The Catholic bishops of Malawi are concerned that the political crisis pitting the ruling party against the opposition could seriously destabilize the country.
The bishops' warning came as Parliament was set to open today against the backdrop of a Supreme Court ruling that empowered House Speaker, Louis Chimango, to expel defecting lawmakers.
The decision, if implemented, would drastically reduce the strength of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has received 60 defectors to increase its tally to 80. The opposition dominates the House, with about 110 seats.
In a statement, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) acknowledged the Supreme Court ruling as a "positive development", saying it promoted and consolidated the respect for the rule of law and the spirit of constitutionalism that are among the key pillars of good governance.
However, they said uncertainty, fear of the future and tension had gripped the country in the aftermath of the ruling.
"Issues like calling for by-elections, the resignation of the President, impeachment of the President and his vice, the impeachment of the Speaker of Parliament, if implemented, will wipe out all the gains that have been realized through our maturing democracy."
The bishops said heeding these calls would "derail all arms of government from their development agenda and adversely affect the gains achieved by the debt cancellation and the economy of our country." Last year, Malawi had its foreign debt cancelled by multilateral donors.
The bishops warned that in the event of by-elections and impeachments, the Legislature and the Executive would "shift their focus from economic and developmental policies to matters of politicking and survival to the detriment of the poor masses.
The Supreme Court ruling is the climax of a tense standoff between President Mutharika and the opposition since he came to power three years ago. It all began when Mutharika left the United Democratic Front (UDF), on whose ticket he was elected in 2004, to form his own party, the DPP.
The UDF hit back with an impeachment charge, accusing Mutharika of using USD300,000 of public money to launch his party. Mutharika survived impeachment after the Constitutional Court blocked the move.
"Realizing that when elephants fight, it is the grass on the ground that suffers, we want to reiterate that the tension and the uncertainty arising from this scenario would lead to the suffering of all Malawians who remain the primary right holders for all development and economic policies as in any democratic country," the bishops said.
Encouraging the spirit of dialogue instead of confrontation, the bishops wondered whether it made any sense for the country to use funds saved through debt cancellation, the impeachment processes or by-elections at the expense of pro-poor expenditure areas like education, health, food security and HIV/AIDS.
They called for "sobriety" in the current debate and inclusion of all citizens of Malawi in finding the way forward.
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Teacher from Malawi learns about global health at Rice
A teacher trainer from the African country Malawi has spent the past month at Rice University learning about bioengineering and global health so she can educate high school teachers in her homeland about new treatments for and ways to prevent AIDS, cancer and heart disease.
Panji Chamdimba was one of 12 teachers who enrolled in the teacher professional development workshop on bioengineering and world health in June. The workshop, offered through the Department of Bioengineering's Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB), is taught by a multidisciplinary team of Rice experts and guest lecturers.
Participants attended clinical rotations at hospitals in the Texas Medical Center and visited bioengineering labs at Rice to see research in action.
"This workshop describes how multidisciplinary bioengineering is," said Emma Johns '07, program assistant. "The field requires the coordination and integration of everything from nanotechnology and optical imaging techniques to surgical procedures and biochemistry, and these technologies have to be applied to the social and cultural context in which they will be used."
The latter was particularly appealing to Chamdimba.
"It is interesting to learn about the about the technologies available to cure or reduce the burden of diseases like malaria, AIDS, cancer and heart disease," she said, "But when you are fighting a disease, it is not only the science that is important, but also the social aspects."
Chamdimba was encouraged to see that bioengineers think about how their research will work in parts of the world that do not have all the modern conveniences of developed countries. "You can develop a very good technology, but you have to consider the people who are intended to benefit from the research and what their lives are like so they will actually use what you develop."
The workshop covers the health problems faced by different age groups in both the developed and developing world, global health challenges, the cost of health care and the development of technology to solve health-care problems.
Chamdimba found out about the course through a colleague who knows Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering. Richards-Kortum is principal investigator for Rice's BTB Initiative, which is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
"The immediate plans are for me to teach what I've learned here to my student teachers as well as to science teachers who are already teaching in high schools in Malawi," Chamdimba said. "But I am also interested in seeing if we can get the University of Malawi to begin offering a degree in bioengineering with Rice's help."
In addition to Chamdimba, 11 teachers from the Houston area and five high school students attended the summer workshop.
Panji Chamdimba was one of 12 teachers who enrolled in the teacher professional development workshop on bioengineering and world health in June. The workshop, offered through the Department of Bioengineering's Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB), is taught by a multidisciplinary team of Rice experts and guest lecturers.
Participants attended clinical rotations at hospitals in the Texas Medical Center and visited bioengineering labs at Rice to see research in action.
"This workshop describes how multidisciplinary bioengineering is," said Emma Johns '07, program assistant. "The field requires the coordination and integration of everything from nanotechnology and optical imaging techniques to surgical procedures and biochemistry, and these technologies have to be applied to the social and cultural context in which they will be used."
The latter was particularly appealing to Chamdimba.
"It is interesting to learn about the about the technologies available to cure or reduce the burden of diseases like malaria, AIDS, cancer and heart disease," she said, "But when you are fighting a disease, it is not only the science that is important, but also the social aspects."
Chamdimba was encouraged to see that bioengineers think about how their research will work in parts of the world that do not have all the modern conveniences of developed countries. "You can develop a very good technology, but you have to consider the people who are intended to benefit from the research and what their lives are like so they will actually use what you develop."
The workshop covers the health problems faced by different age groups in both the developed and developing world, global health challenges, the cost of health care and the development of technology to solve health-care problems.
Chamdimba found out about the course through a colleague who knows Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering. Richards-Kortum is principal investigator for Rice's BTB Initiative, which is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
"The immediate plans are for me to teach what I've learned here to my student teachers as well as to science teachers who are already teaching in high schools in Malawi," Chamdimba said. "But I am also interested in seeing if we can get the University of Malawi to begin offering a degree in bioengineering with Rice's help."
In addition to Chamdimba, 11 teachers from the Houston area and five high school students attended the summer workshop.
DEVELOPMENT: When Education Is Not So Sweet
BRUSSELS, Jun 29 (IPS) - A major Belgian retail firm has been accused of misleading its customers by implying that its sales of Malawian sugar will benefit education projects in that country.
Colruyt, a supermarket chain operating in Belgium and France, sells sugar and several other food and drink items from poor countries as part of a range of products called 'Collibri for Education'. The company states that 5 percent of the price of Collibri food and 3 percent of non-food products (not including value added tax) go to schooling projects run by non-governmental organisations.
But Brian Bowler, the Malawian ambassador to the European Union, said that Colruyt is "hoodwinking the public."
Bowler said that he has repeatedly asked for appointments with Jef Colruyt, the company's chairman, and for data proving that it is paying out all the donations it promised to make. Colruyt refused to give him those details or to arrange that he can see its chairman, he added.
"This is a scandal," he told IPS. "I don't know if it's illegal but I do know it's immoral. They should be able to give information about what they are doing with this brand but they cannot furnish us with that."
Bowler described as "very cunning" the phrasing used in the packaging for Collibri sugar, which carries the brand name Chikwawa and depicts a smiling man carrying cane.
"It more or less suggests that 5 percent from a particular sale will go to the country of origin," he said, though acknowledging that the commitment is not explicit.
The packaging also states that the cultivation and production of sugarcane plays an essential role in the Malawian economy. Among the other products bearing the Collibri logo of a bird are orange juice from Costa Rica and honey from Mexico.
Although Collibri does not carry a 'fair trade' logo or use the words 'fair trade' on its packaging, Bowler alleged that Colruyt is trying to exploit the growing consumer interest in Europe in buying goods produced in a socially responsible way. "This kind of thing could discredit fair trade," said Bowler.
Spokespersons for Colruyt, which recently reported that its revenues for the 2006-07 financial year exceeded 5 billion euros (6.7 billion dollars), did not return numerous calls from IPS.
However, a website promoting Collibri says that a "definite amount" from the sale of each product concerned goes to schooling projects in poor countries.
The website says that almost 152,000 euro (205,000 dollars) from Collibri sales was donated to education products between October 2005 and October 2006. The projects said to have benefited were in Tanzania, Indonesia, Benin, South Africa and Colombia.
No projects in Malawi are listed among the beneficiaries. However, Colruyt is known to have made arrangements for giving a sum of 15,000 euros (20,000 dollars) to Likulezi, an AIDS project in Malawi.
This project was suggested as one worthy of support by Trócaire, an Irish aid agency which has experience of working in Malawi. Seán Farrell, a fundraising coordinator with Trócaire, said that he had never heard of Colruyt before the question of a donation arose and that he had simply recommended Likulezi after being contacted by Broederlijk Delen, the Belgian Catholic aid agency.
The website says, too, that Colruyt endeavours to make sure that Collibri goods have been produced in a way that respects the rights of workers, ensures that money is paid up front to growers, and limits the impact on the environment.
Such principles are similar to those adopted by the international fair trade movement.
Anja Osterhaus from the organisation Fair Trade Advocacy said she was concerned that some companies could be "trying to use the interest of consumers in ethical purchasing" for their own commercial gain.
The proliferation of products on supermarket shelves that claim to adhere to high social or ecological standards is sowing confusion, she noted.
"Fair trade is about ensuring fair conditions of production," she told IPS. "It's not aid. But for consumers it is not easy to draw that distinction."
A report released earlier this year by an international development committee in the British parliament noted that there is an increasing number of 'ethical' initiatives being undertaken by both companies and non-governmental bodies, only some of which are independently verified.
In the Netherlands, for example, the Utz brand commands 25-30 percent of the coffee market. Although the company does not pay growers premium prices, it purports to have comparable aims to the fair trade movement.
Starbucks, meanwhile, has developed an in-house 'ethical sourcing' scheme known as CAFE (coffee and farmer equity). The scheme does not involve the paying of guaranteed prices or a social premium but Starbucks has boasted of paying above the world market price for coffee.
The largest banana companies have also begun carrying Rainforest Alliance labels in recent years in a bid to convince consumers that the fruit has been grown in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The British parliament report was favourable towards a call made by the European Parliament last year that an EU-wide regulation be introduced guaranteeing that consumers can have easily comprehensible information about 'ethical' products.
"The rise in ethical labels demonstrates that both retailers and consumers are interested in ethical sourcing," said the report. "It is important that fair trade organisations do not assume they have a monopoly on this, although fair trade can be said to represent a gold standard in terms of trading relations with producers. With many different schemes pursuing different objectives, it is vital that consumers are given the correct information in order to make informed choices." (END/2007)
Colruyt, a supermarket chain operating in Belgium and France, sells sugar and several other food and drink items from poor countries as part of a range of products called 'Collibri for Education'. The company states that 5 percent of the price of Collibri food and 3 percent of non-food products (not including value added tax) go to schooling projects run by non-governmental organisations.
But Brian Bowler, the Malawian ambassador to the European Union, said that Colruyt is "hoodwinking the public."
Bowler said that he has repeatedly asked for appointments with Jef Colruyt, the company's chairman, and for data proving that it is paying out all the donations it promised to make. Colruyt refused to give him those details or to arrange that he can see its chairman, he added.
"This is a scandal," he told IPS. "I don't know if it's illegal but I do know it's immoral. They should be able to give information about what they are doing with this brand but they cannot furnish us with that."
Bowler described as "very cunning" the phrasing used in the packaging for Collibri sugar, which carries the brand name Chikwawa and depicts a smiling man carrying cane.
"It more or less suggests that 5 percent from a particular sale will go to the country of origin," he said, though acknowledging that the commitment is not explicit.
The packaging also states that the cultivation and production of sugarcane plays an essential role in the Malawian economy. Among the other products bearing the Collibri logo of a bird are orange juice from Costa Rica and honey from Mexico.
Although Collibri does not carry a 'fair trade' logo or use the words 'fair trade' on its packaging, Bowler alleged that Colruyt is trying to exploit the growing consumer interest in Europe in buying goods produced in a socially responsible way. "This kind of thing could discredit fair trade," said Bowler.
Spokespersons for Colruyt, which recently reported that its revenues for the 2006-07 financial year exceeded 5 billion euros (6.7 billion dollars), did not return numerous calls from IPS.
However, a website promoting Collibri says that a "definite amount" from the sale of each product concerned goes to schooling projects in poor countries.
The website says that almost 152,000 euro (205,000 dollars) from Collibri sales was donated to education products between October 2005 and October 2006. The projects said to have benefited were in Tanzania, Indonesia, Benin, South Africa and Colombia.
No projects in Malawi are listed among the beneficiaries. However, Colruyt is known to have made arrangements for giving a sum of 15,000 euros (20,000 dollars) to Likulezi, an AIDS project in Malawi.
This project was suggested as one worthy of support by Trócaire, an Irish aid agency which has experience of working in Malawi. Seán Farrell, a fundraising coordinator with Trócaire, said that he had never heard of Colruyt before the question of a donation arose and that he had simply recommended Likulezi after being contacted by Broederlijk Delen, the Belgian Catholic aid agency.
The website says, too, that Colruyt endeavours to make sure that Collibri goods have been produced in a way that respects the rights of workers, ensures that money is paid up front to growers, and limits the impact on the environment.
Such principles are similar to those adopted by the international fair trade movement.
Anja Osterhaus from the organisation Fair Trade Advocacy said she was concerned that some companies could be "trying to use the interest of consumers in ethical purchasing" for their own commercial gain.
The proliferation of products on supermarket shelves that claim to adhere to high social or ecological standards is sowing confusion, she noted.
"Fair trade is about ensuring fair conditions of production," she told IPS. "It's not aid. But for consumers it is not easy to draw that distinction."
A report released earlier this year by an international development committee in the British parliament noted that there is an increasing number of 'ethical' initiatives being undertaken by both companies and non-governmental bodies, only some of which are independently verified.
In the Netherlands, for example, the Utz brand commands 25-30 percent of the coffee market. Although the company does not pay growers premium prices, it purports to have comparable aims to the fair trade movement.
Starbucks, meanwhile, has developed an in-house 'ethical sourcing' scheme known as CAFE (coffee and farmer equity). The scheme does not involve the paying of guaranteed prices or a social premium but Starbucks has boasted of paying above the world market price for coffee.
The largest banana companies have also begun carrying Rainforest Alliance labels in recent years in a bid to convince consumers that the fruit has been grown in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The British parliament report was favourable towards a call made by the European Parliament last year that an EU-wide regulation be introduced guaranteeing that consumers can have easily comprehensible information about 'ethical' products.
"The rise in ethical labels demonstrates that both retailers and consumers are interested in ethical sourcing," said the report. "It is important that fair trade organisations do not assume they have a monopoly on this, although fair trade can be said to represent a gold standard in terms of trading relations with producers. With many different schemes pursuing different objectives, it is vital that consumers are given the correct information in order to make informed choices." (END/2007)
CHIRADZULU, Malawi (AFP) - The 36-year-old from the central Chiradzulu region is far from alone in her sense of shame, with more than two out of every five people in Malawi unable to read or write.
And according to Charles Mkunga, deputy chief of a state-financed National Adult Literacy Centre, failure to reverse the situation will only lock the impoverished southeastern African nation into further poverty.
"Malawi is doomed as the country cannot develop with so many illiterate people," says Mkunga.
"With the new era of information technology, it is a must that we have a literate nation if we are to develop."
Official figures show that only 57.5 percent of the 12 million-strong population are classified as literate.
That lags the literacy rates in nearby countries, where some 80 percent of Zimbabweans can read and write, while Zambia and Tanzania are both above the 70 percent mark.
The bleak situation in Malawi is largely a result of faltering past literacy programmes and the educational system, which despite its expansion, sees 70 percent of pupils drop out of primary school.
Mkunga pinpoints a lack of political will to bankroll government projects designed to push literacy levels to higher levels as the main culprit.
State funding towards literacy programmes has "greatly diminished" in the past decade and now accounts for only three percent of the national budget, he told AFP.
"We have been unable to teach more than three million adults how to read and write in the past decade due to insufficient resources and funds," he said.
Limbani Nsapato, coordinator of a donor-funded non-government organisation which fights for increased education funding, agreed that the government had not placed a high enough priority on education.
Nsapato's Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education, which represents 67 NGOs in the education sector, has been urging the government to double the amount of money it spends on schooling.
"The current level of 13 percent is far off what is needed to reduce levels of illiteracy by 50 percent before 2015," Nsapato said.
"The government is not serious in making literacy a priority ... there is no political will," he said.
"About five million Malawian children and adults are illiterate. It is a dangerous situation which must be corrected speedily."
The ministry of women and child development, which spearheads literacy programmes, denied that there was a lack of political will.
"You cannot say, and it's not fair to say, there is no political will. It is the same government that has trained 10,000 literacy instructors spread throughout the country," ministry spokesman Cyrus Jeke said.
However the spokesman admitted that the government had a battle on its hands to persuade pupils to stay in school.
"The most disturbing trend is school drop-outs," he added.
Thirteen years have passed since the then president Bakili Muluzi introduced free primary schooling, which led to an immediate doubling of enrollment levels to 3.2 million pupils.
Most pupils however drop out before completing four years of primary school, which education experts say is the minimum time needed to acquire basic literacy.
Only around a quarter of pupils complete eight years of primary school, with many youngsters needed to become breadwinners long before the end of childhood.
Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries where 60 percent of the people live below the poverty line of one dollar a day and per capita gross domestic product is around 210 dollars (155 euros) per year.
"Seventy percent of pupils do not complete the primary school circle and drop out because of several factors, including poverty," said Nsapato.
He believes the only real solution is to make primary school compulsory for all ages.
