Mangamba HC in clinical MC breakthrough

By Lino Limbithu and Elias Banda
Mangamba Health Centre in Machinga has achieved a clinical male circumcision breakthrough after registering 182 referred cases, defying the traditionally operated circumcision by herbalists known as angaliba in local language.  In 2012, the centre registered 134 cases and according to Aubrey Kambalame, Clinical Officer at the health centre, the rise in the figures was attributed to the intensified campaign on clinical circumcision campaign conducted in the area. Mr kambalame hinted in an interview that last year three boys were referred to the clinic while unconscious due to excessive bleeding after a botched circumcision operation at one of the traditional initiation ceremony camps. Kambalame said the situation triggered a spate of fear in the community as it was reported that apart from their lack of knowledge on clinical procedure, the ngalibas used old and blunt knives when cutting foreskins and the boys were not given any pain killers after the operation and they were left to endure the pain without proper care.
ADRA Malawi through the Action for Social change Program collaborated with chiefs and health workers in the area and launched a campaign against traditional circumcision. ADRA Malawi also facilitated a series of community dialogue sessions involving all sections of the society to find a lasting solution on the matter and community members resolved to take their children to the clinic for a safer and clinically administered circumcision.

The Ngaliba and the boys captured at the Ndagala last year.

In September 2012, it was reported that over 60 boys were detained in the initiation ceremony camps known as Ndagala for a month after schools were opened for them to complete the initiation ceremony which included circumcision, putting education in the area at stake.
A radio program facilitated by ADRA Malawi  called Nzatonse was recorded at Mgundiwa where community members condemned the practice and called on chiefs to take drastic measures on the matter.  When the program was aired on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) last year in September, it attracted a wider condemnation as callers participating in the program wondered why people in Machinga highly valued culture than education.
Nevertheless, a spot check in the primary schools around Mangamba Health Centre conducted by ADRA Malawi in September this year revealed that all boys within the initiation age were in school, signifying a tremendous change in the community perception towards value for education.
The Action for Social Change Program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change in Machinga, Mulanje, Lilongwe and Mzimba.

.  

Coalition against early marriages formed in Machinga

By Lino Limbithu and Elias Banda

Cases of early marriages have not spared Kawinga village communities in Machinga District where younger girls at ages between 13 and 15 enter into marriages after dropping from school. A training in advocacy organized by ADRA Malawi through the Action for Social Change Program involving community groups triggered discussions into the matter and community members sought a lasting solution. And subsequently, a task force was formed to take the matter further and the Mgwilizano coalition against early marriages was formed after consultations with chiefs and the Traditional Authority Kawinga.
During a meeting that was attended by interested groups including teachers,  police victim support units and community members, a consensus was reached giving the Mgwilizano coalition the mandate to enforce by-laws against early marriages. The laws were as follows:
1.    Marriage involving a young girl or boy should be dissolved immediately and matter to be referred to traditional counselors.
2.    Parents permitting their children to enter into marriages at unacceptable age would pay a penalty of K5000.00 (about $14) each.
3.    Any marriage arrangement to be approved by the village head.
4.    Any person found marrying a younger girl would pay K10, 000 (about $28) and the marriages would be dissolved immediately.
5.    A teacher found impregnating or marrying a school girl would pay K50, 000 (about $140)
The Mgwilizano coalition was also given responsibility to facilitate community sensitization on the child care, protection and justice Act passed by Parliament in 2010. The Act, which outlines responsibilities and roles of parents on how to raise their children in their respective homes, addresses issues of child abduction, trafficking, harmful cultural practices, and it recognizes principles that are in the best interest of children.

Nevertheless section 22 subsection 7 of the Malawi constitution allows persons between the age of fifteen and eighteen years to get married as long as they obtain consent from their parents and guardian and human rights activists have argued that this section of the constitution is a loophole for rampart early marriages in Malawi and are advocating  for the amendment of the section.

Meanwhile, through the Mgwilizano Coalition, three girls aged between 13 and 15 who have been reclaimed from marriages are now reintegrated at Nanyumbu Primary School.
The Action for Social Change Program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change in Machinag, Mulanje, Mzuzu and Lilongwe.

