COVID-19 Threat Forces FAMA To Shift AGM To June 5

Horace Boti: FAMA vice secretary

The Film Association of Malawi (FAMA) has postponed it's Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 10th April and shifted to June 5, 2020 following Friday declaration of State of Disaster by state President Peter Mutharika due to COVID-19 threat.

Malawi has not registered any confirmed case of Coronavirus but it's neighboring countries of Zambia and Tanzania have registered cases of the pandemic.

Malawi Develops COVID-19 Guidelines for Education Institutions

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), has developed guidelines on COVID-19 pandemic to help education institutions manage the disease during school time and on holidays. 

World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 due to over 118,000 cases of illness in over 110 countries and territories around the world and the sustained risk of further global spread.

The education ministry in it's guidelines issued on yesterday, 17th March, 2020 has urged institutions to follow the prescribed checklist for the prevention and management of the Coronavirus in order to help the protection against infection of learners, students, staff and the general public.

LL City South-East Legislator Plans To Support KCH In Cleaning Services

Bentley Namasasu

Lilongwe City South-East legislator, Bentley Namasasu said he is set to begin an initiative that will see him and people from his constituency providing free cleaning services at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH).

The legislator, said the voluntary work to commence in the month of March this year as part of support to his constituency based referral hospital.

Malawi Churches Say No To Abortion, Same Sex Marriage: Petition Parliament

Thousands of Christians, Muslims, Rastafarians and others from various denominations have held national wide peaceful march this Thursday asking the Malawi National Assembly to throw off proposed abortion bill and same sex marriage legalisation once they happen to find their way in the House for deliberation.

Malawi Can Learn A Lot From Norway-Legislators

Some Malawi members of Parliament says there is more to learn from Norway on ways of managing population growth, education and women empowerment.

President Peter Mutharika Recovering From Rheumatism

President Peter Mutharika has just revealed that he suffered from ‘Rheumatism’ (Nyamakazi) as he was returning from United States of America, but has assured Malawians that he will be super fine in just two weeks’ time.

Family Planning Can Help Grow Malawi Economy- Says Norwegian MP Lunde

 

The visiting Norwegian Member of Parliament Heidi Bordby Lunde has said investing more resources in family planning is key for Malawi economic growth.

Evangelist Andrew Palau Preaches To Multitudes At Love Malawi Festival

 

The largest crowd in the history of Malawi's christian gatherings turned up to hear the message of hope and unity delivered by international evangelist, Andrew Palau at the Love Malawi Festival at the fields by Maula Prison in the capital, Lilongwe.

Love Malawi Festival Helps Hundreds With Eye Problems In Lilongwe

a man testing glasses at Chinsapo eyeglass clinic

Hundreds of Malawians, both young and old having sight problems when reading texts have in the week received a free gift of pair of reading glasses after being properly examined by United States and Malawian eye doctors partnering together under Love Malawi Festival.

BMX Stunts Ready To Showcase Skills At Love Malawi Festival This Weekend

The Sports action BMX and FMX riders are set to show their jumping skills at the Love Malawi Festival over the weekend, says a professional BMX freestyle biker, Vic Murphy.

This kind of sport will happen for the very first time in Malawi where six riders from United States of America (USA) including John Andrus will use bicycles to do extreme sports together with two Motorcycle FMX riders from South Africa.

Dr. Jean Kalilani ‘K2 Million’ Trophy To Encourage Dowa Central Youth Stay Health, Avoid Criminal Acts

Kalilani accompanied
by Grace Chiumia meeting
With players 

Dowa Central constituency legislature, Dr. Jean Kalilani, has launched football and netball league worth K2 million in order to encourage young people in her constituency live a healthy life style through sporting activities as well as keep them busy so that they do not engage in criminal activities.

Kalilani& Chiumia pose
with Black Rhino team

Kalilani pose with
Mponela United 

Kalilani well known in her constituency as ‘A Nachika’, launched the trophy at Mponela football ground on Saturday.

“The reason we put this league is to keep the youth busy and stay away from behaviors that would bring problems to their health” said Kalilani, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare 

Kalilani with Dowa Governors for DPP

Kalilani with Patriotic Democratic Cadets

“Going smoking will bring problems to their lungs and going after girls or men they will get sexual transmitted diseases like HIV or even going for stealing, it will not help them. But when they are busy with football and netball, they will stay fit and their mind will be busy focusing on sporting activities.” explained Kalilani 

Kalilani added that the league will further help to unearth talent needed in both netball and football national team.

Grace Chiumia

Minister of Sports and Culture, Grace Chiumia, a guest of honor at the launch commended Dr. Jean ‘A Nachika’ Kalilani for promoting sports in her constituency.

