The Bold and the Beautiful

The reigning Miss Malawi, Peth Msiska, has hit the campaign trail, not seeking another crown but to be voted into Parliament in her country’s general elections in May 2009.

Msiska, 24, says this is the right time to join the majority Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and run for office because she is "young, focused and determined to serve others as I have always done over the past two years in my capacity as Miss Malawi."

Trading high heels for flat shoes, the beauty queen with a degree in accountancy has swapped fashion and charity events in Blantyre for rallies along dusty roads in her home area of Chileka, in the south of the country.

"I decided to join politics to make a difference in the lives of people, especially those in the rural areas," Msiska told IPS.

Hers is no easy task. Up to 70 percent of Malawi’s population of 14 million is rural, more than half live in poverty and 22 per cent live in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations.

For the people of Chileka, Msiska wants to bring boreholes and taps closer. She knows from her childhood that local women and girls walk up to 10 kilometres to fetch clean water.

Second in her to-do list is bringing electricity. Ironically, Chileka is close to a hydro-electrical power station on the Shire River, Malawi’s longest watercourse, but people here use paraffin lamps and candles.

"Electricity is generated right on their door-steps but they don’t have access to it," she fires. "And it’s unacceptable to see women travelling long distances in search of clean water."

Orphanages and schools are another priority. As Miss Malawi, Msiska fundraised for charities dealing with orphans and the elderly. There are one million orphans in Malawi, according to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

Sharon Gonsalves-Chalira, a 25-year-old secondary school teacher from Chileka, is a fan.

"She is an inspiration not only to young women like me but to the whole community here," she told IPS. "Peth will win the elections and I am sure she will deliver all that she’s promising in her campaign speeches."

Msiska is a powerful motivational speaker, urging young women to see themselves just as capable as men. Just like she does: "I am aware that some people might not take me seriously because I am young but politics it is not about age. I am a very determined woman, principled, confident and qualified to be a member of parliament."

Msiska, who is single, has the backing of her family, and derives strength from praying at the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.

Walk the talk

Malawian women do not often venture into politics because of harassment, intimidation and cultural perceptions that bind them to domesticity, says Emma Kaliya, of the Gender Coordination Network (GCN).

Malawi scores below the sub-Saharan Africa average of female representation in government. Women account for 14 percent in Parliament, 16 percent in the executive arm of government, and 12 per cent in the judiciary.

In the world ranking of women legislators by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, Malawi scored 87 among some 140 countries.

Kaliya says the small number of women in parliament hampers discussions on issues such as maternal deaths and property grabbing from widows.

"We need more women in parliament so that women issues are addressed effectively," said Kaliya.

There is now new hope for improvement. Msiska, like all 425 women parliamentary candidates, has the backing of the 50/50 Campaign, a national effort of government and 42 civil society groups to boost women’s participation in politics and decision-making positions.

The Campaign wants at least half of the 193 parliamentary seats to go to women. It is inspired by the Southern African Development Community target agreed in August by member states, including Malawi, to have a 50 percent representation of women in government by 2015.

To get there, the Campaign is putting its money where its mouth is. All women candidates will be trained in advocacy, lobbying and campaigning, and get $700 as a campaign start-up in their constituencies.

Msiska would not be Malawi’s youngest Member of Parliament. Angela Zachepa was voted into office in 2004 when she was just 22 years old. But Misiska might just be the most glamorous.

Miss Malawi is further inspired by the vice-presidential candidate for the Republican party in the United States, Governor Sarah Palin, who won the third place in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant.

Unlike Palin, who has received a lot of negative coverage in the American press, Msiska has been portrayed positively in the Malawi media.

"It’s high time that people realised that beauty queens can make great leaders," Msiska told IPS.

Malawi media body revokes private radio’s licence

The Malawi Communications and Regulatory Authority (MACRA), a body which regulates functions of the communication sector in the country, revoked a broadcasting licence for Joy Radio, owned by former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi, for failing to operate within the communications provisions.

The radio’s management coordinator Joseph Chapuma confirmed to APA on Saturday that they have received a letter from MACRA on Friday afternoon telling them to discontinue broadcasting for failing to operate within the provisions of the communications act.

"We have been told to close the radio therefore we would soon make an announcement to the nation to inform them about the development and the closure of the radio station," he said.

He added that the management is taking the matter to court through its lawyer Ralph Kasambara to challenge MACRA on the decision.

Recently Joy Radio and state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation (MBC) were told, through Media Council of Malawi (MCM), to withdraw some of their programs mainly those which had political and personal attacks.

