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.

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 

 

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.

Machinga stakeholders impressed with ADRA Malawi supported CBGs

Mamangina Madikiza-Madumuse
ADRA Malawi partners in Machinga were impressed after visiting the Action for Social Change Program (ASC) activities in the district. The partners included government department’s representatives and those from non-governmental organizations. According to Justine Kumadzulo, ASC Machinga District Manager the objective of the visit was to familiarize partners with community based groups and their activities as part of the exit strategy.
Partners visited Alinafe Support Group in Traditinal Authority Kawinga. The group was formed in 1997 and in 2012 it was registered with Network of People Living with and AIDS in Malawi (NAPHAM).   Members of this group said had undertaken different self-initiated campaigns to reduce stigma and discrimination for people living with HIV/AIDS.  Group members provided evidence of reduced cases of stigma and discrimination and that the membership had been increased. By August 2014 the group had 38 members of which 4 were males. 

Alinafe Support Group members addressing partners

Despite making gains in reducing stigma and discrimination, the groups faced challenges that included lack of self-support as it was solely relied on external support to carry out activities. It was also noted that young people were not members of the group.  Poor male patronage was also a major concern as the group was dominated by women. Efforts have been made persuade men to join the group but none has worked.
Partners also visited the Mbonechera Cotton Association, comprising 1800 farmers. One of the tasks of the association is to lobby for lucrative markets and provide a platform for farmers to negotiate with government and other agro business agents.  It was observed that some of the farmers in the association did not understand the purpose of the grouping. The leadership feared that most members expected instant results, whereby farmers thought they would have ready and lucrative markets for their produce but seemingly it was taking too long to realize this.  Partners however, observed that the association was well organized and was set  as an opportunity for progress in the area for future faming prospects.
And last to be visited was  Mangamba reflect circle which was empowered by ADRA Malawi as an advocacy champion group. This group had been engaged in many advocacy activities including the fencing of Liwonde National Park to keep elephants at bay from destroying crops and threatening people’s lives.

Mangamba REFLECT Circle addressing partners on advocacy activities undertaken

The group also conducted a campaign on sanitation at Mangamba market. Through this campaign the market is now clean and toilets have been built.
The group told district partners that Mangamba Police Unit had only two police officers not enough to meet the security demand in the area. It was also  discovered that suspects at the police unit were subjected to dehumanizing conditions and since police officers were part of the visiting team they reacted on the report and pledged to do something on the matter.
After the visit partners said in an interview that the trip was successful and full of lessons.
 “It was important for ADRA to take us to their program impact areas where we saw the strengths and weaknesses of the groups. I hope my organization and others will do likewise,” said  the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from World Vision who declined to be named.
The Action for Social Change Program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change in Machinga, Mulanje, Lilongwe and Mzimba districts.

ADRA Malawi shines at Blantyre Trade Fare

By Mamangina Madikiza-Madumuse
The 2014 Agriculture Trade Fare will go into history books as the first ever agriculture show case that ADRA Malawi participated. The fare which ran from 28th to 30th 2014 under the theme " Agriculture: A Basis for Achieving Inclusive Growth", was officially opened by President Peter Mutharika at Chichiri Trade fare grounds in Blantyre.
According to the Malawi Confederation of Commerce and Industry, who organized the event, about 100 exhibitors comprising buyers, producers, farmer organizations and researchers erected pavilions at the fare.
The ADRA Malawi pavilion was organized by the empowered Kawinga Cooperative from Machinga and Tagwirizana Smallholder famers Association from Mulanje. The two groups displayed a variety of agricultural products including pigeon peas, sunflower, sunflower cooking oil, ground nuts, groundnut flour and cassava flour.

