Good News!ECM to Distribute Relief Items Worth MK1 billion for Malawi Flood Victims

Items includes; food and Non-food items like Clothes

Arch Bishop Msusa to lead the Bishop at the launch

The Catholic Church in Malawi has raised food and non food relief items valued at K1 billion which its distribution begins this week to all flood victims from all worst affected districts particularly in the southern part of the country.

The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) says distribution to be launched on Tuesday 10th March, 2015 by the Bishops, led by the  Chairman, His Grace Most Reverend Thomas Luke Msusa, will take place at January Parish which is in the area of STA Ngolongoliwa in Thyolo district. 

Acting ECM Secretary on the Left and other Bishops

Bishops are also expected to visit people living in shelter camps around the area, says Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo ECM Acting Secretary in a statement 

Submerged houses; T/A Malemia Nsanje district 

"Bishops have planned to visit flood affected victims to show solidarity and give a message of hope. Guided by Psalm 34:18" which reads “The Lord is close to those broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

During one of the recent Holy Mass
 Celebration where ECM encouraged
 Faithful to make contributions

"During the visit, the Bishops are expected to present some of the relief items which were collected from all parishes and institutions in the country and the Caritas family to cater for flood affected dioceses." Reads the statement 

Collapsed schoolblock in Thyolo Thava

The statement has indicated that, the items valued at MK1 billion, the church has managed to raise through its partners and the Church Structures. Addiding that these items  are just for short term sustenance of human life.

Flood affected victims

The statement further indicates that these items which includes money, clothes, food and non food items will go to flood affected communities in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe and Ntcheu among other areas.

Submerged houses in Nsanje 

Submerged school in Nsanje district

Drowning home in Nsanje District 

Village Savings and Credit Association Changing Lives of Chiuzira Women in Lilongwe

Tiyanjane Women Village Savings and Credit Association Members Are Able to Support their Families 

Women in the capital, Lilongwe from around Chiuzira village had not known what they thought to be a simple and mare lessons on Village Savings and Credit Association in 2013 would turn them 'Business Managers and food providers' from house keeper or housewives status.

Through Centre for Informal Economy Initiatives (CIEI), Outreach Scout Foundation (OSF) and Women of Action Ministry (WAM) 24 women from Chiuzira were trained in Village Savings and Credit Association, now the course has began bearing fruitful results.

Two years down the line, the club which was named "Tiyanjane" had in its first-share purchase of not less than K2,500 each  as of 2nd November 2013 raised a sum of over K1.4 million which was used for First loan disbursement.

This has enabled all the 24 women in the group to run some small scale business that are supporting their daily lives in their respective families.

Joyce Bamusi Chairlady for Tiyanjane women Village Savings and Credit Association told Malawi Voice that the initiative has helped members of the group to graduate from being housewives to women who are now able to help their families through businesses they do.

"We are able to provide for ourfamilies and that includes paying for school fees for our children some of us are building modern houses." She shared the testimony

She also hailed the initiative of village savings and loan association for being better that than accessing credit from commercial banks, "We previously tried to access loans from banks but it was difficult for us to repay such loans, we were not profiting from such loans"

Apart from individual small scale businesses, Tiyanjane women as group they used their good sum of retained earnings to buy pigs and that now, the group is doing pig farming.

This year, the group is now in second round of share savings of which in their first week managed to raise  more than  K350 thousand.

Centre for Informal Economy Initiative  Executive Director Francis Antonio says OSF, CIEI and WAM have intentions to rollout these initiatives to other districts to allow a lot of women get empowered through such economic activities.

We Can’t Work When We Have Poor Health; Mw Civil Servants Launch Sports for Health Initiative

Civil Servants Fighting Non-Communicable Diseases Through Sporting Activities

Working all day sitting on chair is not life style that Malawi Civil Servants would like to go on with, but physical exercises and some sort of sporting activity often times is new life style that they want to stick to from now on because they believe that a healthy workforce is a great resource to national development.


This is a rationale the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development lunch “Sports for Health Initiative” at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on Friday 6th March 2015, where various sporting activities including, aerobics, football and netball are part of the event.


The core motivation of this initiative says Felix Linje, Chairperson for Sports for Health Initiative Committee is to protect themselves from some of non-communicable diseases that are continuing to attack people because of being inactive in sporting activities.


