Two Strathclyde grants for partnership projects in Malawi

Two projects run by Strathclyde in partnership with the University of Malawi are to go ahead through the Scottish Government's International Development Fund.

One of the projects will see the development of solar energy systems for rural communities in Malawi. These could be used to power irrigation systems, provide lighting for schools and widen access to reliable, affordable electricity.

The Making Wonders project The other project will provide computers and assistive software to blind and visually-impaired learners in primary schools and teacher training colleges across the African nation, as well as training staff at Montfort teacher training college to train others to use the technologies.

Strathclyde is the only university to have secured two grants in the new round of Scottish Government funding for sustainable growth projects in Malawi. Awards totalling £3.133 million have been made for 29 projects and Strathclyde's share amounts to £320,897.

The grants continue the University's long-standing relationship with Malawi. Strathclyde also runs the Malawi Millennium Project, which, among other projects, helps to train the country's future teachers, nurses, scientists and engineers.

Dr Peter West, Secretary to the University, said: "Each bid was independently and rigorously assessed and these awards reflect the depth of our commitment to Malawi over many years."

The solar energy project, Community Rural Electrification and Development (CRED), worth £137,638 over three financial years, will pilot the installation of four community solar energy systems, in Malawi's Chikwawa district, which can demonstrate best practice and a sustainable model for social and economic development in rural communities.

An Electrical Engineering Research Fellow at Strathclyde, Damien Frame, has been seconded to Malawi to act as project manager.

Dr Graham Ault, of Strathclyde's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, who has helped to develop the project, said: "At present, only 7 per cent of Malawi's population has access to electricity and the figure is much less in rural areas. Our aim is to increase accessibility through a system which is sustainable and affordable for the people using it.

"Not only will the benefits of this electricity system will be seen in improved agricultural water supplies and lighting but schools will be able to stay open longer, with more hours of study possible and communities can be more enterprising through a basic electricity supply. People in the communities will also be trained to maintain the supplies, creating a sense of ownership."

Meanwhile, the grant for the computers project, worth £183,259 over three financial years, will allow an extension of the Making Wonders programme, which provides training and equipment to support blind and low-vision learners. It will allow the number of schools assisted by the project to increase from 21 to 33.

The new emphasis on primary education and teacher training colleges, in conjunction with the existing provision in secondary schools and colleges, will provide a consistent teaching and learning environment from primary to tertiary education.

Besides purchasing equipment, the funding will also be used to train teacher trainers who will then train teachers to support blind and low vision learners to use the technology. In addition, technical staff are being trained to maintain the computers.

The Making Wonders programme is also working in collaboration with the Dutch-based FORCE Foundation, which will produce talking books in Chichewa, the predominant local language.

Norman Wagstaffe, of Strathclyde's Information Technology Services, said: "It is very apparent that blind and low vision children who have access to these computers at primary school get off to a better start at secondary school, so it makes sense to put the same equipment into more of the primary schools that support blind and low vision learners.

"Up until now, all the software we have supplied had has been in English, which has made it less suitable for use in primary schools. The collaboration with the Force Foundation and their provision of talking books in Chichewa will make this technology even more applicable.

Mr Wagstaffe will be visiting Malawi with Strathclyde IT Development Officer Nicola Smith next month to help lay the foundations for the new scheme.

Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture Linda Fabiani said: "By supporting these projects, Scotland is contributing to the global fight against poverty.

"The projects focus on sustainable economic growth and building the skills and capacity of Malawi to grow and prosper - key priorities for the Government of Malawi. This funding is good news for Scotland, for Malawi and for the world.

"When I visited Malawi earlier this year, I was impressed by the dedication of the many Scottish organisations whose projects have been funded by the Scottish Government, and by the difference their work is making to the people of Malawi."

Visitors from Malawian Centre meet ICM management

Representatives from an ICM Centre in Malawi visited the Christchurch Head Office this week to meet with ICM’s Chief Executive and Chairman.

ICM Chief Executive Professor Tom Thomas welcomed Mr Bressings G. Chilabade and Dr Manuel B. Kazembe from the Staff Development Institute (SDI).

SDI is an important provider of ICM programmes in Malawi. A government-sponsored training institute based in Blantyre district, in the Southern Region of Malawi, it is the only Management and Human Resource Development institution in Malawi whose existence goes back to pre-independent Malawi, the year 1962.

Mr Chilabade, Director of SDI and Dr Kazembe, the Head of its Communication Department, were in the UK to foster closer links between the two organisations, and to review the examination procedures. They also discussed the possibility of additional ICM programmes to be offered by the SDI, and improving the support provided to learners.

Mr Chilabade said how pleased he was with the visit and the time spent with the Chairman Dr Alistair Ford and the Chief Executive Tom Thomas; “It is good to be able to meet ICM staff and to discuss in person issues of common interest.”

Professor Thomas said: “I am always pleased to meet representatives from ICM Centres, and it was a real pleasure to meet these gentlemen from Malawi. We found it very useful to discuss issues, and it was an invaluable opportunity to see how we can further help our Centres in the development and delivery of high quality programmes.”

Visitors from Malawian Centre meet ICM management

ICM Chief Executive Professor Tom Thomas, Communications Assistant Emily McGuinness and Chairman Dr Alistair Somerville Ford with Dr Kazembe and Mr Chilabade from the Staff Development Institute in Malawi. ICM Chief Executive Professor Tom Thomas, Communications Assistant Emily McGuinness and Chairman Dr Alistair Somerville Ford with Dr Kazembe and Mr Chilabade from the Staff Development Institute in Malawi.