"There should be legal provisions to make free primary school compulsory. It will be one strategy to improve literacy and the government will be compelled to spend more on education," Nsapato added.
And according to Charles Mkunga, deputy chief of a state-financed National Adult Literacy Centre, failure to reverse the situation will only lock the impoverished southeastern African nation into further poverty.
"Malawi is doomed as the country cannot develop with so many illiterate people," says Mkunga.
"With the new era of information technology, it is a must that we have a literate nation if we are to develop."
Official figures show that only 57.5 percent of the 12 million-strong population are classified as literate.
That lags the literacy rates in nearby countries, where some 80 percent of Zimbabweans can read and write, while Zambia and Tanzania are both above the 70 percent mark.
The bleak situation in Malawi is largely a result of faltering past literacy programmes and the educational system, which despite its expansion, sees 70 percent of pupils drop out of primary school.
Mkunga pinpoints a lack of political will to bankroll government projects designed to push literacy levels to higher levels as the main culprit.
State funding towards literacy programmes has "greatly diminished" in the past decade and now accounts for only three percent of the national budget, he told AFP.
"We have been unable to teach more than three million adults how to read and write in the past decade due to insufficient resources and funds," he said.
Limbani Nsapato, coordinator of a donor-funded non-government organisation which fights for increased education funding, agreed that the government had not placed a high enough priority on education.
Nsapato's Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education, which represents 67 NGOs in the education sector, has been urging the government to double the amount of money it spends on schooling.
"The current level of 13 percent is far off what is needed to reduce levels of illiteracy by 50 percent before 2015," Nsapato said.
"The government is not serious in making literacy a priority ... there is no political will," he said.
"About five million Malawian children and adults are illiterate. It is a dangerous situation which must be corrected speedily."
The ministry of women and child development, which spearheads literacy programmes, denied that there was a lack of political will.
"You cannot say, and it's not fair to say, there is no political will. It is the same government that has trained 10,000 literacy instructors spread throughout the country," ministry spokesman Cyrus Jeke said.
However the spokesman admitted that the government had a battle on its hands to persuade pupils to stay in school.
"The most disturbing trend is school drop-outs," he added.
Thirteen years have passed since the then president Bakili Muluzi introduced free primary schooling, which led to an immediate doubling of enrollment levels to 3.2 million pupils.
Most pupils however drop out before completing four years of primary school, which education experts say is the minimum time needed to acquire basic literacy.
Only around a quarter of pupils complete eight years of primary school, with many youngsters needed to become breadwinners long before the end of childhood.
Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries where 60 percent of the people live below the poverty line of one dollar a day and per capita gross domestic product is around 210 dollars (155 euros) per year.
"Seventy percent of pupils do not complete the primary school circle and drop out because of several factors, including poverty," said Nsapato.
He believes the only real solution is to make primary school compulsory for all ages.
"There should be legal provisions to make free primary school compulsory. It will be one strategy to improve literacy and the government will be compelled to spend more on education," Nsapato added.
Malawi lawmakers return to House after mourning first lady
APA-Blantyre (Malawi) Malawi’s lawmakers return to parliament on Friday in Lilongwe, a month after joining the rest of the nation in mourning the death of first lady Ethel Mutharika who died on 28 May in the capital of cancer. Deliberations were immediately postponed following her death, and the government declared a month long mourning period, which culminated in Mutharika’s burial on 9 June in the southern district of Thyolo. The lawmakers return to a divided House, following the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling two weeks ago that President Bingu wa Mutharika’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s MPs were defectors, and therefore should return to the parties that sponsored them into parliament during elections of 2004.
Most of the 70 MPs in question, including President Mutharika himself, were elected under the banner of the former ruling United Democratic Front of former leader Bakili Muluzi.
But after President Mutharika ditched the UDF over what he called policy differences, he took along the MPs, some of who are ministers in his cabinet, to form the DPP.
The move was met by a two-year bitter court battle the UDF and other opposition parties waged against the DPP.
The conduct of poaching lawmakers to join the DPP is known as “crossing the floor,” and is unlawful in the country’s constitution under Section 65 of the document.
The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that the MPs who had crossed the floor had done so illegally and their seats must be declared vacant.
The expectation on Friday was to see Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango implement this ruling by declaring at least 70 seats of DPP MPs vacant, a move that would have left the DPP in the 193-member House virtually with a handful of MPs.
But 24 hours before the parliament met, UDF MP Yunus Mussa obtained a court injunction restraining Chimango from carrying out the decision.
No doubt, the injunction is a welcome relief for the Speaker, who will not have the pressure from the opposition to kick out the wayward MPs in the DPP camp from the House – at least for now.
Most of the 70 MPs in question, including President Mutharika himself, were elected under the banner of the former ruling United Democratic Front of former leader Bakili Muluzi.
But after President Mutharika ditched the UDF over what he called policy differences, he took along the MPs, some of who are ministers in his cabinet, to form the DPP.
The move was met by a two-year bitter court battle the UDF and other opposition parties waged against the DPP.
The conduct of poaching lawmakers to join the DPP is known as “crossing the floor,” and is unlawful in the country’s constitution under Section 65 of the document.
The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that the MPs who had crossed the floor had done so illegally and their seats must be declared vacant.
The expectation on Friday was to see Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango implement this ruling by declaring at least 70 seats of DPP MPs vacant, a move that would have left the DPP in the 193-member House virtually with a handful of MPs.
But 24 hours before the parliament met, UDF MP Yunus Mussa obtained a court injunction restraining Chimango from carrying out the decision.
No doubt, the injunction is a welcome relief for the Speaker, who will not have the pressure from the opposition to kick out the wayward MPs in the DPP camp from the House – at least for now.
41 MPs obtain court order to restrain Malawi parliament
APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) With only hours away from being chased out of parliament, 41 opposition members of the Malawi parliament who defected to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have obtained a court order restraining the House from declaring their seats vacant. Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango was expected to declare the MPs’ seat vacant on Friday following a Supreme Court of Appeal decision that the lawmakers’ defection was illegal; therefore their seats should be declared vacant pending by-elections. Parliament, reconvening its session Friday after a month-long mourning of the late first lady Ethel Mutharika, is sitting to discuss the 2007/08 national budget.
Fearing their pending expulsion, former ruling United Democratic Front’s MP Yunus Mussa and 40 other former opposition MPs, successfully applied to the High Court for an order to stop the speaker from declaring their seats vacant.
High Court Judge Justice Singini granted them the injunction late on Thursday.
The move effectively stops Chimango from going ahead to declare the defectors’ seats as being vacant for now.
Singini’s injunction, however, is being challenged by opposition lawyers Ralph Kasambara and Kalekeni Kaphale of the UDF and Titus Mvalo representing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
"We shall see each other in court today (Friday) because we are challenging the applications. What we want is the speaker to go ahead to declare the (defectors’) seats vacant,” Kasambara, a former Attorney General dismissed by President Mutharika last year, said.
Fearing their pending expulsion, former ruling United Democratic Front’s MP Yunus Mussa and 40 other former opposition MPs, successfully applied to the High Court for an order to stop the speaker from declaring their seats vacant.
High Court Judge Justice Singini granted them the injunction late on Thursday.
The move effectively stops Chimango from going ahead to declare the defectors’ seats as being vacant for now.
Singini’s injunction, however, is being challenged by opposition lawyers Ralph Kasambara and Kalekeni Kaphale of the UDF and Titus Mvalo representing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
"We shall see each other in court today (Friday) because we are challenging the applications. What we want is the speaker to go ahead to declare the (defectors’) seats vacant,” Kasambara, a former Attorney General dismissed by President Mutharika last year, said.
Friday, 29 June 2007
Malawi High Court injunction delays ouster of defecting parliamentarians
BLANTYRE, Malawi: Malawi lawmakers who switched parties after their election received a reprieve Thursday when a judge suspended moves to oust them from parliament, further deepening a constitutional crisis facing the southern African country.
The High Court in the capital Lilongwe granted an injunction delaying an earlier Supreme Court ruling which upheld a constitutional provision restricting political party defections, a decision affecting scores of President Bingu wa Mutharika's supporters and threatening to paralyze the government.
"Justice Elton Singini has granted the injunction which effectively means the Speaker cannot move on the said MPs," said Assistant High Court Registrar Thomson Ligowe.
About 70 of parliament's 193 members, including Cabinet ministers, all of whom left the United Democratic Front to join Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party, faced losing their seats.
Mutharika was elected as a member of the United Democratic Front in 2004, but quit the party last year to found the Democratic Progressive Party, accusing his former allies of blocking his clampdown on corruption, and survived a subsequent attempt to impeach him.
The UDF, which maintained control of parliament despite the defections, has for the past year pushed for DPP members to be expelled.
The injunction, sought by Parliamentarian Yunus Mussa, who is among those at risk of losing his seat, allows for discussions between both parties over the formation of a unity government, which began following the June 15 Supreme Court ruling, to continue.
Speaker Louis Chimango was expected to move to expel the targeted members when parliament reconvenes Friday. Now Chimango will announce whether he will challenge the injunction.
If the parties reach a compromise in their negotiations Chimango can move to have the ruling to oust the floor-crossing parliamentarians invalidated. Should the expulsions go ahead, elections would be held within six months to fill the vacant seats.
Mutharika's party has been thrown into a state of disarray by the crisis and the president has a number of options, including dissolving Parliament and holding fresh elections or cobbling together a government of national unity with the opposition.
"The government is in a crisis; it can crumble because of this," said Blessings Chinsinga, a political scientist with the University of Malawi. "The president has to solve this politically by, among other options, forming a government of national unity with the opposition."
However, the ruling party has said that if its members are forced to give up their seats, they will win them back in by-elections.
There are concerns that the crisis will delay the passing of the new 2007/2008 national budget Friday, further threatening government operations.
The High Court in the capital Lilongwe granted an injunction delaying an earlier Supreme Court ruling which upheld a constitutional provision restricting political party defections, a decision affecting scores of President Bingu wa Mutharika's supporters and threatening to paralyze the government.
"Justice Elton Singini has granted the injunction which effectively means the Speaker cannot move on the said MPs," said Assistant High Court Registrar Thomson Ligowe.
About 70 of parliament's 193 members, including Cabinet ministers, all of whom left the United Democratic Front to join Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party, faced losing their seats.
Mutharika was elected as a member of the United Democratic Front in 2004, but quit the party last year to found the Democratic Progressive Party, accusing his former allies of blocking his clampdown on corruption, and survived a subsequent attempt to impeach him.
The UDF, which maintained control of parliament despite the defections, has for the past year pushed for DPP members to be expelled.
The injunction, sought by Parliamentarian Yunus Mussa, who is among those at risk of losing his seat, allows for discussions between both parties over the formation of a unity government, which began following the June 15 Supreme Court ruling, to continue.
Speaker Louis Chimango was expected to move to expel the targeted members when parliament reconvenes Friday. Now Chimango will announce whether he will challenge the injunction.
If the parties reach a compromise in their negotiations Chimango can move to have the ruling to oust the floor-crossing parliamentarians invalidated. Should the expulsions go ahead, elections would be held within six months to fill the vacant seats.
Mutharika's party has been thrown into a state of disarray by the crisis and the president has a number of options, including dissolving Parliament and holding fresh elections or cobbling together a government of national unity with the opposition.
"The government is in a crisis; it can crumble because of this," said Blessings Chinsinga, a political scientist with the University of Malawi. "The president has to solve this politically by, among other options, forming a government of national unity with the opposition."
However, the ruling party has said that if its members are forced to give up their seats, they will win them back in by-elections.
There are concerns that the crisis will delay the passing of the new 2007/2008 national budget Friday, further threatening government operations.
Orphans inspire FA coach squad
BOLTON WANDERERS' community cohesion officer Abdul Basit says his coaching sessions involving over 400 orphans in Malawi was a "life changing" experience.
Abdul was joined by members of the Lancashire FA and ex-England international, Viv Anderson on the two-week trip to teach skills to children from 10 orphanages.
The group also distributed clothes and shoes to people in the most deprived areas.
The group also distributed clothes and shoes to people in the most deprived areas.
Said Abdul: "They were the best set of kids I have ever worked with.
"They were so obedient and really took in what we were teaching them.
"I've never seen children enjoy playing football as much as these orphans did."
Mornings were spent training 16-25-year olds who in turn helped coach other youngsters in the afternoons.
The trip was a result of a link-up between the FA and the Preston-based Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) aimed at helping youngsters who have lost their parents through disease, particularly AIDS.
During the visit the FA group attended a concert of traditional dancing and a choral performance by the orphans. They also met the Malawi international team.
Added Abdul: "Majority of the children do not have any shoes to wear, they do not even have a proper football to kick about with though we presented a football to each orphanage.
"Instead they play bare foot and to substitute a football they blow up a condom, wrap it around with newspaper and plastic bags until it becomes tough.
"They are very passionate about the game and I hope we were able to leave a positive impact."
The visit was filmed by ITV and their documentary about FOMO's work in Malawi will be broadcast on 10 July at 7.30pm.
Abdul was joined by members of the Lancashire FA and ex-England international, Viv Anderson on the two-week trip to teach skills to children from 10 orphanages.
The group also distributed clothes and shoes to people in the most deprived areas.
The group also distributed clothes and shoes to people in the most deprived areas.
Said Abdul: "They were the best set of kids I have ever worked with.
"They were so obedient and really took in what we were teaching them.
"I've never seen children enjoy playing football as much as these orphans did."
Mornings were spent training 16-25-year olds who in turn helped coach other youngsters in the afternoons.
The trip was a result of a link-up between the FA and the Preston-based Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) aimed at helping youngsters who have lost their parents through disease, particularly AIDS.
During the visit the FA group attended a concert of traditional dancing and a choral performance by the orphans. They also met the Malawi international team.
Added Abdul: "Majority of the children do not have any shoes to wear, they do not even have a proper football to kick about with though we presented a football to each orphanage.
"Instead they play bare foot and to substitute a football they blow up a condom, wrap it around with newspaper and plastic bags until it becomes tough.
"They are very passionate about the game and I hope we were able to leave a positive impact."
The visit was filmed by ITV and their documentary about FOMO's work in Malawi will be broadcast on 10 July at 7.30pm.
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Bringing the gift of life
"Maszi ndi moyo," Charles Banda likes to say in Chichewa, the language of Malawi.
"Water is life."
Since 1995, when this self-styled water man gave up a good job as a firefighter at the Lilongwe Airport to form the not-for-profit Freshwater Project of Malawi, Banda and his crews have drilled more than 850 wells around rural villages.
They've also constructed hundreds of pit latrines at schools where no sanitation existed before. Adolescent girls often dropped out of school because they were too self-conscious to urinate and defecate without privacy.
These simple sanitary measures have prevented water-borne diseases in untold thousands of impoverished villagers in one of the smallest and poorest countries in Africa. It's also helped increase school attendance in preteen girls.
The Malawi water man struggles against the grim tide of 6,000 poor people, mainly children, who die each day around the world due to a lack of safe drinking water and basic sanitation, according to the World Health Organization.
Banda visited the Capital Region recently to discuss his water project and to attend free screenings of a documentary, "Water First," by Amy Hart of East Greenbush, an independent filmmaker whose day job is video director and producer at the University at Albany's School of Public Health.
Working on a shoestring budget of her own savings and small private donations, Hart has made two trips to Malawi, in 2004 and 2006, and shot 90 hours of film on Banda's efforts.
"Charles has so much energy, charisma and integrity," she said. "He's totally dedicated to this work."
His motto: "One village. One bore-hole."
He has his work cut out for him. More than half of Malawi's 12 million people do not have clean drinking water nearby and two-thirds do not have access to sanitation.
Typically, villagers dip buckets into ponds and rivers, which are often contaminated because not even outhouses exist.
Gathering water for cooking, washing and drinking is the job of girls and women -- who carry heavy buckets on their heads, often 2 miles or more in the predawn hours, from a water source to their huts.
Banda's mission is about more than stainless steel wells and brick latrines.
"We mobilize the villagers to help us build, we make them responsible for its upkeep and we educate them about sanitation," said Banda, a small, wiry 51-year-old with a wife, six children and social work diploma.
An itinerant preacher, Banda began his quest after arriving at a village to deliver a sermon he never gave because children were being carried away on stretchers, stricken with cholera from drinking tainted water.
Banda's project is funded primarily through Water for People, a not-for-profit based in Denver, where he began his U.S. visit.
In Malawi, Banda has a 90 percent success rate drilling the low-tech wells 100-150 feet deep and tapping into aquifers. The water is tested to make sure it's safe for drinking. Each hand-pumped well can serve about 50 families.
"Water is life."
Since 1995, when this self-styled water man gave up a good job as a firefighter at the Lilongwe Airport to form the not-for-profit Freshwater Project of Malawi, Banda and his crews have drilled more than 850 wells around rural villages.
They've also constructed hundreds of pit latrines at schools where no sanitation existed before. Adolescent girls often dropped out of school because they were too self-conscious to urinate and defecate without privacy.
These simple sanitary measures have prevented water-borne diseases in untold thousands of impoverished villagers in one of the smallest and poorest countries in Africa. It's also helped increase school attendance in preteen girls.
The Malawi water man struggles against the grim tide of 6,000 poor people, mainly children, who die each day around the world due to a lack of safe drinking water and basic sanitation, according to the World Health Organization.
Banda visited the Capital Region recently to discuss his water project and to attend free screenings of a documentary, "Water First," by Amy Hart of East Greenbush, an independent filmmaker whose day job is video director and producer at the University at Albany's School of Public Health.
Working on a shoestring budget of her own savings and small private donations, Hart has made two trips to Malawi, in 2004 and 2006, and shot 90 hours of film on Banda's efforts.
