ADRA Malawi donates to Nsanje flood victims

By Elias Banda

ADRA Malawi has donated food items worth K1.5 million ($8, 982) as a response to floods that hit Nsanje District in the lower shire valley.
In January, 448 households in Nsanje were displaced and crops destroyed due to heavy floods,  making people vulnerable to starvation and water borne diseases.
The Nsanje District Commissioner (DC) Rodney Simwaka was quoted in the local press as saying that flooding originated from Shire, Nyamalikombe and Thanguzi rivers, heavily hitting Bangula and Phokela areas where 323 houses were destroyed and 125 other houses partially submerged.
He said people whose houses were damaged sought refuge in classrooms, a situation that affected the education systems as some schools risked being closed.
The DC also disclosed that 550 toilets were washed away, posing a health risk and he called for emergency health facilities to dispel chances of a possible cholera outbreak.
ADRA Malawi joined other none governmental organizations responding to the disaster by donating 3 tones of Likuni Phala (soy flour) and 10,000 kilograms of maize. The donation was done on April 15, 2012  in Traditional Authority Mlolo, one of the affected areas along the Shire East Bank.  
Speaking in an interview, ADRA Finance Director Elijah Menyere said the donation was a direct response to those affected due to flooding.

Mary’s story reveals vicious circle of poverty and HIV/AIDS

 By Stanley Mpasa

 

Mary Jonasi, 13 hails from Nkhonya Village in Mulanje and she heads a family of four children after her mother past away.  But before she died, Mary narrates that their situation had been catastrophic.
Soon after she was born, her father, Mr.Jonasi, abandoned them and went to the unknown destination and since then, he has never returned. Her mother got married to another man, Mr Mose. They later had a child who was named Dalitso(Blessing),  now 10 years. The blessing became a curse when Mr.Mose also left  them a few months after Dalitso’s birth. Her mother struggled for a couple of years to raise the children and sending them to school became the last option before she fail in love to another man, Mr Tomasi. The new man stayed for three years and left after the birth of another child Enifa who is now 5 years old. However,  Mr Mose returned three years later and was reunited with the family. A year later another child,  Lony  was born.

Mary further narrated that Mr Mose was a changed man on his seconding coming. He was very cruel. He took turns raping her and she became pregnant. She was forced to abort apparently for fear that relatives might launch an inquiry. Meanwhile, her mother could not do anything because she wanted to protect her marriage. “He used to beat her and abuse her whenever he was drunk and life was miserable for us all” she said. She said her mother became pregnant again but she miscarried because she was beaten several times. She went to the hospital for treatment but continued to bleed again. The matter was reported to police and he was arrested. The man was later released but never returned home. Her mother died later due to miscarriage complications. 
 

Mary, a brother and sisters in front of their house

 A much closer view of their house.

After the death of her mother, her uncle took care of them for a short time and after he abandoned them, Mary took the responsibility of looking after her two sisters and a brother.
Mary said that a local organization FOMO (Friends of Mulanje Orphans) sometimes gave them food items. She said did survive by collecting firewood from Mulanje Mountain which sale and feed the family. During maize harvest time, she said she did some casual labour by helping people to harvest their maize at a fee or in exchange for some of the grain.
 In 2011 Mary fell seriously ill and when she went to the hospital for treatment, while there, she,   she tested for HIV and was found to be positive. “ I am currently on  Anti retroviral Treatment ( ART) but I face so many challenges to access food to compliment with the drugs” she said. To make things even worse, their small house fell on one side last year because of the rains. A nearby community based group later built them another house but it fell too because the rainy season started before it was roofed.
In a turn of events, ADRA Malawi through the TOT Project has given Mary several counselling sessions on positive living, food items and money. TOT counsellors are visiting Mary frequently to offer psychosocial counselling. 

Kitchen utensils that they use.

Mary has also been encouraged to go back to school. She is now in std 3, Dalitso in std 2, Enifa in std 1 and Lony is attending preschool education at FOMO.
Mary is appealing for more support from individuals and organizations to help them meet their daily needs. 
The Trainer of Trainers for Counsellor Preparation in Africa (TOT) Project is implemented by ADRA Malawi with funding from ADRA Sweden. It is involved in the training of Community based Counsellors who raise the awareness of HIV/ AIDS and the related services that are available. They also encourage Community members to go HIV Testing. The Project works closely with the SDA Church.

