The Malawi government, in conjunction with the European Union (EU), has awarded Netherlands-based firm Vitens-Evides International a five-year contract for the implementation of a periurban water and sanitation project in Lilongwe and Blantyre.
The EU has provided a total of €31-million in the form of a loan and a grant for the project, aimed at rehabilitating the ageing water supply infrastructure in the two cities.
Vitens-Evides will, besides other things, implement a technical operation efficiency improvement programme, a financial and commercial efficiency improvement programme, an investment programme, and a programme to ensure water supply to low-income areas in the two cities in close cooperation with nongovernmental organisations.
The periurban water and sanitation project is part of the second phase of the multimillion-dollar national water development programme, which is financed by, besides the EU, the World Bank, the government of the Netherlands, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the African Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Association, the United Nations Development Programme, Water Aid, the UK’s Department for International Development, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development.
The programme has so far attracted about $300-million in funding.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Senior Malawi police arrested
Blantyre - Eleven senior officers of the Malawi national police were arrested for suspected fraudulent activities within the service, the head of the police said on Thursday.
Inpector general Peter Mukhito said the arrests were a "clean up exercise" to remove officers in the accounts and internal audit departments at the national headquarters.
He said a preliminary audit showed that $150 000 had recently been stolen through dubious payments.
Mukhito said the officers had formed a "syndicate" to steal from police coffers.
He added that some of the arrested "lived beyond their means."
Members of the 7 000-strong national police receive an average salary of $100 a month.
Inpector general Peter Mukhito said the arrests were a "clean up exercise" to remove officers in the accounts and internal audit departments at the national headquarters.
He said a preliminary audit showed that $150 000 had recently been stolen through dubious payments.
Mukhito said the officers had formed a "syndicate" to steal from police coffers.
He added that some of the arrested "lived beyond their means."
Members of the 7 000-strong national police receive an average salary of $100 a month.
Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Amalika Teacher Training College Officially Inaugurated in Republic of Malawi
An estimated 5,000 people attended the official inauguration of Amalika Teacher Training College, established and operated by Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) in Malawi, under the Planet Aid / USDA funded "Food for Progress Program" and with co-funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and UFF Finland.
The Chairperson of DAPP Malawi, Ms. Bolette Strandbygaard, Chairperson of DAPP Malawi, delivered the welcoming remarks:
"We are gathered here - from many corners of Malawi, as well as other corners of the world - because we share a common goal; the goal of a country where all children complete their basic education, where teachers are able to reach each and every child, and where every child in this way has got a foundation to create a better life for him or herself. We are here because we have taken it upon ourselves to play our part in this important task - in so many different ways," she said.
President Bingu wa Mutharika served as the Guest of Honor for the ceremony. The President recognized the critical role that DAPP plays in complementing Governmental efforts in teacher education and other sectors in Malawi and expressed gratitude towards the Government and people of the United States of America for the assistance rendered to Malawi through funding the construction of Amalika College and the college to be constructed in Dowa District.
President Mutharika continued,"I note with great satisfaction that DAPP plans to build and operate 6 teacher training colleges across the country by the year 2014. Eventually producing a total of 1,000 primary school teachers every year. DAPP has already identified resources to build a third college in Dowa. I would like to congratulate DAPP for achieving so much in a short period."
Among the dignitaries present was Mr. Peter Bodde, United States Ambassador to Malawi who highlighted the importance of USG Food Aid assistance to Malawi. "What began in 2006 as a United States Department of Agriculture Food for Progress agreement has flourished into these structures before us. This is what one can do when one has a food surplus," he said.
Ms. Maria Darsbo, the Chairperson for Humana People to People, thanked the US Government and the US Department of Agriculture for their generous support to the people of Malawi on behalf of Planet Aid, Inc. "The Food for Progress Program complements the Malawian Government's poverty reduction efforts being implemented and expressed through the Malawi Growth & Development Strategy," Darsbo said. "The construction of the DAPP Amalika Teacher Training College is one element in a complete development package funded by the United States Government."
Following the speeches, student-teachers and local dancers performed and contributed to making the celebrations very entertaining and colorful.
Background about Planet Aid and the USDA Partnership
The Food for Progress Partnership is a public-private partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Planet Aid, Inc. - with DAPP Malawi as an implementing partner.
Planet Aid is a United States based non-profit organization and also a member of Humana People to People. In 2006 Planet Aid entered into a partnership under the USDA Food for Progress program with the goal to enhance rural development in Malawi.