"Charles has so much energy, charisma and integrity," she said. "He's totally dedicated to this work."
His motto: "One village. One bore-hole."
He has his work cut out for him. More than half of Malawi's 12 million people do not have clean drinking water nearby and two-thirds do not have access to sanitation.
Typically, villagers dip buckets into ponds and rivers, which are often contaminated because not even outhouses exist.
Gathering water for cooking, washing and drinking is the job of girls and women -- who carry heavy buckets on their heads, often 2 miles or more in the predawn hours, from a water source to their huts.
Banda's mission is about more than stainless steel wells and brick latrines.
"We mobilize the villagers to help us build, we make them responsible for its upkeep and we educate them about sanitation," said Banda, a small, wiry 51-year-old with a wife, six children and social work diploma.
An itinerant preacher, Banda began his quest after arriving at a village to deliver a sermon he never gave because children were being carried away on stretchers, stricken with cholera from drinking tainted water.
Banda's project is funded primarily through Water for People, a not-for-profit based in Denver, where he began his U.S. visit.
In Malawi, Banda has a 90 percent success rate drilling the low-tech wells 100-150 feet deep and tapping into aquifers. The water is tested to make sure it's safe for drinking. Each hand-pumped well can serve about 50 families.
Aviva’s new man
In two weeks, Richard Harvey, chief executive of Aviva, is disappearing into the jungles of Africa. His replacement at the UK’s biggest insurer will be the current finance man, Andrew Moss. Once the maps of Malawi have been tidied off his new desk, what should investors expect Aviva’s new leader to do?
Although he is not yet in a position to sing his plans from the rooftops, there are already some clues. Mr Moss has been gradually taking the reins since his appointment was announced in February and Aviva has done a handful of small deals which point to the possible direction for the company. Those hoping for radical change look set to be disappointed.
No bad thing, perhaps, as the transactions make good sense. For example, in Turkey, Aviva is getting together with a couple of domestic banks to create the country’s largest pension provider, while in Spain it has entered a new distribution partnership. The first move underlines Aviva’s commitment to faster-growing markets; the second shows an understanding that when selling insurance and savings products, distribution is everything. The problem, however, is that gradual expansion may not be enough to capture the imagination of investors.
Since Aviva’s abortive attempt to buy Prudential last year, ambivalence seems to have crept in. Over the past 12 months, Aviva’s share price has underperformed the sector – and the broader UK market – by more than 10 per cent. More gallingly, Prudential’s shares have done better than Aviva’s by 25 per cent over the period. This is partly because Prudential remains a bid target, but low-hanging operational improvements also suggest that Aviva was probably right to go after its UK rival after all. That there now appears to be nothing anywhere near as exciting on Aviva’s horizon may, unjustifiably, continue to weigh on the stock.
Although he is not yet in a position to sing his plans from the rooftops, there are already some clues. Mr Moss has been gradually taking the reins since his appointment was announced in February and Aviva has done a handful of small deals which point to the possible direction for the company. Those hoping for radical change look set to be disappointed.
No bad thing, perhaps, as the transactions make good sense. For example, in Turkey, Aviva is getting together with a couple of domestic banks to create the country’s largest pension provider, while in Spain it has entered a new distribution partnership. The first move underlines Aviva’s commitment to faster-growing markets; the second shows an understanding that when selling insurance and savings products, distribution is everything. The problem, however, is that gradual expansion may not be enough to capture the imagination of investors.
Since Aviva’s abortive attempt to buy Prudential last year, ambivalence seems to have crept in. Over the past 12 months, Aviva’s share price has underperformed the sector – and the broader UK market – by more than 10 per cent. More gallingly, Prudential’s shares have done better than Aviva’s by 25 per cent over the period. This is partly because Prudential remains a bid target, but low-hanging operational improvements also suggest that Aviva was probably right to go after its UK rival after all. That there now appears to be nothing anywhere near as exciting on Aviva’s horizon may, unjustifiably, continue to weigh on the stock.
Old computers find new life in Malawi
The Taipei City Government has found a unique, if faraway, place to donate its old computers -- the southern African country of Malawi.
The computers were originally used in the city government's department of labor. Now 162 of them are on their way to Malawi, where they will be reserved for use by underprivileged children.
The donation of the computers was organized by a private Buddhist foundation. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Malawi's ambassador to Taiwan, Thengo Maloya, were both on hand for the donation ceremony on Tuesday morning.
Mayor Hau said that while the second hand computers are not worth much, they are priceless to those who need them.
The selection of Malawi as the recipient for the computers is not a random choice. Malawi is one of Taiwan's remaining 24 allies. Its capital, Lilongwe, is also a sister city of Taipei.
The computers were originally used in the city government's department of labor. Now 162 of them are on their way to Malawi, where they will be reserved for use by underprivileged children.
The donation of the computers was organized by a private Buddhist foundation. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Malawi's ambassador to Taiwan, Thengo Maloya, were both on hand for the donation ceremony on Tuesday morning.
Mayor Hau said that while the second hand computers are not worth much, they are priceless to those who need them.
The selection of Malawi as the recipient for the computers is not a random choice. Malawi is one of Taiwan's remaining 24 allies. Its capital, Lilongwe, is also a sister city of Taipei.
Mayo people are making a real difference in Malawi
LAST year, eight Mayo people (Marcella Heffernan, Ciara McDermott, Nuala O’Shea, Marie O’Malley, John Maughan, Catherine Brennan, Eamon O’Hara and John Connolly), set off for Malawi as part of an 80-strong group from all over Ireland on the ‘Playing for Life’ programme.
In total, 20 people travelled from each of the four provinces and the team comprised of people from all walks of life, featuring men and women with a variety of useful skills and attributes.
This year, three people from Connacht (Liam McHale, Colin Regan and Eleanor Shanley) are making that same trip to do what they can for the people of Malawi. Mayo’s Liam McHale is also organising a Golf Classic, to be held in Ballina, to raise funds for the charity.
The aim of the ‘Playing for Life’ charity is to assist in developing a safe and happy environment for young people through sport and play in several underprivileged areas. The mission is also to create an educational series of games, focusing on health, self-respect and that of others, friendship, social integration, participation and team skills. The charity also strives to involve the local community in building multi-purpose facilities, sharing skills, empowering others, improving self-sufficiency, and leaving behind a tangible legacy.
All volunteers have been asked to raise a minimum of
•5,500 prior to departure and from this, the volunteers’ air fare, accommodation and meals will be paid, with the remainder of the fundraising used to develop the activities for Playing for Life in Malawi.
This year, the group will develop two projects in Tanzania and Malawi and urgently need Builders, Dressmakers and Home Economic teachers for their programmes. If you can help or are in a position to spare two weeks of your time at the end of September or the first two weeks in November, please contact 045 881607/ fax 045 881609.
Malawi is a small, narrow country, wedged between Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, and bordered on its eastern flank by Lake Malawi. The vast majority of the population live in the rural areas, earning their living from the land. Many areas in Malawi are regarded as food deficit, resulting in severe poverty. The average day’s wage in the region is 1 and an average cup of coffee in the area costs 25cent.
The problems that are experienced on a daily basis by the people of this region will not be solved in a day, a week, a month, or even a year. But, it is the aim of this particular ‘Playing for Life’ mission to do whatever little bit they can to help the Malawian natives.
Mayo Ladies football star Marcella Heffernan, who took part in the programme last year, said that she was delighted to be part of the Playing for Life programme in Malawi.
“The experience exceeded all of my expectations. It truly was a life-changing experience,” Marcella told the Western People.
Marcella went on to describe her amazement of the attitudes of the people she met in Malawi. “I’ve never known anyone to be so happy with so little. They really did appreciate the little things,” she said.
Marcella took part in the programme as a sports instructor for the children of Malawi.
“Their ability to pick up games was incredible, the children learned so much in such a short space of time,” recalled the Mayo footballer.
When asked what she thought of the overall experience Marcella commented that the only thing she could compare that experience to was winning the All-Ireland with Mayo Ladies football. “I would highly recommend the trip to anyone who wants to make a change for the better in these people’s lives,” concluded the caring Mayo lady.
In total, 20 people travelled from each of the four provinces and the team comprised of people from all walks of life, featuring men and women with a variety of useful skills and attributes.
This year, three people from Connacht (Liam McHale, Colin Regan and Eleanor Shanley) are making that same trip to do what they can for the people of Malawi. Mayo’s Liam McHale is also organising a Golf Classic, to be held in Ballina, to raise funds for the charity.
The aim of the ‘Playing for Life’ charity is to assist in developing a safe and happy environment for young people through sport and play in several underprivileged areas. The mission is also to create an educational series of games, focusing on health, self-respect and that of others, friendship, social integration, participation and team skills. The charity also strives to involve the local community in building multi-purpose facilities, sharing skills, empowering others, improving self-sufficiency, and leaving behind a tangible legacy.
All volunteers have been asked to raise a minimum of
•5,500 prior to departure and from this, the volunteers’ air fare, accommodation and meals will be paid, with the remainder of the fundraising used to develop the activities for Playing for Life in Malawi.
This year, the group will develop two projects in Tanzania and Malawi and urgently need Builders, Dressmakers and Home Economic teachers for their programmes. If you can help or are in a position to spare two weeks of your time at the end of September or the first two weeks in November, please contact 045 881607/ fax 045 881609.
Malawi is a small, narrow country, wedged between Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, and bordered on its eastern flank by Lake Malawi. The vast majority of the population live in the rural areas, earning their living from the land. Many areas in Malawi are regarded as food deficit, resulting in severe poverty. The average day’s wage in the region is 1 and an average cup of coffee in the area costs 25cent.
The problems that are experienced on a daily basis by the people of this region will not be solved in a day, a week, a month, or even a year. But, it is the aim of this particular ‘Playing for Life’ mission to do whatever little bit they can to help the Malawian natives.
Mayo Ladies football star Marcella Heffernan, who took part in the programme last year, said that she was delighted to be part of the Playing for Life programme in Malawi.
“The experience exceeded all of my expectations. It truly was a life-changing experience,” Marcella told the Western People.
Marcella went on to describe her amazement of the attitudes of the people she met in Malawi. “I’ve never known anyone to be so happy with so little. They really did appreciate the little things,” she said.
Marcella took part in the programme as a sports instructor for the children of Malawi.
“Their ability to pick up games was incredible, the children learned so much in such a short space of time,” recalled the Mayo footballer.
When asked what she thought of the overall experience Marcella commented that the only thing she could compare that experience to was winning the All-Ireland with Mayo Ladies football. “I would highly recommend the trip to anyone who wants to make a change for the better in these people’s lives,” concluded the caring Mayo lady.
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Malawi cabinet closer to collapse
Malawi’s parliament set the wheels in motion yesterday to sack dozens of defecting lawmakers, a move set to trigger the collapse of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s minority government.
A senior parliamentary official said summonses had been sent to more than 50 members of the 193-strong parliament, ordering them to answer petitions filed by fellow MPs for their dismissal when the chamber re-convenes on Friday.
"Parliament has hand-delivered petitions to the affected MPs throughout the country," the official, who declined to be named, told AFP.
He would not give the exact number of petitions, saying instead that it amounted to more than 50.
"Everybody has been petitioned individually and the MPs have seven days to respond to the petitions," the official added.
The speaker, Louis Chimango, is set to invoke a controversial constitutional provision to expel lawmakers who changed party affiliation after he was granted the powers by the country’s supreme court on June 15.
Mass by-elections will then have to be held to replace all those who had been forced out of parliament, leaving Mutharika with the task of having to stitch together another coalition or else be forced out of office.
Chimango, a lawyer and an MP for the opposition Malawi Congress Party, "will sit down with a team of lawyers to analyse the responses of every individual MP to form a legal opinion before expelling them from the chamber," the official said.
"It will be a complex process which will take sometime," he added.
The June 15 judgement was the climax to a long-running dispute which was argued before the lower courts, with Mutharika himself leading the pressure for a definitive interpretation of a clause in the constitution after opposition parties began pushing for the expulsions a year ago.
Around half of the MPs affected are now loyal to Mutharika’s government and his ruling Democratic Progress party after being enticed to cross the floor.
The petitions for their dismissal have come from the opposition Malawi Congress Party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) of ex-president Bakili Muluzi, who have a combined force of 105 MPs.
The Democratic Progressive Party has filed petitions for a number of UDF MPs to be expelled for crossing the floor.
A senior parliamentary official said summonses had been sent to more than 50 members of the 193-strong parliament, ordering them to answer petitions filed by fellow MPs for their dismissal when the chamber re-convenes on Friday.
"Parliament has hand-delivered petitions to the affected MPs throughout the country," the official, who declined to be named, told AFP.
He would not give the exact number of petitions, saying instead that it amounted to more than 50.
"Everybody has been petitioned individually and the MPs have seven days to respond to the petitions," the official added.
The speaker, Louis Chimango, is set to invoke a controversial constitutional provision to expel lawmakers who changed party affiliation after he was granted the powers by the country’s supreme court on June 15.
Mass by-elections will then have to be held to replace all those who had been forced out of parliament, leaving Mutharika with the task of having to stitch together another coalition or else be forced out of office.
Chimango, a lawyer and an MP for the opposition Malawi Congress Party, "will sit down with a team of lawyers to analyse the responses of every individual MP to form a legal opinion before expelling them from the chamber," the official said.
"It will be a complex process which will take sometime," he added.
The June 15 judgement was the climax to a long-running dispute which was argued before the lower courts, with Mutharika himself leading the pressure for a definitive interpretation of a clause in the constitution after opposition parties began pushing for the expulsions a year ago.
Around half of the MPs affected are now loyal to Mutharika’s government and his ruling Democratic Progress party after being enticed to cross the floor.
The petitions for their dismissal have come from the opposition Malawi Congress Party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) of ex-president Bakili Muluzi, who have a combined force of 105 MPs.
The Democratic Progressive Party has filed petitions for a number of UDF MPs to be expelled for crossing the floor.
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Dignitas International's Race for Dignity Challenge Raises Over $285,000 for HIV/AIDS in Africa
On Saturday, June 23, thousands of people converged on Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square for Dignitas International's Race for Dignity Challenge, raising over $285,000 for HIV/AIDS programming in Africa.
The 12-hour spinathon on stationary bikes featured 30 teams comprising over 220 cyclists, as well as 12 hours of live onstage entertainment, including over 20 international and Juno Award-winning musical acts. Special guests throughout the day included MP Peggy Nash, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Toronto City Councillor Kyle Rae, MP Olivia Chow, Ontario Minister of Health George Smitherman, Canadian television personality Mag Ruffman, Race for Dignity Founder and Ironman triathlete Scott Simpson, and Dignitas Co-Founder and Executive Director James Fraser.
"The Race for Dignity Challenge was a huge success - the energy and
enthusiasm of everyone involved was incredibly inspiring," said Fraser. "This
event provided an opportunity for Canadians to have a direct impact on the
lives of people affected by AIDS in Africa. The funds raised will go towards
programs that increase access to essential medical care and life-saving
medications in the Zomba District of Malawi. Access to treatment in Malawi
equals hope - and a future - for the thousands of people living with HIV."
Presented this year by BMO Financial Group, the Race for Dignity
Challenge has established itself as a growing grassroots event with support
from corporate sponsors, private funders, public officials, celebrities,
students, activists, artists, medical professionals and private sector actors.
Dignitas thanks the corporate sponsors, spinners, donors, volunteers and
entertainers who contributed to the event.
Dignitas International is a medical humanitarian organization working
with communities to dramatically increase access to life-saving treatment and
prevention in areas overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS. Founded by a group of
international health and research experts, Dignitas is led by Dr. James
Orbinski, who accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize as International President
of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders). Dignitas is saving
lives in Malawi, Africa, with sustainable, community-based HIV/AIDS
programming to be replicated throughout the developing world.
For further information: Kathe Rogers, Communications Coordinator, (416)
260-3100 x 113, or k.rogers@dignitasinternational.org
The 12-hour spinathon on stationary bikes featured 30 teams comprising over 220 cyclists, as well as 12 hours of live onstage entertainment, including over 20 international and Juno Award-winning musical acts. Special guests throughout the day included MP Peggy Nash, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Toronto City Councillor Kyle Rae, MP Olivia Chow, Ontario Minister of Health George Smitherman, Canadian television personality Mag Ruffman, Race for Dignity Founder and Ironman triathlete Scott Simpson, and Dignitas Co-Founder and Executive Director James Fraser.
"The Race for Dignity Challenge was a huge success - the energy and
enthusiasm of everyone involved was incredibly inspiring," said Fraser. "This
event provided an opportunity for Canadians to have a direct impact on the
lives of people affected by AIDS in Africa. The funds raised will go towards
programs that increase access to essential medical care and life-saving
medications in the Zomba District of Malawi. Access to treatment in Malawi
equals hope - and a future - for the thousands of people living with HIV."
Presented this year by BMO Financial Group, the Race for Dignity
Challenge has established itself as a growing grassroots event with support
from corporate sponsors, private funders, public officials, celebrities,
students, activists, artists, medical professionals and private sector actors.
Dignitas thanks the corporate sponsors, spinners, donors, volunteers and
entertainers who contributed to the event.
Dignitas International is a medical humanitarian organization working
with communities to dramatically increase access to life-saving treatment and
prevention in areas overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS. Founded by a group of
international health and research experts, Dignitas is led by Dr. James
Orbinski, who accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize as International President
of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders). Dignitas is saving
lives in Malawi, Africa, with sustainable, community-based HIV/AIDS
programming to be replicated throughout the developing world.