The Right to education at stake in Machinga

By Elias Banda   

Two weeks have elapsed now after schools opened on September 3, but some school going children are still confined within the walls of initiation ceremonies commonly known as Ndagala in the local language in Machinga District.  Community members in Mangamba area, where many children are still going through the ceremony,  seem not concerned about the development as the traditional counselors responsible for these ceremonies proceed with plans while ignoring the school calendar. There are rumors doing the round in the area that some children would be detained for the next three weeks.

Boys with their counselor at Ndagala

Speaking in an interview, one of the counselors Nyadani Kaunde said there over 60 children still going through initiation in 7 villages. As the tradition dictates, children stay in the initiation camps for four weeks. This period could over step the school opening days if the ceremony started much later. Apparently, culture is more important than school. ADRA Malawi facilitated a community dialogue session recently in the area to find the lasting solution on the matter. Discussions brought together chiefs, teachers, traditional counselors and parents. During discussion, it was revealed that some parents could not afford to buy new clothes for their children to wear as they graduate from the initiation camps. It is a traditional requirement that parents should provide new clothes at the end of the ceremony and any failure would mean that the child remain in the camp until clothes are bought.
It was further reveled during discussions that women especially parents to the initiates are engaged in a ceremony known as Litiwo, where woman participate by dancing to cerebrate the initiation of their children. This type of ceremony is done a few days before the children graduate but when Litiwo delays it affects the graduation, forcing children to miss classes.
When concluding discussions chiefs pledged to convene meetings and decide deterrent measures and punishment  for any parent who would delay the child to go to school.
Meanwhile, Blantyre based Primary School Education Advisor Charles Chaima has advisors chiefs and parents to put education as priority for children. Mr Chaima was speaking on Zatonse Radio Program on the same matter.

How a Mill Can Send a Child to School

Life is easier in this community,” says Luka Khuliwa, community chairman. “We are learning that every small change makes life easier.” Malawi is a country where families grow their own food using simple hand tools. Driving through the south of the country, you will not see tractors or even oxen-pulled ploughs working the fields. All work is done by hand, and mostly by women. Maize is the food of choice. Without maize at a meal, most individuals feel that they have not eaten. While ADRA agricultural projects in the country encourage the growing of tomatoes, cassava, pigeon peas, soybeans, and sweet potatoes, most everyone grows maize. Hand milling, or pounding the maize by hand, is an energy intensive and time-consuming daily activity. Done by women and girls, this keeps them from other needed activities. It even keeps girls from attending school. “There was a maize mill near our community; however, it was a long, long walk, and to go there meant you did nothing else that day,” states Irene. “Those who were lucky enough to have a bicycle could ride there with their maize in two hours. My family did not go often.”

The Mphonde community is in the Phalombe district of Malawi. In this remote area along the Mozambique border, villagers struggle hard simply to exist. ADRA is working in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), distributing commodities and creating food assets here, including the building of large fishponds and poultry production. It was clear that building a maize mill in this community would further alleviate the extreme poverty. A community maize mill would not only free up individuals’ time, but it would also allow them to spend less funds on getting maize ground. It would create a small community industry with jobs, and it would provide a small stream of income for the community.

The community council identified a parcel of land along the dirt road and voted that this would be the property for the maize mill. With ADRA donating the building materials, the community built the mill building out of brick and concrete. ADRA donated the diesel-run machinery and trained three individuals on the operation and maintenance of the mill itself. The mill operator and his assistant are grateful for the income that working at the mill provides.

The mill is open five days a week, and the community has assigned each family a day and time to come to the mill each week. This scheduling means that no one has to wait in long lines, and everyone has a chance to have their maize ground into flour. “We usually see 25 people a day, and they come in groups of five,” says Bonwell, one of the mill operators. “By scheduling people in groups, I do not have to keep starting and stopping the mill. We save on diesel this way.”

The community pays the mill operators 2,000 kwacha (US$14) a month. After three years in operation, the community has 70,000 kwacha in the bank. “We are using the interest in the account to send the orphans in our community to school,” Luka Khuliwa proudly exclaims. “Without this money, they would not be able to receive an education. Thank you, ADRA, for helping us provide for every child!”