More than 500,000 Malawians benefit from the Planet Aid-USDA Food for Progress partnership on a yearly basis. The program includes the components of teacher training, nutrition education provided by American Soybean Association's WISHH program, HIV & AIDS prevention, and establishment and operation of Farmers Clubs to increase income and improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Malawi.
The Chairperson of DAPP Malawi, Ms. Bolette Strandbygaard, Chairperson of DAPP Malawi, delivered the welcoming remarks:
"We are gathered here - from many corners of Malawi, as well as other corners of the world - because we share a common goal; the goal of a country where all children complete their basic education, where teachers are able to reach each and every child, and where every child in this way has got a foundation to create a better life for him or herself. We are here because we have taken it upon ourselves to play our part in this important task - in so many different ways," she said.
President Bingu wa Mutharika served as the Guest of Honor for the ceremony. The President recognized the critical role that DAPP plays in complementing Governmental efforts in teacher education and other sectors in Malawi and expressed gratitude towards the Government and people of the United States of America for the assistance rendered to Malawi through funding the construction of Amalika College and the college to be constructed in Dowa District.
President Mutharika continued,"I note with great satisfaction that DAPP plans to build and operate 6 teacher training colleges across the country by the year 2014. Eventually producing a total of 1,000 primary school teachers every year. DAPP has already identified resources to build a third college in Dowa. I would like to congratulate DAPP for achieving so much in a short period."
Among the dignitaries present was Mr. Peter Bodde, United States Ambassador to Malawi who highlighted the importance of USG Food Aid assistance to Malawi. "What began in 2006 as a United States Department of Agriculture Food for Progress agreement has flourished into these structures before us. This is what one can do when one has a food surplus," he said.
Ms. Maria Darsbo, the Chairperson for Humana People to People, thanked the US Government and the US Department of Agriculture for their generous support to the people of Malawi on behalf of Planet Aid, Inc. "The Food for Progress Program complements the Malawian Government's poverty reduction efforts being implemented and expressed through the Malawi Growth & Development Strategy," Darsbo said. "The construction of the DAPP Amalika Teacher Training College is one element in a complete development package funded by the United States Government."
Following the speeches, student-teachers and local dancers performed and contributed to making the celebrations very entertaining and colorful.
Background about Planet Aid and the USDA Partnership
The Food for Progress Partnership is a public-private partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Planet Aid, Inc. - with DAPP Malawi as an implementing partner.
Planet Aid is a United States based non-profit organization and also a member of Humana People to People. In 2006 Planet Aid entered into a partnership under the USDA Food for Progress program with the goal to enhance rural development in Malawi.
More than 500,000 Malawians benefit from the Planet Aid-USDA Food for Progress partnership on a yearly basis. The program includes the components of teacher training, nutrition education provided by American Soybean Association's WISHH program, HIV & AIDS prevention, and establishment and operation of Farmers Clubs to increase income and improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Malawi.
Poisoning kids: Tobacco-pickers in Malawi exposed to huge amounts of nicotine, paid little
A child ties together tobacco leaves on a farm in the Kasungu district In Malawi. (AP)
WHO: At least 78,000 Malawi children, some young as 5
WHAT: Kids picking tobacco in the fields of Malawi absorb up to two cigarette packs’ worth of nicotine each day. More than 78,000 children work on tobacco estates for up to 12 hours a day for less than 1.7 cents an hour with no protection.
SYMPTOMS: “Green tobacco sickness” comes from moist, pesticide-laden tobacco leaves’ contact with skin. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, vomiting blood and long-lasting changes in brain structure and function.
WHY IT’S HAPPENING: Malawians are so poor that many families send their children to work in the fields. Tobacco generates one-third of Malawi’s gross domestic product. More than 80 percent of Malawians are directly or indirectly employed by the tobacco industry.
Students volunteer in Malawi
While some students were sunbathing and relaxing this summer, seven Ithaca College students were feeding 22 orphaned babies and helping widows in Malawi, a country in southeast Africa.
The students, all Health Sciences and Human Performance majors, traveled through northern and central Malawi from May 19 to June 1 with two nurses, Mary Taylor and Erica Weiss, from the college and received one college credit for their work.
The trip was open to all students on campus, and those interested applied through the Office of International Programs. The seven students who traveled were: seniors Maggie Burgess, Catherine Hegarty, Mike Hopewell and Anna Sumerlin; and juniors Alissa Kersey, Maddie Kennedy and Laura Schoch.