For further information: Kathe Rogers, Communications Coordinator, (416)
260-3100 x 113, or k.rogers@dignitasinternational.org
Malawian Opposition Denies It Plans to Impeach President Mutharika
Malawi’s opposition parties are reportedly planning to impeach President Bingu Wa Mutharika. Sources say Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) are waiting for the speaker of the national assembly to enforce a recent court ruling that gave the speaker a mandate to declare vacant seats of parliamentarians who have crossed over to join other political parties. But the UDF has dismissed the reports, saying opposition parties have used their numerical strength responsibly in the national assembly.
Sam Mpasu is the spokesman for the main opposition UDF. From the commercial capital Blantyre, he tells VOA English to Africa reporter Peter Clottey that the UDF is not interested in impeaching President Mutharika.
“The question of section 65, as far as we are concerned, is a constitutional issue. It is not against any political party. And it is the president himself who made the referral to the constitutional court and subsequently to the Supreme Court. Neither the MCP nor the UDF nor any other political [party] was directly involved. So far as we are concerned it’s a constitutional issue in the hands of the speaker. It’s not a question of opposition taking advantage of it or not taking advantage of it,” Mpasu said.
He said the ruling People’s Democratic Party (DPP) is responsible for the ensuing political tension after the Supreme Court ruling giving the speaker of the national assembly the mandate to declare vacant seats of parliamentarians who have crossed over to join other political parties.
“The DPP is panicking and they want to turn this (ruling) into a political issue as if it is the government against the opposition or vice versa,” he noted.
Mpasu said the opposition parties are not interested in impeaching President Mutharika because their focus is on looking forward to the debate on the government’s budget.
“As far as the opposition is concerned this (parliament) is a budget session. It was opened by the same president a few weeks ago; it was interrupted because of the death of the first lady and is due to resume on the 29th. And as far as we are concerned, it’s a budget session,” he pointed out.
He accused President Mutharika of always finding fault with the opposition whenever things do not go his way.
“The president has always made a big issue over the budget in order to castigate the opposition. The truth of the matter is that since he came to power in 2004, his party has never had the majority, and yet every year the budget has been passed by the opposition. And he is always making a big song to create the impression that the opposition is trying to sabotage the economy of the country. But in fact every budget has been passed,” he said.
Mpasu said President Mutharika has the tendency to make parliament do his bidding.
“What he is trying to do is to make parliament a rubber stamp, not raise questions on the budget, and that we refuse. We scrutinize the budget, ask questions, get answers and then passed it. But he is always making a song to say no, no, no … come and beat them up and so forth. It’s not true. We are very responsible opposition parties we care about the country, and we pass the budget on merit. But we are not going to be rushed in to rubber stamping something we don’t approve off,” Mpasu noted.
He reiterated the opposition parties have used their numerical strength in the national assembly responsibly.
“He’s (president Mutharika) always cried wolf all the time. The truth of the matter is that we are in the majority in parliament, but we have used that majority responsibly,” he said.
Sam Mpasu is the spokesman for the main opposition UDF. From the commercial capital Blantyre, he tells VOA English to Africa reporter Peter Clottey that the UDF is not interested in impeaching President Mutharika.
“The question of section 65, as far as we are concerned, is a constitutional issue. It is not against any political party. And it is the president himself who made the referral to the constitutional court and subsequently to the Supreme Court. Neither the MCP nor the UDF nor any other political [party] was directly involved. So far as we are concerned it’s a constitutional issue in the hands of the speaker. It’s not a question of opposition taking advantage of it or not taking advantage of it,” Mpasu said.
He said the ruling People’s Democratic Party (DPP) is responsible for the ensuing political tension after the Supreme Court ruling giving the speaker of the national assembly the mandate to declare vacant seats of parliamentarians who have crossed over to join other political parties.
“The DPP is panicking and they want to turn this (ruling) into a political issue as if it is the government against the opposition or vice versa,” he noted.
Mpasu said the opposition parties are not interested in impeaching President Mutharika because their focus is on looking forward to the debate on the government’s budget.
“As far as the opposition is concerned this (parliament) is a budget session. It was opened by the same president a few weeks ago; it was interrupted because of the death of the first lady and is due to resume on the 29th. And as far as we are concerned, it’s a budget session,” he pointed out.
He accused President Mutharika of always finding fault with the opposition whenever things do not go his way.
“The president has always made a big issue over the budget in order to castigate the opposition. The truth of the matter is that since he came to power in 2004, his party has never had the majority, and yet every year the budget has been passed by the opposition. And he is always making a big song to create the impression that the opposition is trying to sabotage the economy of the country. But in fact every budget has been passed,” he said.
Mpasu said President Mutharika has the tendency to make parliament do his bidding.
“What he is trying to do is to make parliament a rubber stamp, not raise questions on the budget, and that we refuse. We scrutinize the budget, ask questions, get answers and then passed it. But he is always making a song to say no, no, no … come and beat them up and so forth. It’s not true. We are very responsible opposition parties we care about the country, and we pass the budget on merit. But we are not going to be rushed in to rubber stamping something we don’t approve off,” Mpasu noted.
He reiterated the opposition parties have used their numerical strength in the national assembly responsibly.
“He’s (president Mutharika) always cried wolf all the time. The truth of the matter is that we are in the majority in parliament, but we have used that majority responsibly,” he said.
The fashion and textiles student
Leaving her family in Malawi was a tough choice for Rose Kaleke
I left Malawi in 2005. I wanted to study fashion and textiles, but there were no suitable courses in my country. It was hard to leave my family. I have a husband and three children aged 23, 21 and 16. I haven't seen them for two years.
When I left Malawi, my husband was working. Then he lost his job and had to sell some of our property to pay my course fees. I work part time, 20 hours a week in a care home. This just about covers my rent, bills, food and weekly travel card.
I rent a room in a flat in Edgware, in north London. It can be lonely, coming home to one room every night when you're used to living in a house with your family.
The culture is different here, but everyone is friendly. I'm the oldest in my class at college. Most of the students are young girls, but I mix easily. They tell me I am brave. They tell me they could never do what I am doing. I tell them that you have to make sacrifices to achieve what you want out of life.
Next year, I'm hoping to go to Bournemouth University, so I can make my qualification up to a degree. I'd like to go home during the summer break, but a flight will cost at least £500. I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it.
When I decided to do this course, I was running a shop, selling ready-made clothes. People in Malawi like to buy clothes that are made to measure, or can be altered to fit them. The skills I learn on this course will help me make a better business at home. When you have your own business, you help reduce poverty, which is a big problem in Malawi. When I reopen my shop, I'd like to employ people with disabilities. They have so much to offer but are often overlooked for work.
· Rose Kaleke is studying for an HND in fashion and textiles at Barnet College
I left Malawi in 2005. I wanted to study fashion and textiles, but there were no suitable courses in my country. It was hard to leave my family. I have a husband and three children aged 23, 21 and 16. I haven't seen them for two years.
When I left Malawi, my husband was working. Then he lost his job and had to sell some of our property to pay my course fees. I work part time, 20 hours a week in a care home. This just about covers my rent, bills, food and weekly travel card.
I rent a room in a flat in Edgware, in north London. It can be lonely, coming home to one room every night when you're used to living in a house with your family.
The culture is different here, but everyone is friendly. I'm the oldest in my class at college. Most of the students are young girls, but I mix easily. They tell me I am brave. They tell me they could never do what I am doing. I tell them that you have to make sacrifices to achieve what you want out of life.
Next year, I'm hoping to go to Bournemouth University, so I can make my qualification up to a degree. I'd like to go home during the summer break, but a flight will cost at least £500. I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it.
When I decided to do this course, I was running a shop, selling ready-made clothes. People in Malawi like to buy clothes that are made to measure, or can be altered to fit them. The skills I learn on this course will help me make a better business at home. When you have your own business, you help reduce poverty, which is a big problem in Malawi. When I reopen my shop, I'd like to employ people with disabilities. They have so much to offer but are often overlooked for work.
· Rose Kaleke is studying for an HND in fashion and textiles at Barnet College
Monday, 25 June 2007
Malawians enjoy record harvest
Malawi?s summer crop harvest is almost complete, and the rainy season is essentially over. Household food security has improved; household stocks are high, and market demand and consumer prices are low. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has conducted the third round agricultural production estimate survey; the results will be released mid-June. Malawi expects its second consecutive bumper harvest this season. Farmers began planting winter crops in March and April, and will continue planting until July and August. The first winter harvests begin in August and continue through December. The winter crop improves household food security at the onset of the lean months (January and February).
Food aid distributions in response to the needs identified by the 2006/07 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) are now complete as households have food from their own production. The food aid program was extended by one month into April 2007 to prevent the need for households to consume their food crops prematurely. The food aid program was generally a success, meeting all of the identified needs. The MVAC has just finished their 2007/08 food security assessment to determine areas that may need food aid assistance this season. The results will be released soon.
ADMARC has not yet started buying maize as the private traders are now doing. However, market activity in maize has generally been low; traders fear a weak market for their produce due to the favorable household food security following the recent harvest. However, as the moisture content drops further, trade in maize is expected to increase as traders stock up to fulfill contractual obligations to the national Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) for exports to Zimbabwe and other future export contracts. This increase in maize trade activity is expected to strengthen the market, pushing up local market prices.
Food aid distributions in response to the needs identified by the 2006/07 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) are now complete as households have food from their own production. The food aid program was extended by one month into April 2007 to prevent the need for households to consume their food crops prematurely. The food aid program was generally a success, meeting all of the identified needs. The MVAC has just finished their 2007/08 food security assessment to determine areas that may need food aid assistance this season. The results will be released soon.
ADMARC has not yet started buying maize as the private traders are now doing. However, market activity in maize has generally been low; traders fear a weak market for their produce due to the favorable household food security following the recent harvest. However, as the moisture content drops further, trade in maize is expected to increase as traders stock up to fulfill contractual obligations to the national Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) for exports to Zimbabwe and other future export contracts. This increase in maize trade activity is expected to strengthen the market, pushing up local market prices.
COMESA urges free movement of maize across borders
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has urged member states to allow free movement of maize by implementing the "maize without borders" concept to ensure food security and promote trade in the region.
"As a staple food crop in a number of COMESA countries, the unimpeded movement of maize from surplus to deficit areas is critical to ensuring sustained regional food security," Comesa said in a report.
It noted that free trade in maize was being hampered by periodic import and export restrictions imposed by member countries.
COMESA said the solution to such challenges lay in the speedy implementation of the "maize without borders" strategy that had already been adopted by the bloc to remove trade barriers in the movement of maize across member states.
"Such a development will also recognise and formalise the important role played by small cross-border traders in the movement of maize across borders."
Apart from being a staple food, maize is one of COMESA's leading export commodities.
According to recent United Nations trade data, maize accounts for more than 50 percent of the region's total grain imports.
COMESA said for the region to fully realise its potential in maize production, serious consideration towards investment in agro-processing should be made.
Such a development, it said, would enable COMESA to add value to raw maize grain and boost export sales.
"Investing in agro-processing will enable the bloc to add value to raw maize grain, thus allowing local goods to compete on the international market," it said.
Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo are COMESA's major importers of agricultural commodities while Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi and Egypt are the top five leading exporters of farming products.
The 20 member COMESA region, has an estimated combined population of 400 million people and covers an area of over 12 million square kilometres, compared to the Southern African Development Community's estimated 9.8 million square kilometre area and 233 million people.
The two organisations have overlapping memberships.
COMESA member countries are Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
SADC's 14 member countries are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
"As a staple food crop in a number of COMESA countries, the unimpeded movement of maize from surplus to deficit areas is critical to ensuring sustained regional food security," Comesa said in a report.
It noted that free trade in maize was being hampered by periodic import and export restrictions imposed by member countries.
COMESA said the solution to such challenges lay in the speedy implementation of the "maize without borders" strategy that had already been adopted by the bloc to remove trade barriers in the movement of maize across member states.
"Such a development will also recognise and formalise the important role played by small cross-border traders in the movement of maize across borders."
Apart from being a staple food, maize is one of COMESA's leading export commodities.
According to recent United Nations trade data, maize accounts for more than 50 percent of the region's total grain imports.
COMESA said for the region to fully realise its potential in maize production, serious consideration towards investment in agro-processing should be made.
Such a development, it said, would enable COMESA to add value to raw maize grain and boost export sales.
"Investing in agro-processing will enable the bloc to add value to raw maize grain, thus allowing local goods to compete on the international market," it said.
Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo are COMESA's major importers of agricultural commodities while Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi and Egypt are the top five leading exporters of farming products.
The 20 member COMESA region, has an estimated combined population of 400 million people and covers an area of over 12 million square kilometres, compared to the Southern African Development Community's estimated 9.8 million square kilometre area and 233 million people.
The two organisations have overlapping memberships.
COMESA member countries are Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
SADC's 14 member countries are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Cross-border pioneer Celtel eyes Sudan, Malawi, Zambia
Mobile telephone operator Celtel International plans to add three more countries — Sudan, Malawi and Zambia — into its One Network coverage plan.
Only a few weeks ago, the company expanded the One Network to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon.
Meanwhile, its competitors in East Africa — MTN in Uganda, Safaricom in Kenya and Vodacom in Tanzania — have responded to its cross-border network by abolishing roaming charges among their customers and lowering charges.
Celtel operates in Malawi and Zambia on the group brand but as Mobitel in Sudan. This is in addition to its coverage in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Despite its presence in all these countries, it needs an international gateway in some countries like Zambia — a requirement for the One Network plan to work. This could delay its rollout in the country.
Sources told The EastAfrican that it took Celtel 18 months of planning the regional network initiative that was launched in September last year. Its extension to Libreville, Gabon, took another nine months, creating over 160,000 points where customers can buy airtime.
Officials say it will take even less time to cover the remaining three countries, once the company gets past their diverse tax regimes and other technical legalities.
“We are working to make the process faster; it will take less time than it took us to spread from the east to the west coast,” said Celtel’s One Network programme director, George Held.
Celtel officials say the number of subscribers in the six countries covered under its One Network plan stood at 7.5 million at the end of April this year. The addition of another three countries would bring the figure close to 12 million subscribers in a population of about 250 million people.
Industry estimates put Celtel’s share of the market on the continent at 20 million customers which puts it third behind South Africa’s MTN (36.1 million) and Vodacom (25 million).
Celtel’s recent move has jolted Uganda Telecom (UTL) into negotiating a deal with Safaricom, to phase out its old roaming profile for its mobile brand in Kenya.
UTL marketing manager Levi Nyakundi told The EastAfrican that the new deal will allow the company’s prepaid and postpaid customers to receive calls free of charge and make calls at local rates when travelling abroad. Customers, he said, are charged the equivalent of their local call profiles, but the service is still limited to Kenya.
“We are also negotiating with Vodacom to provide the same service,” Mr Nyakundi added. UTL has invested close to $50 million to expand its network.
This rush for innovative means to attract customers has also seen Uganda’s MTN launch WiMax broadband Internet for upcountry users.
Last year, MTN chief commercial officer Eric Van Veen said the company had plans of bringing RwandaCell — MTN’s subsidiary in Rwanda — onto its East African network in a bid to build an even wider network in the region.
Only a few weeks ago, the company expanded the One Network to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon.
Meanwhile, its competitors in East Africa — MTN in Uganda, Safaricom in Kenya and Vodacom in Tanzania — have responded to its cross-border network by abolishing roaming charges among their customers and lowering charges.
Celtel operates in Malawi and Zambia on the group brand but as Mobitel in Sudan. This is in addition to its coverage in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Despite its presence in all these countries, it needs an international gateway in some countries like Zambia — a requirement for the One Network plan to work. This could delay its rollout in the country.
Sources told The EastAfrican that it took Celtel 18 months of planning the regional network initiative that was launched in September last year. Its extension to Libreville, Gabon, took another nine months, creating over 160,000 points where customers can buy airtime.
Officials say it will take even less time to cover the remaining three countries, once the company gets past their diverse tax regimes and other technical legalities.
“We are working to make the process faster; it will take less time than it took us to spread from the east to the west coast,” said Celtel’s One Network programme director, George Held.
Celtel officials say the number of subscribers in the six countries covered under its One Network plan stood at 7.5 million at the end of April this year. The addition of another three countries would bring the figure close to 12 million subscribers in a population of about 250 million people.
Industry estimates put Celtel’s share of the market on the continent at 20 million customers which puts it third behind South Africa’s MTN (36.1 million) and Vodacom (25 million).
Celtel’s recent move has jolted Uganda Telecom (UTL) into negotiating a deal with Safaricom, to phase out its old roaming profile for its mobile brand in Kenya.
UTL marketing manager Levi Nyakundi told The EastAfrican that the new deal will allow the company’s prepaid and postpaid customers to receive calls free of charge and make calls at local rates when travelling abroad. Customers, he said, are charged the equivalent of their local call profiles, but the service is still limited to Kenya.
“We are also negotiating with Vodacom to provide the same service,” Mr Nyakundi added. UTL has invested close to $50 million to expand its network.
This rush for innovative means to attract customers has also seen Uganda’s MTN launch WiMax broadband Internet for upcountry users.
Last year, MTN chief commercial officer Eric Van Veen said the company had plans of bringing RwandaCell — MTN’s subsidiary in Rwanda — onto its East African network in a bid to build an even wider network in the region.
Sunday, 24 June 2007
William Kamkwamba On Winds of Power (Part IV)
Preamble:
Current teachers report that William is highly intelligent, modest, quiet and hard-working and is so eager to catch up. William has been out of school for five years after completing two terms of first form (freshman year of high school). He has been educating himself to the best of his resources, and done something extraordinary with his time, instead of becoming a dead-end kid. He's far behind on certain subjects and incredibly advanced in terms of real-world engineering, invention and entrepreneurial skills. Whatever academic choices we consider can't snuff out what makes him so special: his hands-on kinesthetic learning, his autodidact nature, his optimism and enthusiasm for making things, and his natural mechanical and engineering talent.
