meanwhile, the grouping is calling on other stakeholders to join hands with it so that it can reach out to many beneficiaries.
The donation was made possible with generous support from members of the group.
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