Taylor, a resident nurse at the college, said it had been her longtime dream to go to
Africa and help with health care issues. When Janet Wigglesworth, associate dean of Health Sciences and Human Performance, heard Taylor talk of her desire to help in Africa, she encouraged Taylor and Weiss to make the trip a short-term study abroad program.
Wigglesworth said she hopes the trip will become an annual study abroad program for all students on campus.
Taylor and the students worked with the Ministry of Hope, a Malawian organization established to help children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. The Ministry of Hope sponsors crisis-care nurseries and orphan-feeding centers throughout impoverished villages in Malawi. The students also contributed $500 each toward nine “Ready Release” boxes to donate to the Ministry of Hope. Each box was filled with medicine so the organization’s medical teams could have the necessary supplies when traveling directly to the villages.
Malawi, a country of 14 million, is home to 1 million orphans. While in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, the students stayed at Marian Medical Center, a dormlike environment created for housing health care volunteers.
Taylor said the students helped the Malawian nannies any way they could.
“They jumped right in,” she said. “They fed babies, rocked babies and took them for walks.”
The students also traveled to a feeding center, a place where orphaned children can go to receive a free meal. At times, children walked more than two miles to consume their only meal of the day.
Burgess said she became attached to the children, even after only spending a short time with them.
“It was really hard to leave,” Burgess said.
The group also worked closely with Malawian widows, who traditionally are stripped of possessions by their late husband’s family shortly after his death. The students purchased three mattresses to donate to widows who were only used to sleeping on cramped, dirty floors.
Taylor said it was difficult for the students to watch the struggles of the country unfold in front of their eyes on a daily basis, from the extreme poverty to the lack of medical equipment.
“There was something every day that you would drop your chin and want to cry about,” she said.
Schoch, who always wanted to volunteer in poor regions of Africa, said she was most shocked by the poverty in Malawi.
“I thought I was prepared for it, but I really wasn’t,” she said.
Taylor said the people of Malawi showed gratefulness and respect toward the students.
“They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa,” Taylor said.
Kennedy, who decided to apply for the trip because she had always been interested in volunteer work and Africa, said the upbeat personalities of the children is what she remembers the most.
“These kids have nothing, and yet they run around with smiles on their faces,” she said. “It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done.”
The students, all Health Sciences and Human Performance majors, traveled through northern and central Malawi from May 19 to June 1 with two nurses, Mary Taylor and Erica Weiss, from the college and received one college credit for their work.
The trip was open to all students on campus, and those interested applied through the Office of International Programs. The seven students who traveled were: seniors Maggie Burgess, Catherine Hegarty, Mike Hopewell and Anna Sumerlin; and juniors Alissa Kersey, Maddie Kennedy and Laura Schoch.
Taylor, a resident nurse at the college, said it had been her longtime dream to go to
Africa and help with health care issues. When Janet Wigglesworth, associate dean of Health Sciences and Human Performance, heard Taylor talk of her desire to help in Africa, she encouraged Taylor and Weiss to make the trip a short-term study abroad program.
Wigglesworth said she hopes the trip will become an annual study abroad program for all students on campus.
Taylor and the students worked with the Ministry of Hope, a Malawian organization established to help children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. The Ministry of Hope sponsors crisis-care nurseries and orphan-feeding centers throughout impoverished villages in Malawi. The students also contributed $500 each toward nine “Ready Release” boxes to donate to the Ministry of Hope. Each box was filled with medicine so the organization’s medical teams could have the necessary supplies when traveling directly to the villages.
Malawi, a country of 14 million, is home to 1 million orphans. While in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, the students stayed at Marian Medical Center, a dormlike environment created for housing health care volunteers.
Taylor said the students helped the Malawian nannies any way they could.
“They jumped right in,” she said. “They fed babies, rocked babies and took them for walks.”
The students also traveled to a feeding center, a place where orphaned children can go to receive a free meal. At times, children walked more than two miles to consume their only meal of the day.
Burgess said she became attached to the children, even after only spending a short time with them.
“It was really hard to leave,” Burgess said.
The group also worked closely with Malawian widows, who traditionally are stripped of possessions by their late husband’s family shortly after his death. The students purchased three mattresses to donate to widows who were only used to sleeping on cramped, dirty floors.
Taylor said it was difficult for the students to watch the struggles of the country unfold in front of their eyes on a daily basis, from the extreme poverty to the lack of medical equipment.