Wiliam, Dr. Mchazime and I agree that to achieve his maximum potential, William probably needs a customized plan of secondary education, tutoring, internet self-learning, work experience, life skills, and hands-on access to tools, parts and equipment to pursue his plans for the next windmill, solar power and irrigation. He needs to be able to visit his family home frequently. He needs mentoring and interaction with adults in addition to children, and we need to recognize that he's mature in many ways and still very young in others. If he is to go to college, he needs a bridge that helps him cross the gap between his current academic preparedness and modern university standards.
When William came to TEDGlobal, the presentation he brought listed two goals: get a secondary education, and build a bigger windmill. A few members of the TED community agreed to fund those two parts of his "business plan." William's education is my highest priority while I'm here.
Dr. Hartford Mchazime, Ph.D. is William's mentor. He is Deputy Director of the MTTA, a project of USAID that endeavors to improve teacher training and primary and secondary literacy in Malawi. He is the one who started the process of bringing William's story to the world by bringing Malawian journalists to visit William and his Windmill.
Dr. Mchazime has worked hard to get William back in school after the five year break caused by the lack of school fees. For a little more that four weeks before TEDGlobal, William has been enrolled in Madisi secondary school, a competitive government boarding school that serves the families of poor farmers. He entered the second trimester of 1st form, repeating his 9th grade. Madisi, with 735 students is a good school with a visionary head teacher, Mr. Rhonex M.T. Banda, a charismatic "cheetah" leader who has big plans for the school but works under incredibly trying circumstances. I will meet with him and William on Thursday of this week.
Before I arrive in Malawi, I've tried to research good schools. At TEDGlobal I talked with Patrick Awuah of Asheshi University and the founder of the new prep school in Joburg. Kamuzu Academy is the best Malawian private secondary school. I write a long letter to the headmaster Francis Cooke, whom I later discover is another good Irishman. Unfortunately, the emails keep bouncing. I try three different addresses for the place and no luck. Also, trying to send it as a fax doesn't work from my Kenyan safari lodge.
I reach Francis on the phone and try to tell him the story. There is a delay in the phone call as many intra-African calls go up to a satellite because of weak network interconnections. It makes the conversation stilted. He has concerns about William's age but agrees to meet with Dr. Mchazime, his deputy headmaster Andrew Wild, and me on Monday.
Meanwhile, I email Peter Todd, the headmaster of Bishop MacKenzie School, the ex-pat American/British school that the kids of all the diplomats attend. Most students speak English as their mother tongue. I call him Monday am, and he has read my email. He has concerns about William's age and language skills and says that the only program he could put place into is the International Bac. program, which we both agree William is nowhere close to ready for due to his being out of school for five years.
Still, he is supportive and recommends we talk with the secondary school affiliated with the African Bible College, a relatively conservative Presbyterian Denomination school based in Lilongwe, the capital city. Malawi is a religious country where most people are Christian (with an active Muslim minority and some indigenous beliefs). William and his parents believe in God and belong to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) and attend church regularly.
In the morning I take a chance and drop by the ABC Christian Academy without an appointment because I can't find their phone number on their website. I am greeted with a big smile by the receptionist who instantly remembers William's story from the newspaper. She calls the head of secondary education right away and in just a few minutes i sit down with the extremely warm Lorilee Maclean, a Canadian teacher with a kind heart and tough academic standards. I present William's story and she listens intently. She also has concerns about his age and preparation.
ABC secondary was designed as a missionary school, that is to serve the children of itinerant Presbyterian missionaries. It has 73 full time high school students in its day school program (not a boarding program). Kids come from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea and Malawi. They are used to working around many different schedules and kids from all different education systems. It runs on an American calendar from August to May instead of the normal Malawian January to October.
ABC's program however is much more flexible. Because their high school program is only a few years old, it's not currently accredited by U.S. authorities. Therefore they are beginning a distance learning program called Northstar Academy that is fully accredited, offers AP classes and a legitimate high school diploma. I have a feeling this could be a good option, as classes are offered on the Internet, which will teach William good computer schools, and students have access to more than 35 teachers all day long. Pace and schedule are very flexible. The program is Christian-based and academically rigorous. I think of how Catholic schools in the U.S. are instrumental in educating the less advantaged.
What's more, Lorilee is open to tutoring, remedial education and afternoon work experience. She understands that continuing his engineering and hands-on learning is essential. It's near Baobab Health, where William has the opportunity for an after-school job if he's anywhere near Lilongwe. Upsides: Flexibility, committed teachers, small number of students, international student body with native English speakers, which will help William learn English, internet access for self-learning and exploration, full health clinic on campus. Downsides: not a full secondary teaching staff, slightly less resources than Kamuzu or Bishop MacKenzie. She agrees to meet with William, Dr. Mchazime and me the next morning.
We pick up Dr. Mchazime, drive out to William's to fetch him and I am met by the unbelievable sight of a working windmill. William has repaired it that very morning. (see part 3).
By sheer coincidence, Kamuzu Academy is located just 5 km from William's house on a beautiful campus built by Malawi's president for life Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, partly as a monument to himself. It has the best sports fields in Malawi, a library modeled after the U.S. Library of Congress, and a red brick, 1970's esthetic. The school educates the elite of Malawi and has a deservedly top reputation. Frances and Andrew receive William, Dr. Mchazime and me in Andrew's office, which resembles that of a typical college professor: papers are everywhere due to exam week. It is a full boarding school and adheres to the English educational system like most of the rest of Malawi. They have fantastic teachers and pretty amazing resources. The academy employes 529 people in a deliberate attempt to provide as many jobs as possible. Kids from here go to top schools in Malawi, Africa, UK and the US.
Yet, I'm not convinced it's right for William, given his gaps in education after five years out of school, the remote location, lack of engineering opportunities and the fact that he's nineteen and kind of old for boarding school. Indeed, early in the conversation, Mr. Cooke tells me they have strict age guidelines. Most 1st formers are between 11-14. When they first began, he tells me, they used to have much older students. As the idea of such a school took hold, the ages began to fall until they matched those in England. Andrew and Francis are incredibly moved by Wiliam's story and offer wise council, helpful introductions and free use of the library, a real honor for William but due to their age requirements and William's unique situation, it's not the best fit. They are trying to do on a much larger scale what Dr. Mchazime and the TED supporters are trying to do with William: educate the future leaders of the country.
Current teachers report that William is highly intelligent, modest, quiet and hard-working and is so eager to catch up. William has been out of school for five years after completing two terms of first form (freshman year of high school). He has been educating himself to the best of his resources, and done something extraordinary with his time, instead of becoming a dead-end kid. He's far behind on certain subjects and incredibly advanced in terms of real-world engineering, invention and entrepreneurial skills. Whatever academic choices we consider can't snuff out what makes him so special: his hands-on kinesthetic learning, his autodidact nature, his optimism and enthusiasm for making things, and his natural mechanical and engineering talent.
Wiliam, Dr. Mchazime and I agree that to achieve his maximum potential, William probably needs a customized plan of secondary education, tutoring, internet self-learning, work experience, life skills, and hands-on access to tools, parts and equipment to pursue his plans for the next windmill, solar power and irrigation. He needs to be able to visit his family home frequently. He needs mentoring and interaction with adults in addition to children, and we need to recognize that he's mature in many ways and still very young in others. If he is to go to college, he needs a bridge that helps him cross the gap between his current academic preparedness and modern university standards.
When William came to TEDGlobal, the presentation he brought listed two goals: get a secondary education, and build a bigger windmill. A few members of the TED community agreed to fund those two parts of his "business plan." William's education is my highest priority while I'm here.
Dr. Hartford Mchazime, Ph.D. is William's mentor. He is Deputy Director of the MTTA, a project of USAID that endeavors to improve teacher training and primary and secondary literacy in Malawi. He is the one who started the process of bringing William's story to the world by bringing Malawian journalists to visit William and his Windmill.
Dr. Mchazime has worked hard to get William back in school after the five year break caused by the lack of school fees. For a little more that four weeks before TEDGlobal, William has been enrolled in Madisi secondary school, a competitive government boarding school that serves the families of poor farmers. He entered the second trimester of 1st form, repeating his 9th grade. Madisi, with 735 students is a good school with a visionary head teacher, Mr. Rhonex M.T. Banda, a charismatic "cheetah" leader who has big plans for the school but works under incredibly trying circumstances. I will meet with him and William on Thursday of this week.
Before I arrive in Malawi, I've tried to research good schools. At TEDGlobal I talked with Patrick Awuah of Asheshi University and the founder of the new prep school in Joburg. Kamuzu Academy is the best Malawian private secondary school. I write a long letter to the headmaster Francis Cooke, whom I later discover is another good Irishman. Unfortunately, the emails keep bouncing. I try three different addresses for the place and no luck. Also, trying to send it as a fax doesn't work from my Kenyan safari lodge.
I reach Francis on the phone and try to tell him the story. There is a delay in the phone call as many intra-African calls go up to a satellite because of weak network interconnections. It makes the conversation stilted. He has concerns about William's age but agrees to meet with Dr. Mchazime, his deputy headmaster Andrew Wild, and me on Monday.
Meanwhile, I email Peter Todd, the headmaster of Bishop MacKenzie School, the ex-pat American/British school that the kids of all the diplomats attend. Most students speak English as their mother tongue. I call him Monday am, and he has read my email. He has concerns about William's age and language skills and says that the only program he could put place into is the International Bac. program, which we both agree William is nowhere close to ready for due to his being out of school for five years.
Still, he is supportive and recommends we talk with the secondary school affiliated with the African Bible College, a relatively conservative Presbyterian Denomination school based in Lilongwe, the capital city. Malawi is a religious country where most people are Christian (with an active Muslim minority and some indigenous beliefs). William and his parents believe in God and belong to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) and attend church regularly.
In the morning I take a chance and drop by the ABC Christian Academy without an appointment because I can't find their phone number on their website. I am greeted with a big smile by the receptionist who instantly remembers William's story from the newspaper. She calls the head of secondary education right away and in just a few minutes i sit down with the extremely warm Lorilee Maclean, a Canadian teacher with a kind heart and tough academic standards. I present William's story and she listens intently. She also has concerns about his age and preparation.
ABC secondary was designed as a missionary school, that is to serve the children of itinerant Presbyterian missionaries. It has 73 full time high school students in its day school program (not a boarding program). Kids come from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea and Malawi. They are used to working around many different schedules and kids from all different education systems. It runs on an American calendar from August to May instead of the normal Malawian January to October.
ABC's program however is much more flexible. Because their high school program is only a few years old, it's not currently accredited by U.S. authorities. Therefore they are beginning a distance learning program called Northstar Academy that is fully accredited, offers AP classes and a legitimate high school diploma. I have a feeling this could be a good option, as classes are offered on the Internet, which will teach William good computer schools, and students have access to more than 35 teachers all day long. Pace and schedule are very flexible. The program is Christian-based and academically rigorous. I think of how Catholic schools in the U.S. are instrumental in educating the less advantaged.
What's more, Lorilee is open to tutoring, remedial education and afternoon work experience. She understands that continuing his engineering and hands-on learning is essential. It's near Baobab Health, where William has the opportunity for an after-school job if he's anywhere near Lilongwe. Upsides: Flexibility, committed teachers, small number of students, international student body with native English speakers, which will help William learn English, internet access for self-learning and exploration, full health clinic on campus. Downsides: not a full secondary teaching staff, slightly less resources than Kamuzu or Bishop MacKenzie. She agrees to meet with William, Dr. Mchazime and me the next morning.
We pick up Dr. Mchazime, drive out to William's to fetch him and I am met by the unbelievable sight of a working windmill. William has repaired it that very morning. (see part 3).
By sheer coincidence, Kamuzu Academy is located just 5 km from William's house on a beautiful campus built by Malawi's president for life Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, partly as a monument to himself. It has the best sports fields in Malawi, a library modeled after the U.S. Library of Congress, and a red brick, 1970's esthetic. The school educates the elite of Malawi and has a deservedly top reputation. Frances and Andrew receive William, Dr. Mchazime and me in Andrew's office, which resembles that of a typical college professor: papers are everywhere due to exam week. It is a full boarding school and adheres to the English educational system like most of the rest of Malawi. They have fantastic teachers and pretty amazing resources. The academy employes 529 people in a deliberate attempt to provide as many jobs as possible. Kids from here go to top schools in Malawi, Africa, UK and the US.
Yet, I'm not convinced it's right for William, given his gaps in education after five years out of school, the remote location, lack of engineering opportunities and the fact that he's nineteen and kind of old for boarding school. Indeed, early in the conversation, Mr. Cooke tells me they have strict age guidelines. Most 1st formers are between 11-14. When they first began, he tells me, they used to have much older students. As the idea of such a school took hold, the ages began to fall until they matched those in England. Andrew and Francis are incredibly moved by Wiliam's story and offer wise council, helpful introductions and free use of the library, a real honor for William but due to their age requirements and William's unique situation, it's not the best fit. They are trying to do on a much larger scale what Dr. Mchazime and the TED supporters are trying to do with William: educate the future leaders of the country.
Friday, 22 June 2007
Birthplace of a nutrition revolution - a blender in Malawi
GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG, 22 June 2007 (IRIN) - A blender in Malawi and a jar of Nutella started a revolution in saving the lives of starving children.
Frustrated by years of developing recipes that did not work, including fortified doughnuts and pancakes, paediatric nutritionist André Briend was inspired by a jar of the chocolate spread, Nutella. Borrowing a mixer from a local restaurant, he made his first cocktail of milk powder, sugar, peanut paste, oil and a dash of vitamins and minerals ten years ago in Malawi.
Briend became convinced he had hit on a formula that could help children under five recover from severe malnutrition, often at home, without having to be admitted to a feeding centre.
His kitchen recipe has since been refined into a product commonly marketed as Plumpy'Nut.
Plumpy'Nut and the concept of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) has already led to a radical change in the way severe malnutrition is treated in several hunger-prone countries, and has been endorsed by major UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Few takers
Briend, who now works for the World Health Organisation, at first found few takers for his recipe. "Only two [doctors] responded positively and were ready to test it: Mark Manary [a professor of paediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis, USA] who worked in Malawi, the other was Steve Collins [now a director of Valid International, a research NGO] who worked mainly in emergency settings," Briend told IRIN in Geneva.
Manary did extensive groundwork and was the first to provide evidence that RUTF was effective in the field, according to Briend. "This helped a lot to have RUTF introduced and accepted in Malawi. Steve [Collins] did the same in an emergency crisis in Ethiopia, and progressively convinced emergency NGOs to change their approach to treating severe malnutrition."
Production development took another year, but collecting evidence, convincing colleagues and allowing them to collect their own evidence took even longer. "I had the idea of using a spread at the end of 1996, so it took about 10 years to have the idea fully developed and accepted," Briend said.
More convenient
What made RUTF revolutionary was that it provided the nutrients required to treat a severely malnourished child at home, without refrigeration, and even where hygiene conditions were not perfect. It is dispensed as foil-covered bars or in locally available plastic containers and can be stored in tropical conditions for three to four months.
The palatable, soft and crushable nutrient- and energy-rich food can be eaten by children over the age of six months without adding water, reducing the risk of infection. "An additional advantage of RUTF is that most children prefer it because of its pleasant taste," Briend commented.
Before RUTF, the traditional response to severe acute malnutrition had been to refer children to a hospital or specialised in-patient treatment unit, where they were fed special milk-based diets. Though this was effective, families in some of the world's poorest countries did not always have easy access to health facilities that could provide such care, according to UNICEF.
In-patient treatment is also often difficult for parents who cannot afford to leave their homes for several weeks, while the weakened immune systems of severely malnourished children can make them more vulnerable to infections, a significant risk in crowded hospital wards or feeding centres.
The technology required to produce RUTF is relatively simple: it takes only a peanut paste processor. Most of the ingredients are available locally in many countries, but the milk powder, a main constituent of the paste, can be expensive.
However, costs can be kept in check, and a Malawian plant producing the mixture has kept them to a minimum: the ingredients are donated and the factory is operated by only eight employees. Besides Malawi and Niger, there are plants in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and some processing capacity in Zambia as well as by the company Nutriset, based in France.
Mainstream
On June 7 this year, the policy-making UN Standing Committee on Nutrition formally endorsed the RUTF approach, saying it could be used to treat three-quarters of children with severe acute malnutrition.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), one of the two biggest buyers of RUTF globally - the other is Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) - is now set to roll out the food in many more countries early next year.
Steve Jarrett, principal advisor in UNICEF's supply division, told IRIN that RUTF had greatly improved survival rates of severely malnourished children during emergencies in Ethiopia, Malawi, Niger and Sudan.
Severe acute malnutrition kills an estimated one million children each year, according to UNICEF.
RUTF is not a miracle cure, however. The causes of malnutrition are numerous, and some children with complications will always require in-patient treatment, according to a statement from the standing committee.
Results and opportunities
"The results in Niger, where MSF was dispensing RUTF [in 2004/05], was the tipping point in favour of the rollout; the mortality rate among severely malnourished children dropped from 30 to 35 percent, to five percent." In Niger, MSF posted a phenomenal 90 percent success rate after treating more than 60,000 severely malnourished children with RUTF.