A rare treat at staff retreat

By Elias Banda

Full of pleasure and fun, enjoyable and memorable are words describing the two –day staff retreat organized by ADRA Malawi for the Action for Social Change Program (ASC) team at the Lakeshore District of Mangochi. The adventurous program was initially planned for Christmas holiday but failed due to tight program schedules.   Program Manager Emma Jakobo said the staff expedition was organized to be a moment of refreshing, relaxing, sharing experiences and team building.
The ASC team camped at the Nkopola Sunbird Hotel, North of Mangochi town and 2kms off the Mangochi –Monkey Bay Road. The team was drawn from all program targeted districts of Mulanje, Machinga, Mzuzu, Lilongwe and those from the Head Office in Blantyre.
In between the sumptuous meals served at the hotel, the team was engaged in various merriment activities full of fun on the lake side, including beach soccer.

Some team members in front of the marked rock.

On Tuesday, the team took a 30 minutes drive to Cape Maclear to view the natural water front dotted with beautiful islands within Chembe fishing community.  On the way to Chembe the ASC team had a stop -over at a place called Mwala wa mphini in the local language meaning ‘marked stone’. This is one of the many wonders in the area as the huge stone is marked with straight and deep lines believed to have been done by the ancestors. But close range view sparked debate as to what type of equipment the ancestors might have used to come up with the marks. If it was formed by natural forces, how come the structure had patterns of marks as if somebody had arranged them

Team B heading for Thumbi Islan

that way? These were some of the questions that could not be easily answered as team members revolved around the wondrous stone.
After viewing the astounding stone, the ASC team trekked down to the lake side for a two –kilometer boat riding to Thumbi Island where team members viewed the mbuna fish.
The team leant that Lake Malawi has over 1000 fish species including the multi-colored mbuna found around the Thumbi rocks. The evening activities were spiced by team building activities that included Bible Quiz and a presentation on HIV/AIDS.
 During the same time, George Million who has joined the program as Deputy Program Manager was formerly introduced.  George has a strong background in agriculture and his coming in the ASC program would strengthen the food security and livelihood component.
The following day, a beach soccer competition ensued involving four teams. In the preliminary encounter, Machinga beat Mzuzu 1-0 in the post match penalties while Lilongwe scotched Mulanje 1-0.
Machinga emerged winner after beating Lilongwe 3-2 in the final with Elias Banda toping the score sheet by shaking the net three times after making defenders vulnerable.   The winning team and runners up were given trophies later in the evening, courtesy of Emma Jakobo.
In the afternoon, the team visited Koma Crocodile Camp and it was exciting to see crocodiles from infancy stages up to as old as 48. One lesson leant while viewing crocodiles was that just like humans, they are jealousy creatures and males could fight over the females. 

One of the scenes on the beach

The ASC team got another rare treat on Wednesday when the hotel hosted them with dinner, spiced by music and dancing. The excitement and fun reached higher grounds as members took turns invading the dancing floor with incredible styles.  But before the dancing floor was opened, trophies were awarded to the beach soccer winners and the voted most sociable and caring persons in the team. The first prize went to Chikondi Madumuse, followed by Emma Jakobo and third by Neema Kachali and Gift Mwenda.
 Nevertheless, the adventure seemed to be short lived as sadness struck on Thursday morning when it was  time to leave and somber faces manifested as team members bid farewell with tears.  The adventure brought happiness and offered an opportunity for staff members to know and strengthen each other as one family. Levison Maolera, Office Assistant based in Blantyre described it as a moment of learning and sharing and he urged management to consider organizing a similar event in future.

Machinga CBGs on a flight of hope

By Justine Kumadzulo

It is not easy in some places for people to openly discuss matters of sexuality in public due to cultural taboos which define sex issues as sacred and shameful such that those who brave the situation and talk about them, the society would brand them as being associated with prostitution.   Nevertheless, Community Based Groups (CBGs) in Machinga are on the right path to break the silence and recently, ADRA Malawi through the Action for Social Program mobilized 40 CBG representatives from Traditional Authority Kawinga in the district into HIV and AID training to promote behavior change.
The four –day training, among other objectives aimed at promoting open discussion on matters of sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The expected change of the training, facilitated by Save the Children and Ntaja Clinic was that the trained members would initiate dialogue at household and community levels and provoke them to discuss matters of sex and HIV and AIDS.
Cases of HIV and AIDS are reportedly high in the district, affecting individuals and communities through severe opportunistic infections and death of bread winners. The situation has increased the number of destitute children who are exposed to child labor, abuse and prostitution.