“There was something every day that you would drop your chin and want to cry about,” she said.
Schoch, who always wanted to volunteer in poor regions of Africa, said she was most shocked by the poverty in Malawi.
“I thought I was prepared for it, but I really wasn’t,” she said.
Taylor said the people of Malawi showed gratefulness and respect toward the students.
“They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa,” Taylor said.
Kennedy, who decided to apply for the trip because she had always been interested in volunteer work and Africa, said the upbeat personalities of the children is what she remembers the most.
“These kids have nothing, and yet they run around with smiles on their faces,” she said. “It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done.”
Supporters of Malawi Ex-President Hail Court Ruling
Supporters of Malawi's former President Bakili Muluzi have welcomed a court ruling that enables him to continue receiving medical treatment abroad.
Former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi (file photo)
Former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi
The High Court ruling Wednesday threw out the Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) challenge to extending Muluzi's stay in the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Muluzi is currently under investigation for allegedly stashing away donor funds into his personal bank accounts. The ACB claimed it received reports that the former president will not return to face the graft charges.
But his supporters dismissed the charges as politically motivated. Alex Nampota, director of the Malawi's ACB said that the anti-graft body accepts the ruling.
"We do not have any problem with the ruling. We are content that we have made our representation in court and the court has come out with its opinion, which is perfectly normal," Nampota said.
He said the ACB found it hard to challenge the ex-president's medical history.
"There is no way we could fight medical opinion. The medical opinion has to be reconfirmed by another medical expert. All we were saying is that the case was sent two days after it was served on us and we could not extend because Dr. Muluzi needed to be admitted immediately," he said.
Malawi’s Bingu wa Mutharika takes oath of office in Blantyre, 22 May 2009
Malawi’s Bingu wa Mutharika takes oath of office in Blantyre, 22 May 2009
The ACB petitioned the court not to allow Muluzi to extend his stay on suspicion that he was not receiving any treatment in Britain.
Nampota said the anti-graft body wanted a fresh expert opinion on Muluzi's health record.
"All we wanted was to have an independent expert to look at it and see whether it would be just to allow the extension for three months only on production of a medical opinion from Dr. Muluzi's lawyers without necessarily looking at some medical opinion. The court feels it is in order…," Nampota said.
He said the anti-corruption body would abide by the court's ruling.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has accused Muluzi of diverting 11 million dollars from donors.
He was allowed to go to Britain last month to undergo treatment for a prolapsed disc - a medical condition affecting the spine. Muluzi claims the problem started when he was campaigning for current President Bingu Wa Mutharika.
But the two fell out shortly after Mutharika came to power.
Former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi (file photo)
Former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi
The High Court ruling Wednesday threw out the Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) challenge to extending Muluzi's stay in the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Muluzi is currently under investigation for allegedly stashing away donor funds into his personal bank accounts. The ACB claimed it received reports that the former president will not return to face the graft charges.
But his supporters dismissed the charges as politically motivated. Alex Nampota, director of the Malawi's ACB said that the anti-graft body accepts the ruling.
"We do not have any problem with the ruling. We are content that we have made our representation in court and the court has come out with its opinion, which is perfectly normal," Nampota said.
He said the ACB found it hard to challenge the ex-president's medical history.
"There is no way we could fight medical opinion. The medical opinion has to be reconfirmed by another medical expert. All we were saying is that the case was sent two days after it was served on us and we could not extend because Dr. Muluzi needed to be admitted immediately," he said.
Malawi’s Bingu wa Mutharika takes oath of office in Blantyre, 22 May 2009
Malawi’s Bingu wa Mutharika takes oath of office in Blantyre, 22 May 2009
The ACB petitioned the court not to allow Muluzi to extend his stay on suspicion that he was not receiving any treatment in Britain.
Nampota said the anti-graft body wanted a fresh expert opinion on Muluzi's health record.
"All we wanted was to have an independent expert to look at it and see whether it would be just to allow the extension for three months only on production of a medical opinion from Dr. Muluzi's lawyers without necessarily looking at some medical opinion. The court feels it is in order…," Nampota said.
He said the anti-corruption body would abide by the court's ruling.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has accused Muluzi of diverting 11 million dollars from donors.
He was allowed to go to Britain last month to undergo treatment for a prolapsed disc - a medical condition affecting the spine. Muluzi claims the problem started when he was campaigning for current President Bingu Wa Mutharika.
But the two fell out shortly after Mutharika came to power.
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