Through the RUFT approach, UNICEF expects to be able to to reach larger numbers of children in communities untouched by classical emergencies but suffering severe acute malnutrition. "Over half the countries in Africa have large numbers of severely malnourished children," Jarrett said.
Frustrated by years of developing recipes that did not work, including fortified doughnuts and pancakes, paediatric nutritionist André Briend was inspired by a jar of the chocolate spread, Nutella. Borrowing a mixer from a local restaurant, he made his first cocktail of milk powder, sugar, peanut paste, oil and a dash of vitamins and minerals ten years ago in Malawi.
Briend became convinced he had hit on a formula that could help children under five recover from severe malnutrition, often at home, without having to be admitted to a feeding centre.
His kitchen recipe has since been refined into a product commonly marketed as Plumpy'Nut.
Plumpy'Nut and the concept of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) has already led to a radical change in the way severe malnutrition is treated in several hunger-prone countries, and has been endorsed by major UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Few takers
Briend, who now works for the World Health Organisation, at first found few takers for his recipe. "Only two [doctors] responded positively and were ready to test it: Mark Manary [a professor of paediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis, USA] who worked in Malawi, the other was Steve Collins [now a director of Valid International, a research NGO] who worked mainly in emergency settings," Briend told IRIN in Geneva.
Manary did extensive groundwork and was the first to provide evidence that RUTF was effective in the field, according to Briend. "This helped a lot to have RUTF introduced and accepted in Malawi. Steve [Collins] did the same in an emergency crisis in Ethiopia, and progressively convinced emergency NGOs to change their approach to treating severe malnutrition."
Production development took another year, but collecting evidence, convincing colleagues and allowing them to collect their own evidence took even longer. "I had the idea of using a spread at the end of 1996, so it took about 10 years to have the idea fully developed and accepted," Briend said.
More convenient
What made RUTF revolutionary was that it provided the nutrients required to treat a severely malnourished child at home, without refrigeration, and even where hygiene conditions were not perfect. It is dispensed as foil-covered bars or in locally available plastic containers and can be stored in tropical conditions for three to four months.
The palatable, soft and crushable nutrient- and energy-rich food can be eaten by children over the age of six months without adding water, reducing the risk of infection. "An additional advantage of RUTF is that most children prefer it because of its pleasant taste," Briend commented.
Before RUTF, the traditional response to severe acute malnutrition had been to refer children to a hospital or specialised in-patient treatment unit, where they were fed special milk-based diets. Though this was effective, families in some of the world's poorest countries did not always have easy access to health facilities that could provide such care, according to UNICEF.
In-patient treatment is also often difficult for parents who cannot afford to leave their homes for several weeks, while the weakened immune systems of severely malnourished children can make them more vulnerable to infections, a significant risk in crowded hospital wards or feeding centres.
The technology required to produce RUTF is relatively simple: it takes only a peanut paste processor. Most of the ingredients are available locally in many countries, but the milk powder, a main constituent of the paste, can be expensive.
However, costs can be kept in check, and a Malawian plant producing the mixture has kept them to a minimum: the ingredients are donated and the factory is operated by only eight employees. Besides Malawi and Niger, there are plants in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and some processing capacity in Zambia as well as by the company Nutriset, based in France.
Mainstream
On June 7 this year, the policy-making UN Standing Committee on Nutrition formally endorsed the RUTF approach, saying it could be used to treat three-quarters of children with severe acute malnutrition.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), one of the two biggest buyers of RUTF globally - the other is Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) - is now set to roll out the food in many more countries early next year.
Steve Jarrett, principal advisor in UNICEF's supply division, told IRIN that RUTF had greatly improved survival rates of severely malnourished children during emergencies in Ethiopia, Malawi, Niger and Sudan.
Severe acute malnutrition kills an estimated one million children each year, according to UNICEF.
RUTF is not a miracle cure, however. The causes of malnutrition are numerous, and some children with complications will always require in-patient treatment, according to a statement from the standing committee.
Results and opportunities
"The results in Niger, where MSF was dispensing RUTF [in 2004/05], was the tipping point in favour of the rollout; the mortality rate among severely malnourished children dropped from 30 to 35 percent, to five percent." In Niger, MSF posted a phenomenal 90 percent success rate after treating more than 60,000 severely malnourished children with RUTF.
Through the RUFT approach, UNICEF expects to be able to to reach larger numbers of children in communities untouched by classical emergencies but suffering severe acute malnutrition. "Over half the countries in Africa have large numbers of severely malnourished children," Jarrett said.
Malawi tobacco sales expected to close two months earlier
This year's tobacco sales of Malawi are expected to close two months earlier because of low production after most growers abandoned the crop en masse due to poor prices in the previous years.
Reports indicate that about 40,000 farmers abandoned the crop last growing season, a factor that has greatly contributed to low production this year.
Most farmers cited poor prices of tobacco at the previous auction floors as one major reason for dumping the crop, according to the website of The Nation newspaper of the country.
Normally, tobacco sales in the country wrap up in October or early November when tobacco production is high but this year the auction might close as early as July.
The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) said on Tuesday this year's tobacco sales--which have been characterized with good prices since the opening of the floors on March 26--will close at the end of July.
TCC said it expects that by the end of July this year tobacco auctioning at all the three tobacco auction floors in the country will be wrapping up for business as the tobacco supply at the markets will have dried up.
Tobacco contributes about 60 percent of the country's total foreign exchange earnings. This year the leaf fetched better prices compared to the previous two years when sales were characterized by protests from growers.
Reports indicate that about 40,000 farmers abandoned the crop last growing season, a factor that has greatly contributed to low production this year.
Most farmers cited poor prices of tobacco at the previous auction floors as one major reason for dumping the crop, according to the website of The Nation newspaper of the country.
Normally, tobacco sales in the country wrap up in October or early November when tobacco production is high but this year the auction might close as early as July.
The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) said on Tuesday this year's tobacco sales--which have been characterized with good prices since the opening of the floors on March 26--will close at the end of July.
TCC said it expects that by the end of July this year tobacco auctioning at all the three tobacco auction floors in the country will be wrapping up for business as the tobacco supply at the markets will have dried up.
Tobacco contributes about 60 percent of the country's total foreign exchange earnings. This year the leaf fetched better prices compared to the previous two years when sales were characterized by protests from growers.
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Businessman killed in Malawi plane crash
A HARPENDEN businessman was among five British tourists who died in a plane crash in Malawi.
Father-of-two Nigel Clout, a sales director for plastics company Formech in Thrales End Lane, Harpenden, was part of a group of about a dozen keen cyclists and squash players.
The 53-year-old was on holiday with two friends, who had been members of Cannons Health Club in St Albans since it was a squash club more than 16 years ago.
His friends Daniel Turnberg, aged 37, of north London - son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg - and David Murrrell from Surrey were also killed, along with Colin Smith, aged 45, and his wife Dawn Rollins, 44, of Norwich.
The group had taken a sightseeing flight in a Cessna 206 six-seater plane over the Nyika national park in the north of the country when the accident happened. The Canadian pilot was also killed.
They are believed to have been staying at a lodge in the park. Fog and low cloud over the 1,800-metre highland region may have caused the crash.
The plane apparently took off for a 30-minute flight on Saturday afternoon but failed to return to Chelinda airfield.
A spokesperson for Cannons Health and Fitness Club in Highfield Park Drive, said: "We were deeply saddened to hear the news that members of Cannons died in a plane crash in Malawi last weekend.
"We understand that those concerned were taking part in an independently-organised cycling tour of Malawi. Staff and members of Cannons extend their thoughts and sympathy to the friends and family of all concerned."
Simon Fennell, a colleague at Formech in Harpenden, said Mr Clout had been headhunted for the firm by its managing director Paul Vugovich, a fellow cycling enthusiast who lives in St Albans.
He paid tribute to Mr Clout as a "driving force at work and a thoroughly decent man".
Nigel, from Hunters Oak in Hemel Hempstead, was a keen sportsman all his life, who often travelled the globe on sporting challenges. His wife Margaret described him as "always full of life - a real action man, who lived life to the full".
A keen cyclist, Nigel had been mountain biking for around 15 years. He had cycled in numerous countries including Guatemala, Greece and Spain. He was always looking for a new challenge and loved to visit interesting places.
A popular man, Nigel had many friends and was always there to lend a hand if needed. His two daughters, Victoria, aged 23, and Jenny, 21, described him simply as "the best Dad", who taught them everything from riding a bike to driving a car.
"He was always full of fun and everyone loved him - even our friends, despite the fact that he would take every opportunity to challenge them to some sort of sporting contest including early-Sunday-morning bike rides," said Jenny.
Victoria added: "He was a big kid who loved life and we have so many happy memories of him. He made us a fantastic sledge which out-performed everyone else's in the snow. Our friends nicknamed him Nigel the Legend and he was. We love him so much and he will be so missed.
Father-of-two Nigel Clout, a sales director for plastics company Formech in Thrales End Lane, Harpenden, was part of a group of about a dozen keen cyclists and squash players.
The 53-year-old was on holiday with two friends, who had been members of Cannons Health Club in St Albans since it was a squash club more than 16 years ago.
His friends Daniel Turnberg, aged 37, of north London - son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg - and David Murrrell from Surrey were also killed, along with Colin Smith, aged 45, and his wife Dawn Rollins, 44, of Norwich.
The group had taken a sightseeing flight in a Cessna 206 six-seater plane over the Nyika national park in the north of the country when the accident happened. The Canadian pilot was also killed.
They are believed to have been staying at a lodge in the park. Fog and low cloud over the 1,800-metre highland region may have caused the crash.
The plane apparently took off for a 30-minute flight on Saturday afternoon but failed to return to Chelinda airfield.
A spokesperson for Cannons Health and Fitness Club in Highfield Park Drive, said: "We were deeply saddened to hear the news that members of Cannons died in a plane crash in Malawi last weekend.
"We understand that those concerned were taking part in an independently-organised cycling tour of Malawi. Staff and members of Cannons extend their thoughts and sympathy to the friends and family of all concerned."
Simon Fennell, a colleague at Formech in Harpenden, said Mr Clout had been headhunted for the firm by its managing director Paul Vugovich, a fellow cycling enthusiast who lives in St Albans.
He paid tribute to Mr Clout as a "driving force at work and a thoroughly decent man".
Nigel, from Hunters Oak in Hemel Hempstead, was a keen sportsman all his life, who often travelled the globe on sporting challenges. His wife Margaret described him as "always full of life - a real action man, who lived life to the full".
A keen cyclist, Nigel had been mountain biking for around 15 years. He had cycled in numerous countries including Guatemala, Greece and Spain. He was always looking for a new challenge and loved to visit interesting places.
A popular man, Nigel had many friends and was always there to lend a hand if needed. His two daughters, Victoria, aged 23, and Jenny, 21, described him simply as "the best Dad", who taught them everything from riding a bike to driving a car.
"He was always full of fun and everyone loved him - even our friends, despite the fact that he would take every opportunity to challenge them to some sort of sporting contest including early-Sunday-morning bike rides," said Jenny.
Victoria added: "He was a big kid who loved life and we have so many happy memories of him. He made us a fantastic sledge which out-performed everyone else's in the snow. Our friends nicknamed him Nigel the Legend and he was. We love him so much and he will be so missed.
SD can repeat Malawi miracle
AGRICULTURE and co-operatives Minister Mtiti Fakudze has said that Swaziland can repeat the Malawi miracle of maize surpluses if a system of agricultural subsidies can be introduced.
The minister made these remarks at the Manzini region mini-agricultural summit held at Mphophoma, Malkerns, yesterday.
He said that not long ago, Malawi was struggling with food security, but immediately turned their fortunes around with the introduction of subsidies.
He, however, stressed that it could not be left to government to introduce the change, saying a political decision was necessary which could only be taken by the Swazi nation as is the norm in the Tinkhundla system.
“As you know, it is the people who have to take the initiative as this is a political decision, government cannot do this alone,” Fakudze said.
Other factors noted by the minister in his speech were the need for diversification to drought resistant commodities instead of focusing on maize.
He noted that farmers who diversified to sorghum in the drought- stricken regions realised good harvests despite the prevailing dry conditions.
“Some crops like sweet potatoes have as yields as 4-8 times higher than maize. Some of these also require less inputs yet they have higher yields and returns compared to maize,” he said.
A changing of mind sets is necessary in order for the country to realise food security. He said there are three levels the agriculture sector has to operate on; government roles, farmer roles and then the farmer and government roles.
The summit was attended by over 500 farmers.
The minister made these remarks at the Manzini region mini-agricultural summit held at Mphophoma, Malkerns, yesterday.
He said that not long ago, Malawi was struggling with food security, but immediately turned their fortunes around with the introduction of subsidies.
He, however, stressed that it could not be left to government to introduce the change, saying a political decision was necessary which could only be taken by the Swazi nation as is the norm in the Tinkhundla system.
“As you know, it is the people who have to take the initiative as this is a political decision, government cannot do this alone,” Fakudze said.
Other factors noted by the minister in his speech were the need for diversification to drought resistant commodities instead of focusing on maize.
He noted that farmers who diversified to sorghum in the drought- stricken regions realised good harvests despite the prevailing dry conditions.
“Some crops like sweet potatoes have as yields as 4-8 times higher than maize. Some of these also require less inputs yet they have higher yields and returns compared to maize,” he said.
A changing of mind sets is necessary in order for the country to realise food security. He said there are three levels the agriculture sector has to operate on; government roles, farmer roles and then the farmer and government roles.
The summit was attended by over 500 farmers.
Cause uncertain of air crash that killed cyclist Nigel
The family of a Hemel Hempstead man who was killed in a plane crash in Africa have paid tribute to a loving father and husband.
Nigel Clout, 53, of Hunters Oak, died when the light aircraft he was flying in crashed in Malawi last week.
Yesterday (Tuesday), his wife Margaret and two daughters, Jenny, 21, and Victoria, 23, described him as a popular and helpful man who lived life to the full.
Jenny said: "He was always full of fun and everyone loved him – even our friends, despite the fact that he would take every opportunity to challenge them to some sort of sporting adventure including early morning Sunday bike rides."
Victoria added: "Even at work he managed to think about 'play' and made us a fantastic sledge, which out-performed everyone else's in the snow.
"Our friends nicknamed him 'Nigel the Legend', and he was.
"We love him so much and he will be so missed."
Mr Clout, a past pupil of Halsey School, had lived in Hemel Hempstead all his life and was well known in the town.
He was a sales and marketing director for moulding machinery firm Formech in Harpenden.
Head of finance at Formech, Simon Fennell, said: "He was a good colleague and professional.
"He was the driving force behind making sure we got new customers."
Mr Fennell added that Mr Clout had a passion for cycling and had first met the managing director of Formech, Paul Vukovich, through a circle of bike-riding friends.
"It was certainly the love of his life in sport terms," said Mr Fennell.
Mr Clout, who travelled the globe to cycle, had gone to Malawi on a bike-riding tour.
He was killed along with two friends when the small plane
they were flying in crashed on Saturday afternoon (June 16).
It is believed the party were on a sightseeing trip from the capital city of Lilongwe to the north of the country when the accident happened, reportedly in bad weather.
Two other British tourists and a Canadian pilot were also killed in the light aircraft crash.
A police spokesman in Malawi said wreckage of the plane was found by villagers in a valley and that there were no survivors.
The other victims of the plane crash included the son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg, 37-year-old Daniel Turnberg.
A Foreign Office spokesman said on Monday that the British High Commissioner and Vice Consul in Malawi had travelled to the site of the plane crash and were in close contact with the country's authorities.
Malawi's chief aviation officer, Raymond Phesele, said this week that the cause of the crash was being investigated.
Nigel Clout, 53, of Hunters Oak, died when the light aircraft he was flying in crashed in Malawi last week.
Yesterday (Tuesday), his wife Margaret and two daughters, Jenny, 21, and Victoria, 23, described him as a popular and helpful man who lived life to the full.
Jenny said: "He was always full of fun and everyone loved him – even our friends, despite the fact that he would take every opportunity to challenge them to some sort of sporting adventure including early morning Sunday bike rides."
Victoria added: "Even at work he managed to think about 'play' and made us a fantastic sledge, which out-performed everyone else's in the snow.
"Our friends nicknamed him 'Nigel the Legend', and he was.
"We love him so much and he will be so missed."
Mr Clout, a past pupil of Halsey School, had lived in Hemel Hempstead all his life and was well known in the town.
He was a sales and marketing director for moulding machinery firm Formech in Harpenden.
Head of finance at Formech, Simon Fennell, said: "He was a good colleague and professional.
"He was the driving force behind making sure we got new customers."
Mr Fennell added that Mr Clout had a passion for cycling and had first met the managing director of Formech, Paul Vukovich, through a circle of bike-riding friends.
"It was certainly the love of his life in sport terms," said Mr Fennell.
Mr Clout, who travelled the globe to cycle, had gone to Malawi on a bike-riding tour.
He was killed along with two friends when the small plane
they were flying in crashed on Saturday afternoon (June 16).
It is believed the party were on a sightseeing trip from the capital city of Lilongwe to the north of the country when the accident happened, reportedly in bad weather.
Two other British tourists and a Canadian pilot were also killed in the light aircraft crash.
A police spokesman in Malawi said wreckage of the plane was found by villagers in a valley and that there were no survivors.
The other victims of the plane crash included the son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg, 37-year-old Daniel Turnberg.
A Foreign Office spokesman said on Monday that the British High Commissioner and Vice Consul in Malawi had travelled to the site of the plane crash and were in close contact with the country's authorities.
Malawi's chief aviation officer, Raymond Phesele, said this week that the cause of the crash was being investigated.