A role play depicting the danger of girls falling in love with elderly men

In her opening remarks HIV and AIDS Program Technical Officer Judith Kumwenda said that ADRA Malawi organized the training to ensure that the CBGs got knowledge on HIV and AIDS prevention and equip their communities with the right information.
The Program District Coordinator for Machinga, Justin Kumadzulo urged participants to take the training seriously considering that they would be expected to relay the information to other people.

fleet of hope with card characters. Participants were given pictures and asked to place them in the boat of their choice according to the character or profession of  a person. The idea is that at the end of it, each one should be in the safe boat.

 The participants were drawn from youth groups, faith groups, home based care and support groups. On the final day of the training,  one of the participants, John khanene said the skills acquired during the training would go a long way changing the face of their communities especially on matters of stigma and discrimination.

The Action for Social Change Program with support from Denmark is collaborating with community based groups and district partners to bring about change in the targeted communities in Machinga, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Mulanje.

CYR applauds Zatonse Radio Program

By Elias Banda

Center for Youth Rehabilitation, (CYR) a Blantyre based organization has received positive response from Blantyre City Assembly to identify 115 sex workers who would be supported to undergo vocational trainings.CYR Executive Director, Marco Chipwaira said the response came after he was featured on the ADRA sponsored Zatonse Radio Program on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). During the program,  he appealed for support from local partners.
  CYR was formed in 2009 with the aim of rehabilitating, promoting and protecting the Malawian youths through psycho-socio, economic and spiritual programs in Blantyre, Zomba and Mulanje.
On Januray 19, 2012, CYR was featured on a live program to respond to issues raised by the general public over increased cases of prostitution in the country, involving young girls manly aged between 11 and 25. Some of the girls have since dropped from school.
The program received overwhelming responses from callers who sought more information and location of the office so that they could visit and present their grievances. Mr Chipwaira said that after the program he received numerous calls from Blantyre, Karonga, Mulanje and Lilongwe where concerned people sought advice to set up committees that would address the growing cases prostitution.  Two families from Bangula and Nancholi in Blantyre complained that their daughters were doing prostitution while at school and they sought redress from CYR.
 He said that sex workers committees have already been established in Mwanza and Muloza Boarder areas.
He also said that the identified sex workers would go for life skill training for two weeks before being allocated to various vocational schools. The sex workers would be identified in Zomba, Blantyre and Mulanje with the age range of 11 -35. He said however that some would be recommended from Mwanza by the committee that has already been established. The anticipation is high that the transformed girls and young women would turn into good citizens and positively contribute to the national development.
“we are very thankful to the management of ADRA Malawi for incorporating us on the Zatonse Radio Program and we expect good partnership with you” Chipwaira said.
The Action for Social Program with support from Denmark is collaborating with different partners to solve the socio-economic challenges facing the country.

Post titleGroundnuts, soybeans can replace tobacco –LL farmers

By Baxter Chilombo -Food Security Facilitator, Lilongwe

ADRA Malawi conducted series of meetings in Traditional Authority Tsabango in Lilongwe to find lasting solutions to challenges farmers face in the wake of low tobacco prices during the previous marketing seasons.

Tobacco is the main cash crop in the area and lower sales have left many farmers helpless, a situation that called for diversity and reduced dependency on the crop as it is now facing anti-smoking campaign in Malawi and globally. As a consequence, the future of tobacco is uncertain and farmers needed a possible replacement. 

Farmers planning activities during one of the meetings.

A tobacco farmer, Mr Phiri who has depended on the crop for over 15 years could not believe the sudden slump on the sales in the previous marketing seasons and expressed fear of increased poverty if farmers do not diversify.

