ADRA Malawi donates drugs to QEH and health centers

Elias Banda
ADRA Malawi has donated assorted medicines to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and the surrounding health centers in Blantyre rural and urban.  The huge medical package, worthy K180 Million comprised furix, carbamazepine, ibumen, predisolon,  among other essential drugs. Speaking when presenting the donation in Blantyre on October 14, ADRA Malawi Country Director Claudio Sandoval said he was delighted that

Claudio Sandoval presenting the drugs to Blantyre District officials

his organization was able to contribute to the physical well being of Malawians through the donation of medicines.  Sandoval however urged those administering the drugs to be honest by ensuring that the drugs reach the targeted vulnerable people.  And receiving the donation on behalf of QEH was Blantyre District Health Officer (DHO), Madison Machaya who thanked ADRA Malawi for the timely donation.  Machaya said that the donation would go a long way supplementing the drug shortage at the biggest referral hospital in the country.

The Blantyre DHO speaking to journalists after receiving the drugs

According to Machiya the medicines would be redistributed to 28 health centers in Blantyre City and rural areas.

The donation has come at a time when the Malawi government is hit by a critical drug shortage and patients in public hospitals and clinics are turned away to source drugs from other sources.
The medical supplies have been donated by ADRA Denmark.

PWW Project launched in Mulanje

 By Elias Banda

The Peter Wallenberg Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Project has been launched in Mulanje with support from Water for All, courtesy of Peter Wellenburg. The event marking the taking off of the water project took place on Thursday, 1st October 2015 at the District Water Office, where ADRA Malawi staff made  a presentation on the project scope to the District Executive Committee (DEC).  DEC members include all governmental and non-governmental agencies in the district, including the Water Department.  
While making a presentation, Enhanced Livelihood through Gender Empowerment (ELGE) Project Manager, Andiyesa Mhango said the PWW project goal would ensure that communities in the Traditional   Authority Chikumbu particularly in the targeted village communities have improved health and socio-economic wellbeing through access to safe water, sanitation and the adoption of positive hygiene behavior by the year 2018.

The PWW team in Mulanje

To  achieve this broader picture, Mhango told DEC that the project would increase community access to sustainable, potable water and environmental sanitation; reduce the prevalence of WASH –related diseases through hygiene promotion and environmental sanitation practices; increased awareness on hygiene and sanitation best practices including construction of sanitary structures in targeted public places.
Reflecting on the presentation, and while speaking on behalf the District Commissioner was  Mulanje District Water Development Officer, Edson Mchilikizo  commended ADRA Malawi and the donor partners for the timely project and pledged to support the water initiative at any stage of its implementation. He called on all relevant stakeholders in the district to rally behind the project in order to achieve positive results.
ADRA Malawi made the initial presentation to DEC members on the prospective water project in July 2015 when the organization expressed interest to drill and rehabilitate water points in the affected areas in Traditional Authority Chikumbu in the district.  Mulanje DEC nodded to the proposal and gave ADRA Malawi the leeway to proceed with the project.

DEC members listening to the presentation

Another meeting was held in August 2015 involving the District Coordinating Team (DCT) through which ADRA Malawi made consultations on key technical areas in the project implementation plan. The DCT recommended that the project would consider putting up disability- friendly structures in public toilets.All recommendations made during this meeting were incorporated in the project proposal.
According to PWW Project Coordinator MacDonald Kanjewe, the three-year project would target 19 of the 22 village communities where the ELGE project is being implemented.  Among other achievements, the project intends to reduce the time women spend when fetching water. An assessment conducted earlier revealed that many water points in the targeted area had more than 250 people each, against the recommended 250 people per borehole.
lets.
 Perter Wellenberg WASH Project Background

In January 2015, Peter Wellenberg, one of the Swedish great industrialists died after a long and productive  life. His family has a unique position in the Swedish industry. Their sphere of influence includes many of Sweden's major global corporations. One of the international companies under their power is the Atlas Copco.  