Click bellow to access ADRA's International Website and the original location of this article:

Article

ADRA International

Baking

Supported by WFP, ADRA Malawi identified and trained, a total of 150 people, in baking, in the last year in the Phalombe district. A total of 17 bakery shelters with 23 ovens have been constructed in 13 GVH. On their part beneficiaries provided some locally available construction materials such as sand for plastering, flooring, and labor such as collection of bricks and sourced funds to pay for the builders.

The bakeries are managed by a community committee, and the profit realized by the bakeries is supporting in average 24 orphans or vulnerable children, per bakery and within the community.

The ADRA Country Director, Emanuel da Costa comments: "These interventions allow us to avoid short term solutions, empowering communities to respond to the needs they identify in their communities. We are thankful for the partnership we have established with these community elected committees, not only in Phalombe district, but through out the country."

Partially based on Project report from: Hastings Lacha Project manager

Volunteering in Malawi (2/2)

During the month of August ADRA Malawi was proud to host two high-school students from the UK for a week of volunteer experience. They were exposed to many different aspects of development, from working in the head office to a visit to a community based youth group, who use theatre to influence their community and raise awareness of issues such as domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. The following stories reflect their experiences and what impacted them during their week in Malawi.

Kerryn Lodo: Volunteer Supervisor

Author: Lahna Mawee-Patel

Whilst in Chiradzulu, I was given the opportunity to visit a child-run home. We interviewed a young man, Mphatso*, 21, who, along with his two younger brothers, aged 10 and 14, was orphaned 5 years ago sadly to the loss of his mother and abandonment of his father.

I was confused to hear that after the mother died, the father soon re-married and went to live with his wife and therefore leaving his eldest son to look after his younger siblings. I later learned that this was part of some Malawian cultures and that this was sometimes a normal thing to happen due to a matrilineal structure. Unfortunately, due to the situation of poverty present in Malawi the father was, and still has been unable to provide for his current family, let alone the boys. This also applies to members of the maternal family; they are also poverty stricken and cannot afford to care for the boys as well. Additional to this, HIV has also been an issue which has affected the support provided from the maternal family to the boys. With so many people passing away, the traditional support systems which would have assisted the boys and taken care of them in this situation are disintegrating or non-existent.

This is why ADRA provide extra support to groups like an IGA group. This is an income generating activity group (IGA) which is designed especially for cases like this. The group is able to choose a small business which they can start up so that they can earn a small income from it and assist vulnerable households in the community, such as Mpatso. In this particular case that I saw, the group decided to raise goats to share between community members. The IGA group supplied them with two goats as a starter provided that they give the first two kids to the next family in need of IGA group support. After this they can do whatever they need to with goats in order to sustain a living for themselves.

It was touching and encouraging to find that the eldest boy was very keen on making sure that his two younger brothers obtained a good education and go on to lead successful lives and maybe even work with ADRA one day! With the IGA, the family has been able to sell two goats which can provide them with enough money for a 1 year school fee making it all the more possible for the two younger boys to lead any life they wish to.

* Real Name not used.

Reducing Underweight and Malnutrition of Children in Malawi.

ADRA MALAWI, in its effort to assist the Government of Malawi in reducing child malnutrition among under five children is promoting good child care and feeding practices for under fives in Mulanje and Neno districts.

ADRA is following an approach called Positive Deviance(PD Hearth) in its fight against malnutrition. Health workers are trained in child care and feeding. Children from each village are then weighed and using Z score, malnourished children are identified. Those in -3 are considered severe and referred to Rehabilitation Units but those in -2 Z score are referred to group feeding program within the village.

Mary is a 3 year old girl is one of the beneficiaries of the Positive Deviance - PD Hearth program. Mary’s parents are divorced and she lives with her 23 year old mother. The mother has problems maintaining the health status of the child mainly because she had no knowledge in approriate child feeding and care. This led Mary to be malnourished. Before joining the feeding program, Mary weighed 11.4 Kilograms against normal weight for age of 14.3 kilograms. After 12 days of feeding, Mary weighed 12.3 kilograms gaining 0.9 Kilograms.

Her mother says, her child was sick most of the times because she didn’t know how to prepare her nutritious food. Having been encouraged by the village headman and Health workers, she decided to take the child for the village based group child feeding program. She says she is able to get the resources needed, because they are locally found and she will continue preparing the same even after graduating from the PD Hearth program and until the child gains normal weight against her age.