UNDP sign micro-financing project
The Malawi government and the United Nations have signed a 4 million U.S. dollars micro- financing project to service poor and low-income population groups.
The website of The Nation newspaper of Malawi Wednesday quoted a statement from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as saying Tuesday that in Malawi, only 3 percent of the population has access to saving services while a marginal 1 percent access credit.
Insurance services are virtually absent while the percentage of poor families with access to any financial services in rural areas is even lower, said the statement.
The UNDP and the United Nations Capital Development Fund are each contributing 2 million dollars to a 6 million dollars basket- fund which will run from 2007 to 2011.
UNDP resident representative Michael Keating said the UN strongly advocates for micro-financing as one of the best tools in alleviating poverty and contributing to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
"The rural population accounts for over 80 percent of the population. People need access to credit to improve their standards of living, open businesses and to participate in and benefit from economic growth of this nation. Women in particular, will be targeted by the initiative," he said.
The website of The Nation newspaper of Malawi Wednesday quoted a statement from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as saying Tuesday that in Malawi, only 3 percent of the population has access to saving services while a marginal 1 percent access credit.
Insurance services are virtually absent while the percentage of poor families with access to any financial services in rural areas is even lower, said the statement.
The UNDP and the United Nations Capital Development Fund are each contributing 2 million dollars to a 6 million dollars basket- fund which will run from 2007 to 2011.
UNDP resident representative Michael Keating said the UN strongly advocates for micro-financing as one of the best tools in alleviating poverty and contributing to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
"The rural population accounts for over 80 percent of the population. People need access to credit to improve their standards of living, open businesses and to participate in and benefit from economic growth of this nation. Women in particular, will be targeted by the initiative," he said.
AfDB Group's Field Office Opens for Business
The African Development Bank Group's Malawi Field Office (MWFO) is open for business following the presentation of letters of accreditation by the Resident Representative, Mr. Frank Kufakwandi, to the country's foreign affairs minister, Hon Joyce Banda, on Tuesday in Lilongwe.
Mr. Kufakwandi informed the minister about the Bank's appreciation of the country's macroeconomic stability, its growth rate of 8% in 2006, and its improved performance in the agriculture sector which recorded a bumper harvest during the 2006 season.
He emphasized the Bank's commitment to continue working with other donors in support of Malawi's Growth and Development Strategy in the domains of sustainable economic growth, social protection, social development, infrastructure, and good governance. He emphasized the need to work towards making Malawi competitive both in the SADC regional and global markets.
Hon. Banda, for her part, expressed the government's appreciation of the Bank's decision to open the Malawi office as a means of deepening dialogue with the government. Mr. Kufakwandi had earlier paid a courtesy call on the finance minister, Hon. Goodall Gondwe.
The field offices are part of the Bank Group's decentralization strategy aimed at strengthening its operations in regional member countries.
The first batch of offices were opened in 2000 in Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon and Nigeria; followed buy Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Tunisia, which was superseded by the relocation of the Bank in 2003. The third batch (2004-2005) comprise Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, and Rwanda; while fourth batch was completed in 2006 in Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Zambia..
The offices are expected to strengthen in-country activity and knowledge, conduct policy and strategy dialogue with countries, participate in donor consultations, and constitute a focal point for key project implementation.
The operations of the Bank Group in Malawi commenced in 1969. To date, the cumulative commitments of the Group in the country stand at US$1.266 billion in 140 operations.
Mr. Kufakwandi informed the minister about the Bank's appreciation of the country's macroeconomic stability, its growth rate of 8% in 2006, and its improved performance in the agriculture sector which recorded a bumper harvest during the 2006 season.
He emphasized the Bank's commitment to continue working with other donors in support of Malawi's Growth and Development Strategy in the domains of sustainable economic growth, social protection, social development, infrastructure, and good governance. He emphasized the need to work towards making Malawi competitive both in the SADC regional and global markets.
Hon. Banda, for her part, expressed the government's appreciation of the Bank's decision to open the Malawi office as a means of deepening dialogue with the government. Mr. Kufakwandi had earlier paid a courtesy call on the finance minister, Hon. Goodall Gondwe.
The field offices are part of the Bank Group's decentralization strategy aimed at strengthening its operations in regional member countries.
The first batch of offices were opened in 2000 in Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon and Nigeria; followed buy Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Tunisia, which was superseded by the relocation of the Bank in 2003. The third batch (2004-2005) comprise Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, and Rwanda; while fourth batch was completed in 2006 in Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Zambia..
The offices are expected to strengthen in-country activity and knowledge, conduct policy and strategy dialogue with countries, participate in donor consultations, and constitute a focal point for key project implementation.
The operations of the Bank Group in Malawi commenced in 1969. To date, the cumulative commitments of the Group in the country stand at US$1.266 billion in 140 operations.
Rwanda: Govt to Import Chicks From Malawi
In a bid to close the gap of chicken scarcity on the market, the Rwandan government intends to import fast growing chicks from Malawi.
The government has also cleared private investors to start importing poultry and its products from Malawi.
If they are shipped, then this will be the first consignment of chicks into the country after government slammed a ban on importing chicken and its products in 2005. The ban was to protect the local poultry and the people of Rwanda from the deadly avian flu which kills both people and birds.
Stenbock Oleg, one of the prominent poultry dealers in the country, said at least 2,000 chicks are to be imported weekly.
Thoegene Rutagwenda, Rwanda Animal Resource Development Authority Chairman said Malawi is among the few countries in Africa that have been declared bird flu free threat.
However, he added that the demand for chicks in Malawi is very high, and asked Rwandans be patient. "It would take time to supply the country, the competition is so high, but we have been listed," Rutagwenda said.
Govt hatchery
Prior to the outbreak of the avian scourge, the government had developed the country's single hatchery at Rubirizi sector, in Kigali city. This hatchery could provide about 10,000 chicks per day.
But it had to stop production because the parent stock used be imported from Europe, a continent hit by avian flu.
Prices soar
The scarcity of local chicks is also being felt. A local chicken that used to cost Frw1,200 before the ban now costs up to Frw4000. Meaning the cost has outweighed the nutritional value of chicken, yet those who can afford are not having value for money.
At one of the restaurants in town, clients were heard complaining that the chicken is hard, "it is tough," they said. Perhaps the restaurants could only provide local chicken to its clients.
Bird flu threat
The fights against the possible outbreak of bird flu in the country had included the community.
In some agriculture ministry laboratories dead birds that had eaten poisoned mice caused panic among the community thinking Rwanda had been hit by the scourge. However laboratory tests found out that the birds had been poisoned. However track for any possible cases still continues.
The government has also cleared private investors to start importing poultry and its products from Malawi.
If they are shipped, then this will be the first consignment of chicks into the country after government slammed a ban on importing chicken and its products in 2005. The ban was to protect the local poultry and the people of Rwanda from the deadly avian flu which kills both people and birds.
Stenbock Oleg, one of the prominent poultry dealers in the country, said at least 2,000 chicks are to be imported weekly.
Thoegene Rutagwenda, Rwanda Animal Resource Development Authority Chairman said Malawi is among the few countries in Africa that have been declared bird flu free threat.
However, he added that the demand for chicks in Malawi is very high, and asked Rwandans be patient. "It would take time to supply the country, the competition is so high, but we have been listed," Rutagwenda said.
Govt hatchery
Prior to the outbreak of the avian scourge, the government had developed the country's single hatchery at Rubirizi sector, in Kigali city. This hatchery could provide about 10,000 chicks per day.
But it had to stop production because the parent stock used be imported from Europe, a continent hit by avian flu.
Prices soar
The scarcity of local chicks is also being felt. A local chicken that used to cost Frw1,200 before the ban now costs up to Frw4000. Meaning the cost has outweighed the nutritional value of chicken, yet those who can afford are not having value for money.
At one of the restaurants in town, clients were heard complaining that the chicken is hard, "it is tough," they said. Perhaps the restaurants could only provide local chicken to its clients.
Bird flu threat
The fights against the possible outbreak of bird flu in the country had included the community.
In some agriculture ministry laboratories dead birds that had eaten poisoned mice caused panic among the community thinking Rwanda had been hit by the scourge. However laboratory tests found out that the birds had been poisoned. However track for any possible cases still continues.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Malawi instability threatens poverty spending
As President Bingu wa Mutharika's minority party faces the possibility of losing more seats in Parliament, Malawi's civil society has expressed concern that this year's budget, expected to be presented next week, might be stalled.
Last week, the Supreme Court granted powers to the speaker of Parliament to expel defecting lawmakers, a decision that would affect the strength of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has welcomed 60 defectors into its fold, bringing its tally of MPs to 80. The opposition, with about 110 seats, is the largest bloc in Parliament.
"The budget might not be passed," commented Richard Tambulasi, head of the department of political and administrative studies at the University of Malawi. The court ruling has pushed the DPP into a tight corner and "created political instability", he added.
According to Felix Lombe, a conflict analyst with the Forum for Dialogue and Peace, a programme run by GTZ, the German Development Agency's technical arm, "the opposition is likely to use its muscle to defer votes on expenditure -- there will be a delay in the allocation of funds to projects and programmes".
Mutharika has spent almost three conflict-ridden years in power, at the centre of a tense stand-off with the opposition that has stalled the functioning of the house and delayed the approval of Bills.
The political crisis began when Mutharika left the United Democratic Front (UDF), shortly after it sponsored him in the 2004 general elections, to form his own political organisation, the DPP. The UDF hit back with an impeachment charge, accusing Mutharika of using $300 000 of public money to launch the DPP.
The political confrontation at the height of a food-security crisis in Malawi in 2005 even aroused the donor community's concern. Donors wrote to opposition political leaders, voicing their anxiety over the impeachment proceedings while the country was experiencing a "serious and prolonged food crisis".
Louis Chimango, Speaker of the House and a member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has reportedly not indicated whether he would go ahead with the dismissals.
Tambulasi said the affected MPs are likely to lodge an appeal against the court decision, "which could possibly buy them time till the general elections in 2009".
"I don't think anyone wants by-elections, as the firing of the MPs would prompt that, because the country cannot afford them right now. It would also be pointless to have election now, when 2009 is only about a year away," he said.
Lombe said the opposition is not geared for an election and is unlikely to press for it, but "they might make a bid to oust Mutharika through the impeachment process again".
Mutharika survived the impeachment motion after the Constitutional Court blocked the move. -- Irin
Last week, the Supreme Court granted powers to the speaker of Parliament to expel defecting lawmakers, a decision that would affect the strength of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has welcomed 60 defectors into its fold, bringing its tally of MPs to 80. The opposition, with about 110 seats, is the largest bloc in Parliament.
"The budget might not be passed," commented Richard Tambulasi, head of the department of political and administrative studies at the University of Malawi. The court ruling has pushed the DPP into a tight corner and "created political instability", he added.
According to Felix Lombe, a conflict analyst with the Forum for Dialogue and Peace, a programme run by GTZ, the German Development Agency's technical arm, "the opposition is likely to use its muscle to defer votes on expenditure -- there will be a delay in the allocation of funds to projects and programmes".
Mutharika has spent almost three conflict-ridden years in power, at the centre of a tense stand-off with the opposition that has stalled the functioning of the house and delayed the approval of Bills.
The political crisis began when Mutharika left the United Democratic Front (UDF), shortly after it sponsored him in the 2004 general elections, to form his own political organisation, the DPP. The UDF hit back with an impeachment charge, accusing Mutharika of using $300 000 of public money to launch the DPP.
The political confrontation at the height of a food-security crisis in Malawi in 2005 even aroused the donor community's concern. Donors wrote to opposition political leaders, voicing their anxiety over the impeachment proceedings while the country was experiencing a "serious and prolonged food crisis".
Louis Chimango, Speaker of the House and a member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has reportedly not indicated whether he would go ahead with the dismissals.
Tambulasi said the affected MPs are likely to lodge an appeal against the court decision, "which could possibly buy them time till the general elections in 2009".
"I don't think anyone wants by-elections, as the firing of the MPs would prompt that, because the country cannot afford them right now. It would also be pointless to have election now, when 2009 is only about a year away," he said.
Lombe said the opposition is not geared for an election and is unlikely to press for it, but "they might make a bid to oust Mutharika through the impeachment process again".
Mutharika survived the impeachment motion after the Constitutional Court blocked the move. -- Irin
Donations sent to Malawi
The Manitowoc County Home and Community Education Association and Lakeland College worked together to pack a truck box and semi-trailer full of books and school supplies for shipping to the African nation of Malawi.
Donated items filled 25 cases and included: 2,500 pencils, 475 boxes of crayons, 75 sets of colored pencils, 130 sets of markers, 10 sets of paints, 130 rulers, 50 scissors, 265 pencil sharpeners, 35 pencil cases, 36 packages of notebook paper, 26 packages of construction paper, 275 spiral notebooks, 800 pens, 310 erasers, 1½ cases of typing paper, 15 coloring books, 75 folders and many other things such as note paper, paper clips, chalk, glue, flash cards and backpacks.
Each year since 1999, Lakeland College has sponsored five Malawian students to study for three years. The students earn their Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees in three years of concentrated continual studies. Upon returning to Malawi, they become teachers of teachers.
Donated items filled 25 cases and included: 2,500 pencils, 475 boxes of crayons, 75 sets of colored pencils, 130 sets of markers, 10 sets of paints, 130 rulers, 50 scissors, 265 pencil sharpeners, 35 pencil cases, 36 packages of notebook paper, 26 packages of construction paper, 275 spiral notebooks, 800 pens, 310 erasers, 1½ cases of typing paper, 15 coloring books, 75 folders and many other things such as note paper, paper clips, chalk, glue, flash cards and backpacks.
Each year since 1999, Lakeland College has sponsored five Malawian students to study for three years. The students earn their Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees in three years of concentrated continual studies. Upon returning to Malawi, they become teachers of teachers.
Teachers taking gear to Malawi
TWO Coventry teachers are heading for Malawi to help a school, an environmental project and a medical clinic.
The pair from Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Potters Green, Coventry, are making a 10-day visit to the African state as part of a drive by the school, a specialist language college, to forge international links.
Assistant head Sean O'Donovan and deputy head of PE Dan Payne spearheaded a fundraising drive to raise £2,700 to be split between the three good causes.
Their travel costs are coming from the funds the school gets from the government for making links with foreign countries.
Their first stop is the Bunda Local Education Authority School just outside the capital Lilongwe, where Mr Payne used to teach.
The pair from Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Potters Green, Coventry, are making a 10-day visit to the African state as part of a drive by the school, a specialist language college, to forge international links.
Assistant head Sean O'Donovan and deputy head of PE Dan Payne spearheaded a fundraising drive to raise £2,700 to be split between the three good causes.
Their travel costs are coming from the funds the school gets from the government for making links with foreign countries.
Their first stop is the Bunda Local Education Authority School just outside the capital Lilongwe, where Mr Payne used to teach.
Malawi gov't to require over 14 million dollars to rehabilitate international airport
he Malawi government has said that it will require about 2.1 billion kwacha (about 15 million U.S. dollars) to rehabilitate the Kamuzu International Airport (Kia), starting with the runway which has developed some potholes, the website of The Nation newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Transport, Public Works and Housing Minister Henry Mussa told The Nation of Malawi that a consultant was hired to advise on the project and that procurement of rehabilitation materials is underway.
According to Mussa, estimates show that the total cost for the rehabilitation is about 2.1 billion kwacha and that international lenders such as the Arab Bank, the Kuwait Bank and Badea have expressed interest to finance the rehabilitation.
He said the lending institutions have already pledged to release 7 million dollars for a start and that work should begin by September this year.
"We will start with the runway. It has outlived its usefulness. It needs a complete overhaul as there are several cracks," said Mussa.
The minister said that financing institutions hire the contractor and that a South African consultant was hired to do the short listing from those with experience in runways
The Transport, Public Works and Housing Minister Henry Mussa told The Nation of Malawi that a consultant was hired to advise on the project and that procurement of rehabilitation materials is underway.
According to Mussa, estimates show that the total cost for the rehabilitation is about 2.1 billion kwacha and that international lenders such as the Arab Bank, the Kuwait Bank and Badea have expressed interest to finance the rehabilitation.
He said the lending institutions have already pledged to release 7 million dollars for a start and that work should begin by September this year.
"We will start with the runway. It has outlived its usefulness. It needs a complete overhaul as there are several cracks," said Mussa.
The minister said that financing institutions hire the contractor and that a South African consultant was hired to do the short listing from those with experience in runways
Judges and Lawyers Bring Relief To Condemned
Malawi's death row prisoners are breathing more easily after three High Court judges unanimously agreed in a test case that the courts are not bound to sentence anyone to death for murder, as this would be a violation of that person's human rights.
"The mandatory death penalty violates an individual's right that protects one from inhuman treatment or punishment and denies them the right to fair trial and have the sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal," said Justice Elton Singini, reading out the joint judgment on Apr. 27.
This made article 210 of the penal code "invalid". The article stipulates that the only sentence available to judges for a murder conviction is death by hanging.
In the crisply-worded ruling the judges took Malawi a step forward along the road to abolishing the death penalty.
But they were careful to note that their decision did not ban capital punishment for the crime of taking a life. "For the removal of doubt, we state that our declaration does not outlaw the death penalty for the offence of murder, but only the mandatory requirement of the death penalty for that office," the judgment said.
The ruling was immediately praised by death penalty abolition campaigners.
"This decision is a milestone in the international campaign against the death penalty," said Saul Lehrfreund and Parvis Jabbar, two human rights lawyers based in the United Kingdom. "The implications for future murder trails will be the introduction of a complete new set of procedures restricting the imposition of the death penalty in the first instance.