“We have organized ourselves starting with Ministries in Civil Service and we are hoping to go out to Public Office Organisations. This initiative (Sports for Health) starts with promoting healthy life styles and sporting activities in order to prevent non-communicable diseases and all diseases exacerbated by inactivity like high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes.”


He explained “We observed that many people who are working do not have time to involve themselves in sporting activities. Most of us we spend a lot of time during the week doing our work, and in weekends is time that we feel that we might want to rest. No physical exercises there.”


“What we are trying to do is to make sure that Ministries have their own wellness Committees to encourage officers engaging in sporting activities so that they start to at look sports for the prevention of other health related diseases.” said Sports for Health Chairperson


Linje revealed that very few government workers are in sporting clubs or do some physical exercises regularly. And said, though some government departments and ministries have their own sports clubs, still very handful of those working in government play for their teams.


“Normally when we have these football clubs within Ministries most of the times you find that they are competitive they are bringing in people from outside the working station, very often it is young boys who play for their team. He said


“But what we are looking for by having this initiative is that every Civil Servant should have opportunity to engage in some physical activities, so this should not be competitive but encourage everyone to take part in physical activities while knowing that doing such is not just for fun but for prevention of diseases”


Linje has assured that Sports for Health Initiative will be a quarterly event where various messages of lifestyle related communicable and non-communicable diseases will be delivered to the public servants. He urged the general public to participate in their events so that they also hear such important health messages.


Cancer Association of Malawi joins the launch of Sports for Health Initiative to raise awareness messages of Cancer and some Medical professionals were at the event conducting free testing for Breast Cancer.


Linje says the initiative during its upcoming events, will be raising awareness massages on other non-communicable diseases like diabetes and sugar.

Sporting Activities Will Prevent You From Noncommunicable Diseases

Sports Good For Your Health- Felix Linje 

Malawians have been encouraged to take sporting activities as most important measure to prevent noncommunicable diseases like cancer and diabetes, as The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development launches “Sports for Health Initiative" this Friday. 

Sports for Health Initiative to be launched at Civo stadium in the Capital Lilongwe this Friday, 6th March from 7:30 am, is a civil service event which aim at encouraging government workers to regularly do some sporting activities.

Chairperson of Sports for Health Initiative Committee, Mr. Felix Linje made the call as he appeals for public participation at the event saying though the initiative is for the government workers, everyone is encouraged to participate the launch of this event since, apart from various sporting activities the general public will also benefit from awareness messages of various life style related communicable and non-communicable diseases including free Breast Cancer testing.

"We are encouraging the public to come to this launch of Sports for Health Initiative as well as Cancer Awareness Day” appealed Linje, “So we have Cancer Association of Malawi and other medical professionals who are going to come in to conduct some free testing of Breast Cancer apart from different sporting activities.

“The essence of this initiative is that we want people to look at sports for the prevention of other health related diseases so we are encouraging everyone to come, there is going to be fun and cancer awareness messages”

Several sporting activitis have been lineup including Football, Aerobics, Netball, Jogging and other sporting activities.

The Chief Secretary, Mr. George Mkondiwa and other senior government officials will attend the function.

Dowa Police Impounds Cannabis Transported in Jerry Cans

Police say Two Suspects Smuggled Indian Hemp in Cooking Oil Jerry Cans Were also Found with Two Sack Bags Containing the Illegal Herb

Two men who cleverly hidden Cannabis inside two cooking oil Jerry cans, have been caught by police in Dowa district.

The two suspects currently in police custody in Dowa, were also found with two sack bags containing Indian hemp as well, says Dowa Police Public Relations Officer Sergeant Richard Kaponda who identified the two as January Banda aged 26 from Kasiya village, T/A Wimbe in Kasungu district and Maxwell Phiri aged 32 from Ntupila village, T/A Kayembe in Dowa district.

The arrest happened on Tuesday 3rd March 2015 at Dowa roadblock when the two were on their way to Capital Lilongwe from Kasungu district.

The Police officer told this reporter that the two who were in a vehicle, were stopped at Dowa Police roadblock for normal inspection, however Police officers on duty were suspicious of two 20 litre Cooking oil Jerry Cans.

Sgt Kaponda

"At first Police thought they were carrying cooking oil, when the Jerry cans were opened, it was discovered that were full of Indian hemp"


Police say, the hemp is weighing over 150 kilograms.