“This is quite important” she said, “Let me thank Dr. Jean Kalilani for launching this trophy, this is one way of helping the youth to avoid other behaviors. You know, by now others would have been drunk or fighting but are here to watch or to play games. And also this is a way where youth are showcasing their skills. So, it is quite wonderful”

Kalilani ready to score

Chiumia also encourage other Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers to emulate what Dr. Kalilani has done.

At the launch of the league which is estimated to run for a period of three months, people watched a netball game and two football matches where each winning team got K50 thousand prize while the second position team went home with K25 thousand.

Kalilani is set to score as
goalkeeper is
getting instructions 

For Netball game, Mponera Police Officers lost to Sambani Sisters while football games, DPP Governors from Dowa district lost to Patriotic Democratic Cadets (PDC) from Blantyre and Black Rhino from Blantyre lost to Mponela United.

Its a Goal! By Jean Kalilani

Sekumana Investments Promotes Hospital Births During Festive Season Donation At Area 25 Health Centre

Edwin Mauluka presenting gifts to women at
Area 25 Maternity wing 

Lilongwe based business, Sekumana Investments, donated food items and other gifts to women in the Maternity Wing at Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe as part of commemorating Christmas and New Year festive season on Saturday, and made a strong message that women should go against the culture and deliver in hospitals.

Drug Fight Body Wants No Football Sponsorship From Tobacco, Alcohol Companies

Baziwelo Zakeyo

The Drug Fight Malawi says football sponsorship by Nyasa Tobacco Manufacturing Company and all related tobacco and alcohol manufacturing companies is against the fight to end tobacco and alcohol consumption among youth in the country.

The institution made the remarks in Lilongwe when making a call requesting the local football governing body Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to support Big Bullets and all other football clubs to find an alternative source of funding.

Executive Director for Drug Fight Malawi, Nelson Baziwelo Zakeyo said the institution does not welcome the recent football sponsorship signing agreement by Nyasa Tobacco Manufacturing Company with Big Bullets.

The institution consider the signing as a deliberate and well orchestrated strategy to market cigarette products and increase in take of the product by children.

He said; "Drug Fight Malawi would like to express its deep concern an fear of an increase in tobacco use by children and youths in the country following the recent sponsorship agreement between our popular football club, the Big Bullets and the Nyasa Tobacco Manufacturing Company as reported in the media of 4th November, 2015 that FIFA has made clearance permitting tobacco sponsorship of the football club."


Baziwelo Zakeyo made it a point that Drug Fight Malawi considers the tobacco sponsorship of the Big Bullets team as deliberate and well-over-orchestrated strategy of the Nyasa Tobacco manufacturing Company to market its products and increase tobacco consumption among children.


"This is sharp contradiction to the healthy lifestyle of sports as espoused by FIFA. Tobacco sponsorship of football clubs is also in conflict with Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) No. 3 which ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all at all ages.” he noted


He emphasised; “While acknowledging that tobacco is Malawi’s top forex earner, it is not in order to promote for the use of tobacco that would in turn see children using the product. The promotion of tobacco use will turn our own children into users and life smokers, hence dooming their future.


It is against this background that this organization is calling upon FAM and all other concerned officials in the country to work with not only Big Bullets but also all other sporting institutions to find alternative sponsors that would have no dangerous strings hidden.” he said


But Zakeyo said Drug Fight Malawi finds no fault on any assistance that cigarette manufacturers or any related company provides through corporate social responsibility to schools or hospitals.


Drug Fight Malawi works against use of tobacco, Marijuana, harmful alcohol consumption, and other related drugs of abuse.


Tobacco use is one of the greatest public health challenges facing the world today. The tobacco epidemic is spreading at an unprecedented rate, leading to nearby 6 million deaths globally each year from lung cancer, heart disease and other tobacco related illnesses and causing the death of one in ten adults. By 2030, it is estimated that tobacco related diseases will be the leading cause of death in Africa.


In Malawi, more than 26% of men and 7% of youth smoke tobacco. As an important risk factor for non-communicable diseases, tobacco use is aggravating these conditions in Malawi where already 1 in 3 (33%) adults aged 25 years and above is hypertensive.

Stop Ill-treating Children With Life Limiting Illnesses; Hospital Is The Answer-CPC

Children’s Palliative Care (CPC) says cases of ill-treatment of children suffering from life limiting illnesses are growing rapidly every passing day in most communities across the country a situation is fueling deterioration in the condition of many little patients.

According to Jean Tauzie CPC Project Coordinator such abuses are being done by both members of communities, parents and guardians of children living with life limiting illnesses. She said some of the reports being received by the organization include reports of discrimination and several forms of abuse, of which some of them are very shocking.