"We are delighted that the jurisprudence from Uganda and other regions in the world has now been accepted in Malawi. The decision reflects the notion that law should move progressively towards greater protection of human rights."
The High Court ruling involved the case of Francis Kafantayeni and five other death row inmates at Malawi's high-security prison, Zomba. Kafantayeni was sentenced to death following his conviction in 2002 for admitting to the killing of his two-year-old stepson. In mitigation he claimed to have been acting in a state of temporary insanity induced by smoking cannabis.
The High Court judges ruled that the six must now be brought back before the courts for a review of their death sentences. These could be confirmed, though the ruling suggests that alternative sentences of fixed-term life imprisonment will be handed down.
Noel Chalamanda, a member of the local team of lawyers which represented the six death row inmates, assisted by British lawyers, told IPS that the review would take place towards the end of June. He said depending on the outcome, the same legal team would start a similar action for the remaining prisoners on death row.
"As of now there are about 30 persons on death row and we have undertaken to do the exercise for them all," he said. "We are confident that the mandatory death sentence could go altogether and the number on death row could start to be reduced."
The number facing execution was substantially reduced when 79 death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment by presidential degree in April 2004, according to Amnesty International.
The lawyers working for an end to the death penalty in Malawi form part of the Death Penalty Project, an international human rights organisation which has been providing free legal representation since 2003 to those facing capital punishment in the Caribbean and Africa. It is run in association with the British solicitors Simonds and Burton, Keir Starner QC and Joseph Middleton of Doughty Street Chambers.
One local lawyer stressed the limitations of the ruling.
"The death penalty is not only prescribed for murder but for other offences," Blantyre-based Sheen Msusa told IPS. "The court was only dealing with the mandatory requirement of the death penalty in murder cases. By necessary inference, the judgment has nothing to do with mandatory capital punishment like in case of treason."
Apart from murder, the Malawi constitution stipulates that treason, rape, burglary and armed robbery are punishable by death.
At present the courts are dealing with a high-profile treason case involving the vice president, Cassim Chilumpha, accused of plotting to overthrow the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Chilumpha denies the charge, but remains under restrictive bail conditions.
Human rights activists and lawyers argue that the next logical step is for Malawi to take the death penalty out of its constitution.
"It's encouraging that for over 10 years, our two presidents never signed for the hanging of death row convicts. Why then should we have it in the law?" asked Undule Mwakasungula, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, a vocal rights watchdog in Malawi.
Mwakasungula said it was unfortunate that due to lack of civic education, certain sectors of society had rallied behind the death penalty during Malawi's second Constitutional Review Conference in April.
The conference was convened by the Malawi Law Commission, an independent institution established under the constitution to make recommendations on the repeal and amendment of legislation.
"The majority of the responses indicated that people are in favour of retaining the death penalty," notes a report by the commission.
The High Court ruling offering hope to all Malawi's death row inmates also puts the spotlight on the kind of life facing them in prison if they are re-sentenced to fixed life terms.
Amnesty International describes the conditions in Malawi's jails as "life-threatening". In its annual report released in April, the global human rights watchdog noted that there were more than 280 deaths in the prisons last year, an average of 23 inmates a month among the 10,000-strong prison population.
"This was a sharp increase from the 14 deaths per month recorded in 2005. Most of the deaths were linked to inadequate diet," Amnesty said.
Chalamanda said this was one of the reasons the team of lawyer activists had brought the case of Kafantayeni and others to the High Court.
"Most of these inmates are in poor health and desperately need redress. Our focus now is to try and secure less severe sentences for them, depending on the levels of criminal culpability," he said.
"The mandatory death penalty violates an individual's right that protects one from inhuman treatment or punishment and denies them the right to fair trial and have the sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal," said Justice Elton Singini, reading out the joint judgment on Apr. 27.
This made article 210 of the penal code "invalid". The article stipulates that the only sentence available to judges for a murder conviction is death by hanging.
In the crisply-worded ruling the judges took Malawi a step forward along the road to abolishing the death penalty.
But they were careful to note that their decision did not ban capital punishment for the crime of taking a life. "For the removal of doubt, we state that our declaration does not outlaw the death penalty for the offence of murder, but only the mandatory requirement of the death penalty for that office," the judgment said.
The ruling was immediately praised by death penalty abolition campaigners.
"This decision is a milestone in the international campaign against the death penalty," said Saul Lehrfreund and Parvis Jabbar, two human rights lawyers based in the United Kingdom. "The implications for future murder trails will be the introduction of a complete new set of procedures restricting the imposition of the death penalty in the first instance.
"We are delighted that the jurisprudence from Uganda and other regions in the world has now been accepted in Malawi. The decision reflects the notion that law should move progressively towards greater protection of human rights."
The High Court ruling involved the case of Francis Kafantayeni and five other death row inmates at Malawi's high-security prison, Zomba. Kafantayeni was sentenced to death following his conviction in 2002 for admitting to the killing of his two-year-old stepson. In mitigation he claimed to have been acting in a state of temporary insanity induced by smoking cannabis.
The High Court judges ruled that the six must now be brought back before the courts for a review of their death sentences. These could be confirmed, though the ruling suggests that alternative sentences of fixed-term life imprisonment will be handed down.
Noel Chalamanda, a member of the local team of lawyers which represented the six death row inmates, assisted by British lawyers, told IPS that the review would take place towards the end of June. He said depending on the outcome, the same legal team would start a similar action for the remaining prisoners on death row.
"As of now there are about 30 persons on death row and we have undertaken to do the exercise for them all," he said. "We are confident that the mandatory death sentence could go altogether and the number on death row could start to be reduced."
The number facing execution was substantially reduced when 79 death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment by presidential degree in April 2004, according to Amnesty International.
The lawyers working for an end to the death penalty in Malawi form part of the Death Penalty Project, an international human rights organisation which has been providing free legal representation since 2003 to those facing capital punishment in the Caribbean and Africa. It is run in association with the British solicitors Simonds and Burton, Keir Starner QC and Joseph Middleton of Doughty Street Chambers.
One local lawyer stressed the limitations of the ruling.
"The death penalty is not only prescribed for murder but for other offences," Blantyre-based Sheen Msusa told IPS. "The court was only dealing with the mandatory requirement of the death penalty in murder cases. By necessary inference, the judgment has nothing to do with mandatory capital punishment like in case of treason."
Apart from murder, the Malawi constitution stipulates that treason, rape, burglary and armed robbery are punishable by death.
At present the courts are dealing with a high-profile treason case involving the vice president, Cassim Chilumpha, accused of plotting to overthrow the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Chilumpha denies the charge, but remains under restrictive bail conditions.
Human rights activists and lawyers argue that the next logical step is for Malawi to take the death penalty out of its constitution.
"It's encouraging that for over 10 years, our two presidents never signed for the hanging of death row convicts. Why then should we have it in the law?" asked Undule Mwakasungula, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, a vocal rights watchdog in Malawi.
Mwakasungula said it was unfortunate that due to lack of civic education, certain sectors of society had rallied behind the death penalty during Malawi's second Constitutional Review Conference in April.
The conference was convened by the Malawi Law Commission, an independent institution established under the constitution to make recommendations on the repeal and amendment of legislation.
"The majority of the responses indicated that people are in favour of retaining the death penalty," notes a report by the commission.
The High Court ruling offering hope to all Malawi's death row inmates also puts the spotlight on the kind of life facing them in prison if they are re-sentenced to fixed life terms.
Amnesty International describes the conditions in Malawi's jails as "life-threatening". In its annual report released in April, the global human rights watchdog noted that there were more than 280 deaths in the prisons last year, an average of 23 inmates a month among the 10,000-strong prison population.
"This was a sharp increase from the 14 deaths per month recorded in 2005. Most of the deaths were linked to inadequate diet," Amnesty said.
Chalamanda said this was one of the reasons the team of lawyer activists had brought the case of Kafantayeni and others to the High Court.
"Most of these inmates are in poor health and desperately need redress. Our focus now is to try and secure less severe sentences for them, depending on the levels of criminal culpability," he said.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Political instability threatens poverty spending
As President Bingu wa Mutharika's minority party faces the possibility of losing more seats in parliament, Malawi's civil society has expressed concern that this year's budget, expected to be presented next week, might be stalled.
Last week, Malawi's Supreme Court granted powers to the Speaker of Parliament to expel defecting lawmakers, a decision that would affect the strength of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has welcomed 60 defectors into its fold, bringing its tally of members in parliament to 80. The opposition, with about 110 seats, is the largest bloc in parliament.
"The budget might not be passed," commented Richard Tambulasi, head of the department of political and administrative studies in the University of Malawi. The court ruling has pushed the ruling DPP into a tight corner and "created political instability", he added.
According to Felix Lombe, a conflict analyst with the Forum for Dialogue and Peace, a programme run by GTZ, the German Development Agency's technical arm, "the opposition is likely to use its muscle to defer votes on expenditure - there will be a delay in the allocation of funds to projects and programmes".
Mutharika has spent almost three conflict-ridden years in power, at the centre of a tense standoff with the opposition that has stalled the functioning of the house and delayed the approval of bills.
The political crisis began when Mutharika left the United Democratic Front (UDF), shortly after it sponsored him in the 2004 general elections, to form his own political organisation, the DPP. The UDF hit back with an impeachment charge, accusing Mutharika of using US$300,000 of public money to launch the DPP.
The political confrontation at the height of a food security crisis in Malawi in 2005 even aroused the donor community's concern. Donors wrote to opposition political leaders, voicing their anxiety over the impeachment proceedings while the country was experiencing a "serious and prolonged food crisis".
Louis Chimango, Speaker of the house and a member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has reportedly not indicated whether he would go ahead with the dismissals.
Likely scenarios
Tambulasi said the affected members of parliament (MPs) were likely to lodge an appeal against the court decision, "which could possibly buy them time till the general elections in 2009".
"I don't think anyone wants by-elections, as the firing of the MPs would prompt that, because the country cannot afford them right now. It would also be pointless to have election now, when 2009 is only about a year away," he said.
Lombe said the opposition was not geared for an election and were unlikely to press for it, but "they might make a bid to oust Mutharika through the impeachment process again."
Mutharika survived the impeachment motion after the Constitutional Court blocked the move.
Last week, Malawi's Supreme Court granted powers to the Speaker of Parliament to expel defecting lawmakers, a decision that would affect the strength of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has welcomed 60 defectors into its fold, bringing its tally of members in parliament to 80. The opposition, with about 110 seats, is the largest bloc in parliament.
"The budget might not be passed," commented Richard Tambulasi, head of the department of political and administrative studies in the University of Malawi. The court ruling has pushed the ruling DPP into a tight corner and "created political instability", he added.
According to Felix Lombe, a conflict analyst with the Forum for Dialogue and Peace, a programme run by GTZ, the German Development Agency's technical arm, "the opposition is likely to use its muscle to defer votes on expenditure - there will be a delay in the allocation of funds to projects and programmes".
Mutharika has spent almost three conflict-ridden years in power, at the centre of a tense standoff with the opposition that has stalled the functioning of the house and delayed the approval of bills.
The political crisis began when Mutharika left the United Democratic Front (UDF), shortly after it sponsored him in the 2004 general elections, to form his own political organisation, the DPP. The UDF hit back with an impeachment charge, accusing Mutharika of using US$300,000 of public money to launch the DPP.
The political confrontation at the height of a food security crisis in Malawi in 2005 even aroused the donor community's concern. Donors wrote to opposition political leaders, voicing their anxiety over the impeachment proceedings while the country was experiencing a "serious and prolonged food crisis".
Louis Chimango, Speaker of the house and a member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has reportedly not indicated whether he would go ahead with the dismissals.
Likely scenarios
Tambulasi said the affected members of parliament (MPs) were likely to lodge an appeal against the court decision, "which could possibly buy them time till the general elections in 2009".
"I don't think anyone wants by-elections, as the firing of the MPs would prompt that, because the country cannot afford them right now. It would also be pointless to have election now, when 2009 is only about a year away," he said.
Lombe said the opposition was not geared for an election and were unlikely to press for it, but "they might make a bid to oust Mutharika through the impeachment process again."
Mutharika survived the impeachment motion after the Constitutional Court blocked the move.
Ex-dictator’s ally named Malawi chief justice
Malawi’s president has appointed a former justice minister under late dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda as the country’s new chief justice, his office said today.
Lovemore Munlo, 57, who until April was registrar of the United Nations’ Special Court for Sierra Leone, will replace Leonard Unyolo who retires at the end of this month, the statement from President Bingu wa Mutharika’s office said.
Judges in Malawi retire at the age of 65, but Unyolo, due to retire next year, "has opted to go early," said high court registrar Sylvester Kalembera.
Munlo, who has also served as registrar of the UN Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, rose through the ranks in the Malawian justice ministry before Banda appointed him minister of justice and attorney general in the early 1990s.
Banda, who ruled the country with an iron fist for three decades until he lost the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, later appointed Munlo secretary general of the once-powerful Malawi Congress Party.
"It will be quite a challenging assignment and I feel honoured to come back and work among my own people. It will be much more meaningful than working outside the country," Munlo said.
Lovemore Munlo, 57, who until April was registrar of the United Nations’ Special Court for Sierra Leone, will replace Leonard Unyolo who retires at the end of this month, the statement from President Bingu wa Mutharika’s office said.
Judges in Malawi retire at the age of 65, but Unyolo, due to retire next year, "has opted to go early," said high court registrar Sylvester Kalembera.
Munlo, who has also served as registrar of the UN Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, rose through the ranks in the Malawian justice ministry before Banda appointed him minister of justice and attorney general in the early 1990s.
Banda, who ruled the country with an iron fist for three decades until he lost the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, later appointed Munlo secretary general of the once-powerful Malawi Congress Party.
"It will be quite a challenging assignment and I feel honoured to come back and work among my own people. It will be much more meaningful than working outside the country," Munlo said.
Coulsdon man among Malawi crash victims
A Coulsdon man was among five British tourists killed when their plane crashed in northern Malawi.
David Murrell, 45, was part of a group of eight cyclists and squash players who were on holiday together.
The Cessna aircraft had been heading from Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, to the north of the country, when it crashed in a river valley on Saturday afternoon. There were no survivors.
advertisementAn investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident, which is believed to have happened in bad weather.
The four other British tourists killed in the crash have been named as Daniel Turnberg, 37, of north London - son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg - sales director Nigel Clout, 53, from Hemel Hempstead and husband and wife Colin and Dawn Rollins from Norwich.
The Canadian pilot has not yet been identified.
Did you know Mr Murrell? Leave your tributes below.
David Murrell, 45, was part of a group of eight cyclists and squash players who were on holiday together.
The Cessna aircraft had been heading from Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, to the north of the country, when it crashed in a river valley on Saturday afternoon. There were no survivors.
advertisementAn investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident, which is believed to have happened in bad weather.
The four other British tourists killed in the crash have been named as Daniel Turnberg, 37, of north London - son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg - sales director Nigel Clout, 53, from Hemel Hempstead and husband and wife Colin and Dawn Rollins from Norwich.
The Canadian pilot has not yet been identified.
Did you know Mr Murrell? Leave your tributes below.
Peer's son among dead in Malawi plane crash
The names of the five British tourists killed in a plane crash in Malawi over the weekend were released yesterday as reports indicated they belonged to a larger group of sporting fans who were holidaying in the region.
The six-seater Cessna took off from the capital Lilongwe early Saturday afternoon and headed towards the Nkiya National Park in the north of the country but crashed shortly after 2pm. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched but early indications suggest bad weather may have been to blame.
The dead were named as: Nigel Clout, 53, Daniel Turnberg, 37, from north London, Dawn Rollins and Colin Smith, a married couple from Norwich, and David Murrell, 45. The Canadian pilot was named by the company that chartered the flight as John Debbins. Dr Turnberg was the son of a Labour peer, Lord Turnberg of Cheadle.
Colleagues of Mr Clout, a sales director from Hemel Hempstead who had two children, paid tribute to him yesterday. Simon Fennell, a colleague, said: " When we heard about the plane crash, we were just hoping against hope. His was a very close family. Nigel was always talking about his wife and family and was very proud of his daughters."
Mr Clout's two daughters, in their mid-twenties, were being comforted at the family home by their mother Margaret.
The accident occurred on the 2,600 metre Nyika Plateau, a vast expanse of grassland that is a major draw for the small numbers of tourists to Malawi. Roads across the region are in particularly poor condition and tourists often take short and relatively inexpensive flights to cut down on travelling time.
The six-seater Cessna took off from the capital Lilongwe early Saturday afternoon and headed towards the Nkiya National Park in the north of the country but crashed shortly after 2pm. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched but early indications suggest bad weather may have been to blame.
The dead were named as: Nigel Clout, 53, Daniel Turnberg, 37, from north London, Dawn Rollins and Colin Smith, a married couple from Norwich, and David Murrell, 45. The Canadian pilot was named by the company that chartered the flight as John Debbins. Dr Turnberg was the son of a Labour peer, Lord Turnberg of Cheadle.
Colleagues of Mr Clout, a sales director from Hemel Hempstead who had two children, paid tribute to him yesterday. Simon Fennell, a colleague, said: " When we heard about the plane crash, we were just hoping against hope. His was a very close family. Nigel was always talking about his wife and family and was very proud of his daughters."
Mr Clout's two daughters, in their mid-twenties, were being comforted at the family home by their mother Margaret.
The accident occurred on the 2,600 metre Nyika Plateau, a vast expanse of grassland that is a major draw for the small numbers of tourists to Malawi. Roads across the region are in particularly poor condition and tourists often take short and relatively inexpensive flights to cut down on travelling time.
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