In this intervention all women with underweight children come together for a 12 day feeding program. Unlike other programs which provide the feed, ADRA does not provide food instead, women contribute towards the feeding exercise. They cook porridge and feed the children for 12 days. Ingredients into the porridge include: maize flour, pigeon peas, or soya , milk, groundnuts, egg, vegetable, sugar and where possible a little drop of oil.

This intervention also goes a long way to reduce child mortality since most of the child killer diseases are a result of nutrition deficiency.

After the program completion the ADRA staff continues to monitor the children with the assistance of the government Health Workers and Village Volunteers, to ensure that the children continue to improve and gain weight and monitor their health after the PD Heart intensive program ends.

Author: Moses Mpezeni – Project M&E Officer

Community decided that this was unacceptable practice...

Before the introduction of the ADRA LEFAM program, it was common to find children in areas of Malawi working in tobacco fields earning less than $5 a month. Often children were encouraged with offers of good jobs and enough income to support their families but were forced to work as free labour with only limited food and shelter in return. One report on child labour done by the ILO (International Labour Office), a branch of the UN, reported that in 2007, approximately 23.3% of children in Malawi participate in some form of labour.

Through the LEFAM program ADRA empowers individuals and communities to discuss the issues which are affecting them and through that dialogue find solutions to bring about the change that they themselves want. There is also an aspect of education on human rights, including that of children, and what their relevance is to each community. In one community, when they identified the practice of child labour as inhumane, the rights of children to safety, education and to be with family were discussed and used to further emphasise the impact of such activity.

With this combination of community dialogue and the human rights trainings the community decided that this was unacceptable practice and resolved to discourage those participating in it. The community bought this issue to the traditional leaders and together approached the offending farmers, informing them of the implications of their practice to employ children. Over a period of time, with the influence of the traditional leaders and pressure from community members, these farmers no longer engaged children in labour but are now employing men from the area and providing full remuneration for their work. Currently child labour, while not completely eliminated from this area, has been greatly reduced and together the community has seen major changes in attitudes and practice.

This is just one example of the impact of community dialogue sessions being implemented by ADRA LEFAM and the wide spread changes which can come when individuals work together as a community to try and implement change. ADRA aims not to solve the problems within a community but to empower communities to identify which issues they would like to change and give them the tools to do this that long after ADRA this process will still be taking place and communities working together to bring about positive change.

Author: Kerryn Lodo

A step towards a better future: The case of one orphan in Neno district

Agnes Mc Donald dropped out of school in standard 4 when she became orphaned and had no support to continue with her education. Her ambition was to become a medical doctor but her fate saw this dream slowly slip down the drain.

Born fifth in a family of six children in Joliji Village, T/A Chekucheku Neno, Agnes’s story is like just like may others’ in the district and the country at large. Some of Agnes’s older siblings have moved elsewhere to earn a living, leaving her with the responsibility to fend for food and other basic necessities. She is still holding on to her dream of getting educated and having a productive life although she does not have an immediate solution to her problem.
The ADRA IHFS project, with funding from Danida came in to assist young people like Agnes with their problem by training them in vocational skills so that they can have better means of generating income for their households and their education. A total of 65 child household heads and orphans have been trained for four months in skills like tinsmith, tailoring, carpentry and joinery and bricklaying in Mulanje and Neno districts. The beneficiaries also received training in entrepreneurship and small scale business management.

In order not to kill the dream that Agnes and many other children in her situation may have of becoming future leaders and professionals, the project established links with government department of youth as well as department of social welfare for these children to be supported and encouraged to go back to school. Today Agnes is a fully trained and certified tailor by the national certification body. She planned to back to school and make items to sell in her free time instead of spending all her time looking for piece work in people’s garden. It is the hope of ADRA Malawi that the skills imparted in these young boys and girls will sooner or later prove vital in their lives and that they will be able to develop their own lives as well as their communities.

Author: Thoko Mwapasa

Life Skills Clubs

Eight schools, in T/A Njolomole of Ntcheu district in Malawi, participated in ADRA LICEN Project quiz competition in February and March 2009.

The objective was to encourage the spirit of learning and technology adoption through participatory approaches in agriculture, home economics, craft work, gender, HIV and AIDS and Children Rights.