ADRA Malawi pavilion at the fare

The Tigwirizane Smallholder Farmer Association emerged as an outstanding performer in the category of farmer organization after organizers were impressed with the display of pigeon peas, sunflower and sunflower cooking oil.
The ADRA Malawi empowered groups also took  advantage of the agriculture show to expose themselves to potential markets as they received numerous enquiries from buyers. The Blantyre based Universal Industries Company had an interest in Kawinga Cooperative for the supply of   ground nuts, groundnuts flour and cassava flour.  Another Blantyre based company Export Trading developed deep interest in Tigwirizane Smallholder’ s potential to supply pigeon peas.
ADRA Malawi Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Thoko Mwapasa could not hold her excitement when she said that this was a landmark achievement. “ This is no mean achievement  , I congratulate the farmer groups and the ADRA Malawi team for their coordinated effort to make this achievement ‘ said Thoko.
ADRA Malawi through the Action for Social Change Program has facilitated formation and strengthened farmer groups and associations into viable civil society actors to advocate for better livelihoods in the communities. 

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First FBS students graduate in Machinga

Elias Banda
Eighteen Famer Business School (FBS) students have graduated in Machinga with mandate to take farming business to greater heights. The graduation ceremony which was spiced by dances, songs, drama and speeches took place at Nanyumbu Extension Planning Area (EPA) offices.
ADRA Malawi collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture to build the capacity of 16 women and 2 men into agri-business activities. Before certificates were awarded, the graduating students erected pavilions, where they demonstrated the acquired skills in market research, gross margin analysis and business planning. Through market research, the graduates would now be able to analyze different cash crops and find suitable markets while the gross margin analysis would help them compare enterprises to find profitable markets. This also included an element of value addition to the crops produced. Business planning would help them access loans from the lending institutions because it was the vital part of the lending requirements.
The function was attended by chiefs, agriculture extension workers and ADRA Malawi staff.
Speaking earlier after certificate presentation, Action for Social Change (ASC) Program Manager Emma Jakobo  said that FBS was a new concept in ADRA Malawi and it was one of the strategies to reduce poverty in the rural communities. She urged the graduates to put the skills acquired to meaningful use.

One of the graduates receiving her certificate from the DPM as Emma Jakobo looks on

Speaking during the function, Traditional Authority Kawinga thanked ADRA Malawi for empowering the community with the skills in agri-business and assured the gathering that the knowledge invested would improve the quality of life in the area.
Machinga Agriculture Development Division (ADD) Deputy program Manager Benard Banda who was also Guest of Honor at the function thanked ADRA Malawi for the tireless efforts to improve the lives of people in Traditional Authority Kawinga’s area. He said ADRA Malawi had planted a seed whose fruits would be enjoyed by many people. He urged farmers in the area to take faming as a business.
The Action for Social program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change.
        

Mwanza woman finds gold in VS&L initiative

By Grey Sagawa and Kingsley Namizinga

Catherine Makungwa, 29 and mother of 4 boys hails from Sudala Village, Traditional Authority Kanduku in Mwanza District. In 2012, Catherine was divorced and life for her became unbearable as it was difficult to cope with responsibilities that go with a single parent. She struggled to find food and sending children to school. All hopes were shattered and in desperate situations, she spent most of her time doing ganyu (casual labor) in other people’s fields. Ganyu sapped all her energy that could have been used in her own field, thereby creating a vicious circle of food insecurity in her household. It never rained on Catherine but poured on her when she only could afford one meal in a day and eventually, her children started showing signs of malnutrition. Meanwhile, the grass-thatched house she lived in was dilapidated and was on a verge of collapsing.

 But in a dramatic turn of events as though she was dreaming, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief when in October 2012 she got the news that the Village Savings and Loan program (VSL) was introduced by ADRA Malawi through the DFID supported Enhanced Community Resilience Program (ECRP). At first, Catherine felt that she was not the right candidate because she was too poor to meet the requirements of the VSL initiative. But she gathered courage and joined the group called Tiyese (let’s try). The name depicts the doubts the members of the group had, whether their lives would improve after joining the group.