Peter Wellnberg worked through Atlas Copco for 10 years in several countries in Africa including  Malawi. However, when he passed away, his children Jacob, Andrea and Peter suggested that those who wanted to remember Peter Wellenberg in a special way should donate to Water For All organization. Many people agreed to the proposal and donated money to Water for All  and it was recommended that the money would be donated to ADRA Malawi for  the water and sanitation project in Mulanje.

 

Machinga CRCs advocate for better health services

By Elias Banda
Community radio clubs (CRCs) in Machinga have taken government to task over prolonged shortage of drugs and poor services at the public health facilities in the district.
Club members at Mbosongwe and Mangamba CRCs disclosed during Nzatonse radio program recording that patients were frequently turned away at Nanyumbu, Ntaja and Mangamba health centers because the health facilities had no drugs. People were advised to buy medicines from private pharmacies and many of them could not afford the exorbitant prices there. But a spot check in some of the drug stores at Ntaja trading area revealed that the drugs were poorly stored and the possibility was higher that people were sold expired drugs. And apparently, there is no machinery in place to monitor drugs sold by unlicensed traders in order to establish whether they are fit for use or not.
Thoko Humphrey, a member of Mbosongwe CRC said the supply of drugs at the health centers could last only for a few days prompting public speculation that drugs were being sold by health workers. Another member, Haji Mandowa concurred with Thoko and said he once contacted men who were selling drugs with the Malawi Government inscription on them. He said though the matter was reported to security officials in the area, none has since been arrested.
It was also disclosed that the drugs that many patients received could not correspond with the reported illnesses, triggering fears of more health complications.  Francis Phiri who sought treatment for a sore on his leg was surprised to be given drugs for malaria treatment. He wondered whether there was a direct connection between malaria and the wound he complained about.
The situation at the health centers contradicted what the Health Minister, Jean Kalilani said on August 1 that drugs were available in all health facilities in the country. During the Nzatonse Program on August 9, many callers across the country said many hospitals and health centers were short of drug supply. Nzatonse Program is being aired every Sunday on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC Radio One) sponsored by ADRA Malawi on diverse issues affecting people in Malawi.

Saved by ambulance bicycle

By Linly Chilupsya
Filinesi Chakhala 71, of Katambo Village in Salima would be dead if the bicycle ambulance was not sourced on time to take her to Salima District hospital.
The whole episode unfolded when on March 22, Filinesi woke up with a severe fever which was characterized by frequent vomiting sessions. Within a few hours she became weak and failed to walk. Her deteriorating condition caused fear and panic among her relatives who put several survival options on the table, including taking her to the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital was 20 kilometers away and time was running out for Filinesi to survive.
While struggling to cope with the urgency of matter, her relatives remembered that a week earlier ADRA Malawi had donated an ambulance bicycle at the nearby village of Kawaye. Fortunately, the bicycle ambulance was secured and Filinesi was rushed to the hospital.

Up on arrival at the

Felinesi being rushed to the hospital through difficult terrains.

hospital, Filinesi was diagnosed with malaria and after treatment she was later discharged as an outpatient. However, the doctor had indicated earlier that her conditioned would be more severe and dangerous if she delayed to come to the hospital.

Filinesi’s sister Chimwemwe,  breathed a sigh of relief seeing her sister out of hospital and thanked ADRA Malawi for the timely ambulance donation “with her condition we were not sure how we would carry her to the hospital and as old and weak as she became it would be difficult to carry her on an ordinary bicycle and we thank ADRA Malawi for this precious donation” she said.
The ambulance bicycles have been donated by ADRA France to help vulnerable community members to access health services quickly especially in times of emergencies.

ADRA Malawi, SDA Church responds to flood situation

             By Elias Banda

ADRA Malawi and the Seventh –Day Adventist Church have provided relief items to 2,599 flood victims in some of the affected districts of Machinga, Phalombe and Mulanje. 