Drugs expire in Malawi hospitals

Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) drugs are reported to be expiring in Malawian hospitals as health workers and other professionals that are exposed to the risk of HIV infection are not utilizing the facility. Dr Adrina Mwansambo of the National AIDS Commission in Malawi has told the media.

Many health workers that have been exposed to the risk of HIV infection have been shying to access the PEP service for fear of stigma that might come after accessing the service.

She said PEP drugs that reduce the probability of infection after a person has been exposed to the risk of infection when taken within 70 hours were not being utilized.

However, Dr Mwansambo warned the media to responsibly sensitize the nation on PEP to avoid building misconceptions that an HIV vaccine is available.

“The media should responsibly put across the message on PEP as we don’t want people to be made to believe that there is an HIV vaccine,” she said after the media had shown a lot of interest on the matter.

Concurring with Mwansambo, Amon Nkhata ART officer responsible for sexually transmitted infections said that if news on PEP is irresponsibly disseminated that could lead to confusion and people would deliberately put themselves in risky situations.

He said the media should advance for issues of behavior change and PEP should come in as a last resort.

“It would be catastrophic if the message is wrongly put across and people start to believe that there is a drug that acts more or less as an HIV vaccine,” he said.

PEP drugs are a form of Anti Retro Viral medication that administered to people that have been raped or professionals that have been exposed to the risk of infection.

For a person to benefit from the service, he is tested for HIV and if found to be HIV negative administered the drugs that will reduce the probability of getting infected.

Malawi shuts down ex-president's private radio station

Malawian authorities said Saturday they had closed a private radio station recently taken over by former president Bakili Muluzi as it breached a law barring politicians from owning broadcasters.

"We have revoked the license of Joy radio with immediate effect because it flouted regulations," James Chimera, acting head of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, told AFP.

Chimera said Joy Radio had originally registered as a private independent radio station, but "handed over ownership of the station to politicians which is against the law."

"Malawi laws bar politicians or political parties from owning radio stations, but Joy Radio Limited is wholly owned by the Muluzi family and the former president himself chairs its board," he said.

The station was opened by former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa shortly before Muluzi retired as president in 2004 after two consecutive terms.

Broadcast regulators and the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika often accuse Joy of running inflamatory programmes against the administration.

The radio station has become Muluzi's main propaganda machine, hitting back at campaigns against him in state radio.

Muluzi, who owns vast commercial interests from real estate to transport, has been chosen by his former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) to stand again for president in general elections set for May 19.

He handed over power to his chosen successor Mutharika in 2004, after he failed to amend the constitution to allow him to stand for a third consecutive term.

But Mutharika has turned against his one-time mentor, ditching the UDF to form his own Democratic Progressive Party.

Improved sanitation keeps more girls in school in Malawi

DOWA, Malawi (Updated October 17, 2008) — Eveless purposefully walks to class, knowing that she only has two terms before she goes to secondary school. At 18, she is much older than most of her classmates in the eighth grade. This does not in any way daunt her, as she is focused on staying in school.

School has not always been enjoyable, though. Two years ago, Eveless had to drop out. When she reached puberty the school environment no longer offered her the protection and facilities she needed, such as separate toilets for girls.

"I decided to drop out. When I told my elder sister, she laughed and told me that school is for boys and girls are for marriage," she explains.
Outreach activity

Two years at home did not change anything for Eveless. Her two sisters, who had dropped out of school to get married, came back home poorer than they had left. For Eveless, the only way out of poverty was to go to school so she could fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse.

The outreach activity by the Kawale Primary School sanitation club gave her an opportunity to resume her education.

"When we visit communities, we provide information on good hygiene and sanitation methods. Most villagers do not know the link between disease and poor hygienic methods," noted the patron of the club, Alfred Mazibuko. Members of the sanitation club, who are pupils at the school, also impart this knowledge to fellow students during the morning assembly once a month.

It was through the club that Eveless realized Kawale Primary School now had separate toilets for boys and girls, courtesy of UNICEF.
Conducive to learning

This initiative was carried out under the "Child–friendly Schools" package, a UNICEF intervention intended to create an environment that is conducive to learning in all respects.

Kawale Primary School was provided with a water point and 10 toilets for both girls and boys. As soon as these were built, a substantial rise in girls' enrolment was noted—up from 355 in 2007 to 404 in 2008.

This new, friendly learning environment will perhaps help Eveless realize her ambition to become not only a nurse, but also the first woman from her family to graduate from college.