"The confiscated cannabis sativa will soon be taken to Chitedze Research Station for testing, but the duo will appear in court soon to answer on offence of found in possession of Indian hemp." says Sgt. Kaponda

PP Wants Prudence In Implementation of 2014/2015 Supplementary Budget

PP Wants Prudence in Implementation of 2014/2015 Supplementary Budget

Jooma: Standing 

Peoples Party (PP) has stressed importance that government be prudent when implementing 2014/2015 Supplementary Budget which has extra K32 billion. 

Spokesperson for the party on Finance matters in Parliament hon. Ralph Jooma says government should endeavor to utilise and channel the resources as passed by the National Assembly last week for the benefit of the rural poor.

Tuesday last week National Assembly authorized the government to use total sum of K769.2 billion following passing of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill of 2014/2015 financial year.

"As PP we understood the reasons why the Finance Minister was asking for extra resources" said Jooma, who singled out depreciation of Kwacha in the middle of implementation of the budget and debt interest for statutory expenditure as valid reasons that government gave the House to pass the extra resources.

He said, it was necessary that following depreciation of Malawi Kwacha the House had to approve extra resources for government to obtain the same value of the approved budget as well as enable government to meet some of the commitments like FISP and others in full.

"Finance Minister was asking for K32 billion extra money which we have just approved in the House because we are satisfied that he had to get that money in order to implement budget as a whole.”

“Our advice to government is that they should make sure that this money should go for intended purpose, should be used to serve the votes that were intended to go but also to trickle down to the poor because at the end of the day it is the poor person in the remote area who we are concerned with.”

Opposition Parties Differ on 90 Days Suspension For Blantyre City Central Legislature:

MCP Opted Stiffer Penalty while PP, UDF Satisfied

The suspension of Blantyre City Central Constituency Legislature, Hon. Themba Mkandawire from participating any Parliamentary and all Committee Meetings for a period of 90 days has received mixed reactions among major political parties represented in the National Assembly.

On Friday, Speaker of National Assembly Richard Msowoya announced a 3 months suspension for hon. Mkandawire following Tuesday assault of a Parliamentary Head of Usher, Jones Sabola.

The legislature manhandled the Usher for refusing to give an extra 2015 Parliament calendar being distributed as the House was suspended for a lunch break.

Though all political parties agree and condemn the unparliamentarily act by hon. Themba, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is categorically opposing the speakers ruling by calling it "Slap on the Wrist" while Peoples Party (PP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) says the 90 days suspension is a deserving one.

“To me that sounds almost a slap on the wrist” reacted Salima North West Legislature Jessie Kabwira, MCP spokesperson who also speaks for the party on matters of women in Parliament.

“We are talking about a relationship of power relations here, between staff and members of parliament. There is a reason why we are called Honorables, what he (Hon. Mkandawire) did is uncalled for and I think we needed to give him a sentence that sends a message that you never do such kind of a thing.”

“As a person from opposition am now worried if I say something which Themba Mkadawire or the ruling party doesn’t like" she said, "What is to stop him? Is 90 days going to stop him from doing what he did?”

“I think he needed a stiffer punishment"

She went on “Themba Mkandawire is not just from any other party, he is from the ruling party so what example are they giving us. Are they telling us that now when a Parliamentary Staff is giving us calendars they should be shaking because there is a ruling party Parliamentarian in this House? And added that the ruling party (Democratic Progressive Party DPP) should come open to make an apology for the embarrassing action done by its member.

Unlike MCP reaction, PP Leader in the House, hon. Uladi Mussa a Salima South Parliamentarian said “Am satisfied with the punishment given” though he said “His conduct is totally out of order and uncalled-for we didn't expect a member of parliament beating a parliamentary worker, this is a savage way of living”

“He was not supposed to beahave as if he is at a beer hall” said Mussa

Balaka North parliamentarian and Leader of UDF, Lucius Banda made similar sentiments of Hon. Mussa “It’s quite unfortunate that an honorable member of parliament could not contain the emotions, I think the most important thing for we politicians need to do is to learn to contain our emotions. Everybody gets angry but to go that far to a person who has lesser power standing in the society I think it will be seen as one is taking advantage of his position to do bad things. So I believe in the interest of sanity and disciplining the speaker’s sentence deserves and I hope it will never happen again”

Hon. Themba Mkandawire's conduct has been condemned by many other parliamentarians whom others have described the assault as "Criminal act"

However, the assaulted Usher was not available to comment on what he makes of Speaker's ruling.