Upon joining VSL, she was happy to discover that her needs were met. She was happy when for the first time in her life, she got her first loan of K10, 000 (about $25) and she used the loan to set up a business selling doughnuts and bananas. A few months later, her life started changing and the more she repaid the loan the higher were her dreams for her household. At the first sharing out, she bought 24 iron sheets for her new house. Apart from the improved livelihood, Catherine’s self esteem has also been raised because she is now economically independent.

And Catherine could not hide her excitement when she said, “ I would like to thank ADRA Malawi for introducing VSL in our village. The most marginalized members of our village have now changed for the better and VSL is indeed the weapon for defeating poverty”

 The ECRP project is being supported by DFID, Irish aid and the Royal Norwegian Embassy to reach out to 4000 households with climate change mitigation initiatives in Mwanza District.

Community passes law to reduce illiteracy

By Elias Banda
In a bid to increase literacy levels community members at Group Village Mdondwe in Lilongwe have passed a law enforcing men and women to attend adult classes. During a village meeting community members agreed that those who would not register and attend classes would pay a fine of K3000 (about $6). The unanimous decision was arrived at upon getting the news that all 22 people who sat for October 2013 examinations in the village adult class failed to reach the passing mark.  
Speaking in an interview Village Head Mdondwe said the results were unacceptable given the high levels of illiteracy in his village where many people could not read and write. He said it was difficult for his subjects to participate in community development activities when they could not read and write. During the interview the village head was visibly shocked by the results his village got and expressed concern that his village would lag behind in development if illiteracy was sustained. He therefore gave a stern warning that he would deal with failures. The chief however said he was optimistic that things would improve with the imposition of a fine because people would now be serious.
 Last year ADRA Malawi, through the Action for Social Change Program facilitated establishment of an adult class in the area for people to learn how to read, write and count. Meanwhile, classes have resumed in the village and an impromptu visit to area showed an overwhelming class attendance.
The Action for Social Change Program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change in Tradional Authority Tsabango in Lilongwe.

Community amends initiation policy to control early pregnancies in Mulanje

By Elias Banda
The  initiation policy has been revisited in Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje to bring under control cases of early pregnancies while fostering the promotion of delayed sex debut among younger girls.
Prior to the review process girls and boys aged between 9 and 10 years were legible for initiation and were exposed to sex and family matters, a situation widely condemned by the community because such issues were morally against their age.  And when they graduated, they were expected to put what they learn t into practice, a  situation that led to increased early pregnancies and marriage. Early sex debut   also had a bearing on school dropout among girls as they highly preferred marriage to school. 

mothers are now encouraging and supporting the girl child to go to school

Hot issue: community members debating the initiation ceremony policy review.

ADRA Malawi through the Enhanced Livelihood Gender Empowerment Project (ELGE) launched a sensitization campaign by engaging community leaders and traditional counselors known as Anankungwi in the local language, emphasizing on the effects of   the custom. A series of community dialogue sessions were conducted to analyze the impact of the cultural practice and how it would affect the society at large.
Group Village Headman Chitambi said things were now changing and it was imperative that some of the traditional practices especially those that impinged human freedoms were removed from the society.
The current policy adopted by chiefs enforces that those legible for initiation ceremony should be 13 years and above and that matters of sex and family should be removed. The new policy also highlights that religious organizations should be engaged to provide spiritual and moral support to the girls and boys while they undergo initiation ceremony. 
Speaking in an interview, ELGE Project Manager Andiyesa Mhango said since the amendment of the policy, there is an observed shift from reliance on traditional counselors as sole girl instructors to mothers taking more responsibility of instructing their daughters.     Andiyesa said that the increased women enrollment in the adult literacy program is encouraging more parental support in the girl child education. She said that her project is monitoring the situation though there are positive indications that the targeted communities are now placing more value on education than culture.
The ELGE Project is being supported by Sweden to bring about individual and society positive change in Mulanje.