ADRA Malawi through the Action for Social Change program mobilised 360 farming households to discuss alternative crops to replace tobacco.  During the discussions several crops were analysed looking into consideration all possibilities in terms of production and marketing and famers settled on groundnuts and soybeans as possible replacements.

Farmers said the climate is conducive for soybeans and groundnuts and that they have high market value.

Women participation in the discussion was encouraging

This growing season many farmers have grown these crops and ADRA Malawi is linking farmers to agri-business companies and organisations for market accessibilities.

ADRA Malawi has already facilitated formation of 18 market oriented interest groups in the area, each with 20 members to organize small scale farmers and lobby for good prices and conduct market research among other objectives.

ADRA Malawi is also building the capacity of the interest groups in development and agribusiness. The groups are also mentored and encouraged to take farming as a business.
“For decades, we have been growing for sale, marketing strategies have not been given any close attention and we ended up selling our produce at low prices. Its high time we started  thinking of producing for business and select crops that we know better have potential for market and above all we grow as a group’, advised Mr Phiri,  a member of Njobvu Interest Group.
 One of the group members concurred with Mr. Phiri, saying that producing for business can help farmers realise their dreams.
“One thing that I have noted is that venturing into agri-based business cannot be done single handed. It needs all of us to work together because there is no way we can satisfy a market with produce from a few farmers’, noted Mr. Thutambala, a member of  Chiyingira Interest Group.   
Farmer representatives from different interest groups meet on monthly rotational basis to discuss issues of their concerns. In December,  farmer representatives went to a Seed Company (Seed Co) to lobby for inputs and they succeeded securing them.

The Action for Social Change Program is being funded by Denmark.

ADRA Malawi holds annul staff meeting

Chikondi Madikiza-Madumuse – Communications &Advocacy Officer 

ADRA Malawi organised a one day staff meeting on 23rd January in Blantyre for the year 2012. Even though Blantyre drizzled for four days, the weather did not dampen the spirit of staff members.

The meeting aimed at building the relationships among staff members. In his opening remarks acting County Director for ADRA Malawi Michael Usi said ADRA has come a long way and every staff member is of integral importance to the organization.
“This is an important meeting for ADRA Malawi and every member of staff should know that he/she is important to this organization and ADRA is called ADRA because staff members form part of its citizenship,” said Usi.
He urged staff members to be open- minded and explore other and new ways of making ADRA a better working place for everyone.
During the meeting several questions were presented to the staff members in groups so that members would have a better understanding of ADRA’s goal and vision. Discussions of these questions would enable staff members to be on the same footing as regards to ADRA’s vision. The staff members were grouped according to their level of authority to allow them discuss freely.

Mr Usi addressing ADRA staff

ADRA staff members felt the meeting would help strengthen team work and also build up relationships among staff since the meeting offered a rare opportunity for ADRA staff from different projects to interact.
Staff members spoke openly of issues of concern and of particular interest was on how staff members weighed their sense of belonging in ADRA Malawi – Did they regard themselves as part of of ADRA Malawi or aliens in the organization?

Mr Zande and other ADRA staff members

It was interesting and encouraging that most staff members felt they were the rightly placed members of the organization.
During the meeting the Acting Country Director also congratulated one of the Project Managers Mr. Francis Zande on his effort to come up with a proposal that has seen a project emanate in Mwanza District to respond to the climate change challenge.
“I would like to ask you to come with proposals or concept notes so that ADRA has more projects coming. Francis has done us pride. He wrote a proposal and we are receiving funding and people have been employed because of this,” Usi said.
On the other hand management accepted that there has been a shortfall in the department of Human Resources where ADRA does not have a permanent officer at present but pledged that the issue is being looked into and soon the vacancy would be filled.
At the end,   members of staff echoed that the meeting was relevant and said it would be more meaningful  if what was  discussed would be implemented. 

A cross section of ADRA staff during the meeting

Presently ADRA has four projects and one program, Tsogola Labwino (TL) Project operating in Salima; Trainers of Trainers in HIV (TOT) operating in Mangochi, Mulanje, Phalombe, Blantyre; Enhanced Livelihood through Gender Empowerment (ELGE) project operating in Mulanje; Enhanced Community Resilient (ECRP) Project operating in Mwanza, lastly Action For Social Change Program operating in Mulanje , Machinga, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.