LILONGWE, 6 November 2008 (IRIN) - What lies under a Malawi farmer's feet that could boost food security? Try better roads.
Each year Wanangwa Munthali harvests at least 100 50kg bags of maize, plus sweet potatoes and beans. But he lives in the north of the country, 45km from the nearest town, Chitipa, and getting his produce to market is a real headache.
"Vehicles hardly use the [bad] road that runs through our village. We have to use oxcarts to ferry our produce to markets, and it's not easy," he told IRIN. "The situation is the same when we want to buy farm inputs, such as seed and fertiliser."
Transporters factor in the poor state of rural feeder roads, many unusable during the rainy season, and charge farmers accordingly. Where the road conditions are really bad they do not venture, cutting off communities from the markets they need.
A Public Expenditure Review (PER) on roads spending, with technical assistance from the World Bank, showed that funding for maintenance was inadequate.
"The official policy in the road sector is to first maintain the existing road network, followed by rehabilitation, upgrading and construction of new roads," the report noted.
"In practice, however, full maintenance has never been funded, and there continues to be a bias towards financing rehabilitation, upgrading and construction of new roads, at the expense of systematic underfunding of routine maintenance."
The cost
The PER pointed out that a poverty alleviation focus was also lacking in expenditure on roads, with access to decent roads heavily skewed in favour of wealthier areas in the country. The poor struggled with limited transport options, constraining their access to markets and opportunities.
The price tag for the maintenance and rehabilitation of Malawi's road network is estimated at US$50 million per year, covered by a Road Fund that raises money through a fuel levy, road taxes and donor aid.
Zeria Banda, communication manager at the World Bank country office, said the PER noted that while Malawi's main roads were in good condition, as much as 74 percent of the subsidiary road network was unpaved and mostly in poor shape.
Malawi's National Roads Authority estimates that it would take about US$500 million over the next five years to bring 70 percent of the country's road network up to standard, as about 11,000km of roads required rehabilitation.
The PER suggested that an increase to the fuel levy would be necessary to help pay for the work, in a country where over half the population live on less than a dollar a day and depend on subsistence farming for survival.
"The increase should be carried out gradually, however, and poverty and the social impacts of raising funding from the fuel levy should be assessed in comparison to alternatives," the PER said.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Columbia teen lauded for work in Malawi
The Friends of Little Field Home would like to congratulate Alison Cramer, 19, of Columbia, for her great service working in Malawi, Africa.
The Friends of Little Field Home is an organization that supports the Little Field Home orphanage and medical clinic in Chigamba Village, Malawi, by providing financial and developmental support. The Little Field Home houses 72 orphans and supports 50 families.
"Alison worked extensively with the community. She handed out malaria nets and discussed with the residents future projects to help bring commerce into the area," said Janet Littlefield, who led the trip and is the Executive Director of Friends of Little Field Home. "She worked tirelessly to give hope to the vulnerable children in this poverty stricken area. "
Cramer was also involved in the after-school enrichment program and would read and write with the youngest children.
She lived in the Chigamba Village, in the southeast corner of Malawi, from July 1-25. Chigamba Village does not have electricity nor running water. The village is in an area that has extreme poverty with many of the residents suffering from HIV, malnutrition and malaria. Cramer was moved by the simplicity of life in rural Malawi.
"Doing laundry and hauling water were the most humbling experiences of my life," Cramer said.
She worked with the community, encouraging village residents to use their malaria nets and get tested for HIV/AIDS. Cramer was very moved by the experience and appreciated the values the Malawians upheld within their community and was most impressed with the resilience of the children.
"The children at the orphanage have all lost their parents and are living in one of the poorest countries in the world, but there is one thing that they have plenty of; the children's hearts and lives are full of love and compassion. The strength of these people never ceases to amaze me," Cramer said.
She felt the experience in Malawi has changed her life and she wants to go back. "The children in Chigamba Village taught me more than I could ever hope to teach them. It may be a long time, but I am sure that I will make it back to the small orphanage in Malawi one day because I miss it every day that I have been back," Cramer said.
If you would like to find out more about the Friends of Little Field Home go to www.littlefieldhome.org.
The Friends of Little Field Home is an organization that supports the Little Field Home orphanage and medical clinic in Chigamba Village, Malawi, by providing financial and developmental support. The Little Field Home houses 72 orphans and supports 50 families.
"Alison worked extensively with the community. She handed out malaria nets and discussed with the residents future projects to help bring commerce into the area," said Janet Littlefield, who led the trip and is the Executive Director of Friends of Little Field Home. "She worked tirelessly to give hope to the vulnerable children in this poverty stricken area. "
Cramer was also involved in the after-school enrichment program and would read and write with the youngest children.
She lived in the Chigamba Village, in the southeast corner of Malawi, from July 1-25. Chigamba Village does not have electricity nor running water. The village is in an area that has extreme poverty with many of the residents suffering from HIV, malnutrition and malaria. Cramer was moved by the simplicity of life in rural Malawi.