SDA Church members during relief distribution

The response came after heavy rains and severe flooding mid-January,  left about 200 people dead and more than 135000 displaced in 15 of the 28 districts of Malawi.
The victims, whose houses had collapsed, received safety kits which composed of buckets, plates, pots, cups, mosquito nets, plastic sheets, water treatment chemicals, basins, spoons and blankets.
Before the distribution exercise commenced, the ADRA Malawi Emergency Team verified names of the victims and visited their homes and most of them were found in churches and schools, where they sought shelter after their houses had collapsed.  The distribution operation was jointly done by ADRA Malawi staff and Adventist men, women and youths from local churches.
In Machinga, ADRA Malawi distributed relief items to 450 households in traditional authorities of; Kawinga, Mlomba and Liwonde, with support from Denmark. According to the Disaster Impact Report released earlier by the District Assistant Disaster Risk Management Officer, 29, 651 houses had collapsed in Machinga due to heavy rains and vicious winds. The report further indicated that the victims were desperately in need of food, shelter, plastic sheets and beddings.

ADRA Malawi staff and church members sorting out relief items before distribution

The Disaster Impact Assessment Report for Phalombe indicated that 34, 589 had collapsed, forcing the victims to seek shelter in school and church buildings. ADRA Malawi, with support from ADRA Afro, the Adventist Church, and ADRA International responded to the situation by providing relief items to 340 households in Traditional Authority Jenala in the district.
In Mulanje, the distribution operation was hampered by heavy rains that caused some roads leading to the distributions points to be impassable. A truck carrying relief items got stuck in the mud on

A woman feeling relieved after receiving her share

February 18 for several hours before it was pulled out near Saalam Village, where 123 flood victims were expected to receive relief items. The situation also caused delays in the delivery of relief items to Naluso and Mimosa in the district. In Mulanje, ADRA Malawi has distributed relief items to 1, 809 households with support from Sweden. According to the Preliminary Disaster Report released by the District Commissioner, flooding and heavy winds left 18 people dead and 250 seriously injured. The report further indicated that 12 500 houses had collapsed.
One of the victims, Mili Bilali 78 of Saalam Village sustained a fractured leg after his house fell on him at night and was pulled from the ruble after he shouted for help. Bilali was overwhelmed with joy after receiving relief items and thanked ADRA Malawi and the donors for the timely assistance.
Another victim, Elida Selemani 80 of John Village whose house collapsed while she was sleeping, expressed her joy by dancing before the chanting crowd when she got her share of relief items. “I’m doing this to show you that you have made my day, and I ask God to bless the hands that have made this donation” she said in Chichewa.

Mangochi TOTs construct house for an epilepsy victim

By Stanley Mpasa

It was like a dream for Mary Chauya to see a group of men and women coming to her house with hoes, shovels and other building materials. At first she was afraid because she did not know the mission of the group. But these men and women were not strangers; they were the Trainer of Trainers (TOTs) who came to construct a house for her. When Mary learn t about the mission, she said it was the most exciting moment of her life.

 Mary Chauya, 63 hails from Mwalembe Village in Traditional Authority in Magnochi District. She has a history of epilepsy which stroke her when she was a teen. Her situation was aggravated when she burned her arms after unconsciously falling into the fire. One of her arms was amputated later after it failed to respond to treatment. A few years after her amputation, she fell into the fire again while cooking and burned the remaining arm. It was later amputated.

Mary, left  and her mother in front of their old house

Mary found it difficult to cope with life because she lost all the abilities that hands could do. To make matters worse, her husband deserted her. She is now the household head, looking after three children of her late sister and her aged mother. Mary’s story attracted the attention of the Maranatha TOTs in Mangochi who visited her frequently and gave her psychosocial support. The TOTs further arranged for Marys’ appearance on the popular ‘Reach out and Touch’ television program on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. Reach out and touch program features people with most heart-rending physical conditions with the aim of appealing for support from well-wishers.  The plan worked and Mary was featured on the program. Meanwhile, the TOTs assessed the immediate needs for Mary and discovered her house was on the verge of collapsing and they took it as the most instant need. 

Marys new house

The TOTs began mobilizing resources for the construction of the house from well-wishers while narrating Mary’s story. The group managed to raise K163, 000 (about $362) enough for early stages of construction work.  The house is now almost complete and the TOTs continue lobbying for more funds to make it complete for habitation.