The quiz finals took place on March 5th at Gowa Full Primary School. The schools competing in the finals were Thanganyika, Kampanje and Muwalo.
Thanganyika school emerged winners at with 37 points amassed as compared to 17 for Kampanje and 10 for Muwalo.

The National Radio one of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation covered the proceedings at the finals.
In attendance were the District Education Manager for Ntcheu, District Information Officer, District Youth Officer, Primary Education Advisor, reverends, head teachers, teachers, school committee members, parents and pupils from the 3 contesting schools and the hosting venue.

These activities where funded by ADRA Australia and the Australian Government.

Author: Francis Zande

A case of child abuse

Ziwani Ziyendani (not his real name) is 14 years old and has been a victim of child abuse since the death of both parents. ADRA Malawi Community Workers have helped him to report the abuse to the District Social Welfare Office.

Ziwani Ziyendani moved from ill-treating aunt
Ziwani Ziyendani lives in Chikumbu, Mulanje District, and lost both parents in 1998. When he was orphaned he came to live with an aunt, who was treating him ill. This matter came to the awareness of the wife of village Headman Malota, who has a keen interest in the affairs on the orphans in the village. She rescued Ziwani Ziyendani from his aunt and brought him to his cousins.

Driven out of school by abusive family
Ziwani Ziyendani has lived three years at his cousins’ place, but here the abuse only continued. Ziwani Ziyendani was against his will forced out of school. He was in standard 6 at Mithande Primary School. Ziwani Ziyendani was so interested in continuing his education that he attended classes even though he was told to stay out of school. He was discouraged when the family sold his goats he got from the Oxfam’s Income Generating Activity programme and when they tore all his note books apart to make him stay out of school. The family got their will and Ziwani Ziyendani has been out of school since.

Ziwani Ziyendani reported the abuse with help from ADRA
The wife of village Headman Malota became aware of the abuse and reported it to the chief who is yet to intervene. Ziwani Ziyendani also reported the abuse to one of ADRA’s Community Workers, who has been talking with the Headman concerning the issue. So far psychological support has been rendered. The District Social Welfare Office is the highest level in the District which looks after the welfare of children and women and turning in a report takes willpower and courage. ADRA has helped Ziwani Ziyendani to report the abuse to the District Welfare Office by empowering him and giving support. Now Ziwani Ziyendani’s rights and welfare are in focus and the abuse will be stopped.

Authors: Elizabeth Kantukule, Sidsel Faurholt

Let's fight HIV/AIDS in Malawi

LEFAM project funded by DANIDA is responding to well defined needs and problems in rural areas. The project activities have targeted the most vulnerable groups as well as the general population through its communication components. The project has adopted a culture-sensitive Communication for Social Change (CFSC) approach, with genuine respect for indigenous cultural traditions, practices and beliefs.

Communication for Social Change is defined as a process of public and private dialogue through which people themselves define who they are, what they need and how to get what they need in order to improve their own lives. It utilizes dialogue that leads to collective problem identification, decision-making and community based implementation of solutions to development issues.

Bellow you will find a number of images illustrating some of the activities ADRA's LEFAM project is promoting:

Phtoto 1: Capacity building through trainings - Being an implementing and not money lending institution ADRA Malawi believes in teaching people how to fish, with this background ADRA’s Lets Fight HIV/AIDS (LEFAM) organized a series of training sessions to train its farmers clubs members on harvesting and storage procedures of yields. In this picture an old woman a farmers’ club member shows his gratitude to ADRA over the training.

Photo 2: Donor representative Inger Olsen addresses participants to a Theater for Development training at M’biza site in Mulanje. In her presentation Larson emphasized on the need for participants to grasp the participatory theater concept and utilize the knowledge gained as one surest way of advocating social change.

Photo 3: Child abuse is a reality in Malawi’s rural settings when children are not forced into early marriages; they are vulnerable to abuse. Some irresponsible parents and guardians even abandon their parental role and thereby indirectly leading their children astray as they tend to fend for themselves. In this picture captured during a Kid’s Day children cry-out for the respect of their rights and dignity.

Photo 4 - Every long journey, they say, starts with a single step it is in this philosophy that ADRA Malawi’s LEFAM Project embarked on a Journey of Hope in which the youth are being taught abstinence skills as portrays in this picture where they have to go through a narrow path to their destination.

Author: Emma Jakobo