"Doing laundry and hauling water were the most humbling experiences of my life," Cramer said.
She worked with the community, encouraging village residents to use their malaria nets and get tested for HIV/AIDS. Cramer was very moved by the experience and appreciated the values the Malawians upheld within their community and was most impressed with the resilience of the children.
"The children at the orphanage have all lost their parents and are living in one of the poorest countries in the world, but there is one thing that they have plenty of; the children's hearts and lives are full of love and compassion. The strength of these people never ceases to amaze me," Cramer said.
She felt the experience in Malawi has changed her life and she wants to go back. "The children in Chigamba Village taught me more than I could ever hope to teach them. It may be a long time, but I am sure that I will make it back to the small orphanage in Malawi one day because I miss it every day that I have been back," Cramer said.
If you would like to find out more about the Friends of Little Field Home go to www.littlefieldhome.org.
Faith-backed survey warns workers in Malawi being exploited
A survey commissioned by the Centre for Social Concern of the Roman Catholic Church in Malawi has revealed that meagre salaries offered by the private sector are fuelling poverty in a country where one in every 45 people live on less than one dollar a day, reports Ecumenical News International.
"There are adults who work for 12 hours a day, seven days a week but get a wage of less than 5000 kwacha (US$35) per month," reads a recent statement issued by the centre. "Employees stay in exploitative conditions out of desperation because of high employment."
"There are adults who work for 12 hours a day, seven days a week but get a wage of less than 5000 kwacha (US$35) per month," reads a recent statement issued by the centre. "Employees stay in exploitative conditions out of desperation because of high employment."
Nigeria, Malawi to foster relations
Nigeria and Malawi are on the path of fostering deeper relations in order to develop each other, Nigeria's High Commissioner to the that country has said. The oil rich country also through the relationship, intends to utilize Malawi's strategies and policies in order to achieve food security.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Malawi Folake Marcus Bello said that the first point to the relationship was to establish an office in the warm heart of Africa.
“We are trying to foster a deeper relation with Malawi. Right now we do not have an address; we are based in Lusaka, Zambia. I have asked the Malawi president on the possibility of opening an office,” said Bello after she presented letters of credence recently to Malawi’s president Bingu Wa Mutharika.
Bello said that the Southern African country has done so well in agriculture hence looking forward to using its policies, according Malawi’s local Daily Times.
Malawi has impressed with its fertilizer subsidy programme which led to its president Bingu Wa Muntharika earning international recognition recently.
Nigeria is not the first country to emulate Malawi’s food security policies as Namibia also did so a few months ago.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Malawi Folake Marcus Bello said that the first point to the relationship was to establish an office in the warm heart of Africa.
“We are trying to foster a deeper relation with Malawi. Right now we do not have an address; we are based in Lusaka, Zambia. I have asked the Malawi president on the possibility of opening an office,” said Bello after she presented letters of credence recently to Malawi’s president Bingu Wa Mutharika.
Bello said that the Southern African country has done so well in agriculture hence looking forward to using its policies, according Malawi’s local Daily Times.
Malawi has impressed with its fertilizer subsidy programme which led to its president Bingu Wa Muntharika earning international recognition recently.
Nigeria is not the first country to emulate Malawi’s food security policies as Namibia also did so a few months ago.
Malawi committed to assisting HIV-positive prisoners
Malawi Health Minister Khumbo Kachali on Thursday said that government was committed to address a number of challenges which the country’s prisoners infected and living with HIV/AIDS were facing in the prisons.
Malawi-Health-Prisoners Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe, he said there were a number of programmes, including provision of anti-retro therapy, nutritional foods and other healthcare which have been put in place for the inmates in the country\’s prisons.
"As government we will make sure that all the prisoners who have tested positive acquire treatment and nutritional foods while there," he said.
He also ruled out the possibility of releasing prisoners who are HIV positive and are critically ill, saying it would not be ideal to do so because of the nature of the offence they are answering.
"Being HIV positive is not a passport to have somebody released from prison. What if you murdered someone while HIV-positive?” he wondered.
The Minister admitted that a significant size of the prison population in Malawi was infected and living with HIV/Aids.
Malawi-Health-Prisoners Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe, he said there were a number of programmes, including provision of anti-retro therapy, nutritional foods and other healthcare which have been put in place for the inmates in the country\’s prisons.
"As government we will make sure that all the prisoners who have tested positive acquire treatment and nutritional foods while there," he said.
He also ruled out the possibility of releasing prisoners who are HIV positive and are critically ill, saying it would not be ideal to do so because of the nature of the offence they are answering.
"Being HIV positive is not a passport to have somebody released from prison. What if you murdered someone while HIV-positive?” he wondered.
The Minister admitted that a significant size of the prison population in Malawi was infected and living with HIV/Aids.
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