The ADRA Malawi TOT Project is being supported by ADRA Sweden to bring about individual and society change among the those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS 

 

ADRA Malawi responds to flood disaster in Phalombe

More than 800 households have been displaced due to flooding in Phalombe, one of the affected districts in Southern Malawi. The tropical rains coupled with heavy winds have also affected more than 400 people in the district who had their roofs blown off and have since sought shelter in church and school buildings.
District officials estimate that about 170 hectares of various crops have either been washed away or submerged in the flooded water.
ADRA Malawi, with support from World Food Program is responding to the disaster by providing food items to 2000 affected people. The food items include; maize, cooking oil, soy blend and pigeon peas. 

Malawi still throbbing in the flooding shock

By Elias Banda
Severe flooding has killed 200 people in Nsanje and Chikwawa, the highly affected districts in the Shire River Basin. According to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, about 135000 people have been displaced when the tropical cyclone Bansi raged, causing heavy rains in the Southern Malawi. The hefty downpours that lasted about 3 days between January 12 and 14, forced the meandering Shire River to break its banks, causing severe flooding.

The  vast Shire Valley

In Chikwawa, 3 people died after the entire village of Mwananjovu was submerged, district officials said.  Meanwhile, 3 people are still missing in the same village. In isolated cases dead bodies have been seen floating in the river.
District officials in Chikwawa estimate that over 10,000 households are displaced and are desperately in need of shelter, food and sanitary facilities.
According to Annie Chilongozi, Principal Administrative Officer at Chikwawa District Council, the district has established 16 safety camps for flood victims. She said some of the victims were sleeping under trees while others sought refuge in church and school buildings.
Meanwhile, ADRA Malawi has already carried out an assessment exercise to ascertain the extent of the damage and the victims’ immediate needs. Claudio Sandoval, ADRA Malawi Country Director who was part of the team that visited Chikwawa, said it was important for the organization to meet partners who were already responding to the disaster and find out about other items that could be needed for the victims.

Damaged maize fields in Chikwawa

Chilongozi told the ADRA Malawi team that there was an acute shortage of tents to accommodate more victims as many people were flocking to the camps for shelter after  their houses had collapsed. She also bemoaned lack of funds for processing maize into flour for the victims.
Environmental Inspector for Chikwawa District Council, Efron Kausi said though sanitary facilities were provided to the camps, lack of transport was a major drawback for his team to monitor and supervise activities at the camps.
Meanwhile, UNICEF and the Malawi  Army have already provided tents to the victims.

A mother in a primary school uniform

By Elias Banda
It appeared somehow bizarre for a woman to put on a primary school uniform, carry her books and go to school.  As she walked to school people looked at her with inquisitive minds some even thought she was attaining early stages of insanity. When she got to school she was mobbed by pupils who wondered the possibility of a mother putting on uniform. This was the experience Mary got when she bounced back to school after a spell of about two years.
But for Mary Manin’ga 17, a mother of an 11 month old baby this was normal life and to her what was crucial was the fact that the school management at Namphungo Primary School had accepted her to be back in class. During the first days of her reintegration into school,  life was not easy because she did not have friends of her age but eventually, she manage to secure some as the days went by.
Mary, who hails from Matewere Villagein Group Village Manyumba was impregnated while she was in Standard 6. She dropped out of school to care for the pregnancy and later a child. Meanwhile, the man responsible for the pregnancy run away up on getting the news and has since been not traced.

Mary with her child in front of their house 

This was a terrible moment for Mary who had to depend on her already impoverished mother to help her raise the child. Raising fatherless children is problematic not only for Mary but to many teen mothers in this community because apart from finding food, they have to do casual labor to raise money for soap, lotions and other essentials for the children.  This could be the reason why,  despite the government call for reintegrating teen mothers into school many fail to do so because they feel it would be difficult to combine roles as  mothers and students at the same time. Others feel embarrassed to be in uniform again.  But this was a different case with Mary, who defied all odds because she said she was seeing herself as a medical doctor after completing her education.  
In October 2014, Mary joined the Tiyanjane Teen Mothers Group, established by ADRA Malawi through When Mother is a Child Project  in her community. She said since her joining, she has learnt a lot of things including child caring, HIV/AIDS issues but above everything was the encouragement and motivation she got to go back to school. Mary said her immediate objective was to complete primary school education but her long term goal was to become a medical doctor.Meanwhile, her teacher, Sylvester Maluwa said Mary was the first girl to be reintegrated in school after dropping out. He said her performance in class was improving each day but she needed more support and encouragement.