Representatives from an ICM Centre in Malawi visited the Christchurch Head Office this week to meet with ICM’s Chief Executive and Chairman.

ICM Chief Executive Professor Tom Thomas welcomed Mr Bressings G. Chilabade and Dr Manuel B. Kazembe from the Staff Development Institute (SDI).

SDI is an important provider of ICM programmes in Malawi. A government-sponsored training institute based in Blantyre district, in the Southern Region of Malawi, it is the only Management and Human Resource Development institution in Malawi whose existence goes back to pre-independent Malawi, the year 1962.

Mr Chilabade, Director of SDI and Dr Kazembe, the Head of its Communication Department, were in the UK to foster closer links between the two organisations, and to review the examination procedures. They also discussed the possibility of additional ICM programmes to be offered by the SDI, and improving the support provided to learners.

Mr Chilabade said how pleased he was with the visit and the time spent with the Chairman Dr Alistair Ford and the Chief Executive Tom Thomas; “It is good to be able to meet ICM staff and to discuss in person issues of common interest.”

Professor Thomas said: “I am always pleased to meet representatives from ICM Centres, and it was a real pleasure to meet these gentlemen from Malawi. We found it very useful to discuss issues, and it was an invaluable opportunity to see how we can further help our Centres in the development and delivery of high quality programmes.”

Malawi immunises two million children against measles

Impoverished Malawi, where one out of every four children dies before their fifth birthday, launched a campaign Tuesday to immunise two million children against measles, health officials said.

"We want to kick out measles because it is a dangerous disease which leads to complications such as blindness and death," Storn Kabuluzi, director of preventive health services, told AFP.

The three-day campaign to be conducted in every region of Malawi will target up to two million children aged between six months and five years, he said.

The children will also receive Vitamin A supplements and be de-wormed to prevent anaemia.

Malawi's programme is part of a global effort by the World Health Organization to wipe out the disease. WHO says vaccination schemes across Africa have driven down measles deaths on the continent from 396,000 in 2000 to just 36,000 in 2006.

Malawi launches measles campaign

Impoverished Malawi, where one out of every four children dies before their fifth birthday, launched a campaign on Tuesday to immunise two million children against measles, health officials said.

"We want to kick out measles because it is a dangerous disease which leads to complications such as blindness and death," Storn Kabuluzi, director of preventive health services, said.

The three-day campaign to be conducted in every region of Malawi will target up to two million children aged between six months and five years, he said.

The children will also receive Vitamin A supplements and be de-wormed to prevent anaemia.

Malawi's programme is part of a global effort by the World Health Organisation to wipe out the disease. WHO says vaccination schemes across Africa have driven down measles deaths on the continent from 396 000 in 2000 to just 36 000 in 2006.

Malawi revokes Pakistani’s business licence

Malawi on Tuesday revoked a business licence belonging to a Pakistani national for engaging children in child labour at his business premises in the capital Lilongwe recently.

Secretary for Labour Ministry Patrick Kabambe said in Lilongwe that the government had closed a restaurant belonging to a Mr Abba and revoked his business licence, a Pakistani national for engaging children age between 13 to 15, to remove wastage in a sewer tank.

\"He has violated labour laws at the same time the rights of children for allowing them to remove the wastage without protecting clothes,\" he said.

He said in the employment act provisions there is a prohibition of child labour, removal of hazardous work and registering young persons to do work – measures which he has violated by using young children as a source of cheap labour instead of hiring a sewer tanker to remove the wastages.

He said the ministry in collaboration with the Malawi police have also arrested the man and he will appear before the court of law probably this week, failing which he would face deportation.

The authorities acted on the businessman following Monday\’s publication of a front page story titled, \"Shocking: Boys Empty Sewer,\" which appeared in the The Nation newspaper with photographs of the youngsters completely soaked in feces in a sewage tank with no protective clothing.

World Bank, UK offer Malawi drought insurance

The World Bank on Tuesday announced its first-ever weather risk management contract to help Malawi mitigate itself from the risk of a severe drought that could leave it vulnerable to having food shortages.

Under the contract, if the maize production in the country, as estimated by the rainfall index, falls to 10% below the historical average, Malawi will receive a payout of up to a maximum of US$5 million.

The UK Department of International Development (DfID), on behalf of Malawi, provided the financial support to cover the premium payment for the contract.

Drought-prone Malawi approached the World Bank for help with managing the risk posed by severe drought. The country is known to suffer from chronic drought that cuts agricultural yields and depresses farmers’ incomes, negatively affecting the government’s budget.

Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said when drought strikes, it increases the price of maize, the main source of food for a large part of the local population.

He said the purchase of the weather hedge is part of a larger framework designed to reduce agricultural risk in the country

\"Agriculture is a major sector and source of growth for the Malawi economy. Market-based weather risk management tools cannot only help protect against the adverse effects of drought but are also potentially valuable for enhancing Malawi\’s food security,\" he said.

According to Director of /the World Bank Treasury’s Banking and Debt Management Department, Gloria Grandolini, weather risk management transactions can be adapted to countries’ specific needs, depending on the type of weather hazard, level of protection, and the estimated financial loss associated with a severe and catastrophic event.

She said the potential application of this product spans diverse sectors like agriculture, energy production, and tourism

\"We see a Malawi contract as a natural complement to our work to help countries access market-based tools for managing a range of risks, including interest rates, currency, commodity and weather related risks,\" she said.