Its time to go school

According to Mary the huge challenge for her was the burden of combining the role of a mother and that of a student. She said that on a normal day, she has to divide herself for three tasks: bathing and breastfeeding the child before she goes to school, attending classes and doing casual labor after classes to raise money for her family. But to her she has a vision and she is seeing herself as doctor someday and this is the driving force behind her hard work. Asked if she can accept any marriage proposal Mary reacted angrily " I cannot do such a mistake again and  I have learn t a  hard lesson out of my focus now is to finish my education and be a doctor some day".
ADRA Malawi has established 15 teen mother groups in Traditional Authority Juma in Mulanje  District. Each group has 20 members who mobilize other teenage mothers and inspire them to go back to school. Other skills imparted include; child care, HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation, family planning and nutrition. 
When Mother is a Child Project is being supported by Denmark to empower teen mothers and revive their hopes for a better future.

WMC project brings hope to teen mothers

By Elias Banda

Esther Petulo stood near her house and cursed the day she was born. She wondered why she was introduced to this hopeless and horrible world where there is no love, a world where she would go to bed without food for several days and nobody seemed to care. Esther faced her demise when  her husband abandoned her with her newly born bay. The only close relative was her uncle who passed away a few months earlier. She was found HIV positive during antenatal checkups when she was pregnant. She looked at her baby and shed tears because all her hopes were shattered.

Esther sited right with club members, the project has brought smiles back on their faces

This is the plight of the 19 year Esther who hails from Sabola Village in Traditional Authority Juma in Mulanje District of Southern Malawi. Esther narrated that when her parents died 6 years earlier she was left under the care of her uncle who supported her until she reached form 2. When her uncle died, Esther’s future hanged in limbo and she became vulnerable as no one within her family network was capable of supporting her. Just like what many girls do in her community, marriage became the only option left for her survival.

Esther is harboring big dreams -to become a nurse

She got married to a young man in her village but after two years into marriage Esther was shocked to discover that her husband had several other women. It took several months for her to recover from this shock and when she inquired about her husband’s infidelity, he reacted by abandoning her and married in the other village. This was her critical moment in her life as she recalled that it was even better for her to die and escape all the life hurdles she would go through. She imagined how life would be for her to stand on her own with a fatherless child. After weighing several survival options, she put up a brave face and decided to face the challenges head on.

Esther caounselling fellow teen mother and village members

In October 2014 a glimmer of hope was cast when Esther, together with her peers joined the Teenage Mothers Group introduced by ADRA Malawi through the When Mother is a Child (WMC) project.  What motivated Esther to join the group was   the direct link between her situation and the goals and objectives of the project. She saw herself reaping more benefits from her participation in the project activities including efforts to go back to school and skills how to cope with challenges facing teenage mothers in her community. In November 2014 Esther was elected chairperson of Tikondane Teenage Mothers Group, comprising 20 members. Group members meet on weekly rotational basis to discuss issues affecting teenage mothers and find solutions.  Her group has since mobilized and reached out to 167 teenage mothers between October and December 2014, encouraging them to go back to school and helping them how to cope with challenges teenage mothers face.  She said that plans are in the pipeline to reach out to more than 500 teenage mothers between January and December 2015.. She also said there were hundreds of teenage mothers who have since been abandoned by their husbands and were going through problems to cope with life. She said her group is geared to reach out to all such girls and bring hope of a better future for them.

 Meanwhile, Esther said she would like to go back to school in form 2 and continue where she left before she got married.  She said when she completes her high school, she would go for nursing course. She said that nothing would come on her way to stop her from achieving her goal. She thanked ADRA Malawi through WMC project for this wonderful project that has revived her hopes for a better tomorrow. “Not all is lost I can now see my bright future” Esther said.  The WMC project has since established  15 teen mothers groups.