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Liverpool continues Charity projects in Malawi

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The LFC Foundation headed back to Malawi last month to deliver the final stage of the Health Goals Malawi project alongside the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM).

The joint project, which was launched in 2017, delivers sports-based public engagement activities in Malawi, which allow young people to access health services and education focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Liverpool charity work in Malawi

Using the power of the LFC badge and the wider appeal of football, the programme engages with local youngsters – in particular, males aged 14-22, who are least likely to access health education and services such as self-testing and treatment plans.

In Malawi, the number of people living with HIV is one of the highest in the world and young people account for 50 per cent of new infections, with incidences highest among 15 to 17-year-olds.

Knowledge around prevention and transmission of disease is essential among young people, who often have low levels of awareness and are therefore more likely to contract HIV or be living with it unknowingly.

Matt Parish, director of the LFC Foundation, said: “We were delighted to head back to Malawi once again to deliver this fantastic project.

“The programme has built an amazing platform for health education in Chikwawa and has ensured sustainability through the training and development of local coaches.

“Working with LSTM and the local coaches out in Malawi has allowed us to engage with such a hard to reach group and we’ve been able to make a real difference to the health and life chances of hundreds of young people in the area.”

Across the week, LFC Foundation coaches and LSTM staff delivered seven community outreach sessions throughout the Chikwawa region, with over 600 young people taking part.

25 local community coaches, who were trained by FA Malawi and LFC Foundation back in June, worked alongside LFC Foundation staff to lead carousels of activities including football training and HIV education.

LFC Foundation staff provided feedback, hints and tips to build on the community coaches’ skills and continue their aim of becoming genuine role models in the local community.

The week-long programme of activities culminated in the MLW Kafukufuku Festival in Chikwawa, where LFC Foundation coaches led football education sessions alongside HIV education messages.

All participants were taught how to use a HIV self-test kit and shown a demonstration video featuring Sadio Mane, with those who were old enough given a self-test kit to take home.

In total, over 1,000 HIV self-test kits were distributed to participants and amongst the 5,000-strong crowd, who gathered to watch a Health Goals Malawi squad take on Blantyre-based team, Wizards FC, in the final of the MLW Kafukufuku tournament.

Local coach, Frank Chilongo, said: “The Health Goals Malawi project has not only increased knowledge of HIV amongst young people, but it has also broken down the fear of getting tested for HIV.

“Now, if you finish a session without telling the participants any health messages – they are going to ask you, ‘Coach, are you not going to tell us a health message?’ It’s because they are enjoying it, so it’s great for us.”

6 Reasons To Visit Malawi According To “We Are Travel Girls”

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Bordering Tanzania and Mozambique, Malawi is a relatively small country in southeastern Africa. However, it is actually home the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world (by volume), Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, and Liwonde National Park in the southern part of the country is home to lots of wildlife as well, including: elephants, hippos, lions and black rhinos, which are a member of the endangered species list.

Every year, the founders of We Are Travel Girls, take a group of 12 women to Malawi for their annual Malawi Safari & Charity Trip. We Are Travel Girls is a global travel community that started with the intention to “inspire, connect, educate and empower female travelers around the world”. The organization shares travel tips and tricks via its popular travel website and collection of social media channels, amongst other resources. I spoke with founders, Becky van Dijk and Vanessa Rivers about why they have fallen in love with the country and why they keep going back. Here are six reasons you need to visit Malawi according to the founders of We Are Travel Girls.

Malawi - Founders of We Are Travel Girls, Becky van Dijk and Vanessa Rivers in Malawi on their annual charity trip.
Malawi – Founders of We Are Travel Girls, Becky van Dijk and Vanessa Rivers in Malawi on their annual charity trip. WE ARE TRAVEL GIRLS

1) GOING ON A RIVER SAFARI IN LIWONDE NATIONAL PARK

Liwonde National Park is located southeast of the capital, Lilongwe, near the Mozambique border. The Shire River runs alongside the park and serves as a watering hole for elephants, hippos, black rhinos, crocodiles, leopards, antelopes, and more. Taking a river safari here is like stepping into the Lion King. Becky and Vanessa describe seeing elephants, warthogs, meerkats, and baboons gather at the river’s banks as a “once in a lifetime experience.” “Seeing such an array of creatures come together to drink water, play and hunt for food is out of this world. And doing so from the river itself is a much nicer experience than from a noisy jeep.”

Malawi - A group of elephants drinking water on the Shire River
Malawi – A group of elephants drinking water on the Shire RiverWE ARE TRAVEL GIRLS

2) DRINKING GIN & TONICS

Most African Safaris usually end with a “sundowner” and those in Malawi are no different. “In Malawi, we discovered how incredibly tasty Malawi Gin is, and that it of course pairs very nicely with tonic and a magical African sunset! Malawi Gin has long had something of a cult following among British tourists. They’d return home from vacations to the former British Colony raving about the local gin and once we tried it, we could easily understand why!” Becky and Vanessa added. “If you are doing a river or land safari in Liwonde National Park make sure to request that your safari guide brings along Malawi Gin & Tonics so you can enjoy a special G&T sundowner from your safari vehicle or boat overlooking the Shire River.”

3) MEETING THE WARM PEOPLE OF MALAWI

Frequently referred to as ‘The Warm Heart of Africa,’ Malawi is known for its welcoming people. Their hospitality makes visitors feel at home as soon as they step off the plane. According to Becky and Vanessa, “Their wealth of happiness is infectious. The value they put on family and relationships makes it an amazing place to return to year after year.”

4) EXPLORING MUMBO ISLAND ON LAKE MALAWI

Lake Malawi - A dinner set up on the banks of Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi – A dinner set up on the banks of Lake MalawiWE ARE TRAVEL GIRLS

For the luxury traveler looking for an untouched paradise, Mumbo Island in the middle of Lake Malawi is the place to go. Named one of the Sunday Times’ Top 100 Places to Stay in 2017, this private island is a must. The island is only a half a mile in diameter and has never been inhabited by a population. It is a pristine, natural, oasis offering visitors a luxurious and sustainable travel experience. If you are truly looking to unplug, Mumbo has no cell service or electricity so you can truly get that digital detox we all need. You’ll arrive on Mumbo Island, turn off your devices, leave them in your room and start connecting with nature. The wooden stilted cabins overlooking the turquoise water of Lake Malawi are the definition of rustic luxury. “We recommend leaving the doors to the balcony open and so you can wake up to the incredible sunrise and the birdsong of the island.” Becky and Vanessa mentioned. “On our Malawi Safari & Charity Trip our guests love taking advantage of the delicious meals, kayaking, yoga, hiking, sunset boat rides and evening campfires (with wine of course!).”

5) VISITING THE SATEMWA TEA ESTATES

Tea is a major crop in Malawi. Tea estates like Satemwa, which is a third-generation family-owned business offers tours and tastings.

Malawi - View of the Satemwa Tea Estate fields
Malawi – View of the Satemwa Tea Estate fieldsWE ARE TRAVEL GIRLS

Founded in 1923, Satemwa is one of the last family-owned tea estates in the region, as most have been purchased by large corporations. Guests can spend the night at Satemwa and enjoy sundowners overlooking the rolling tea fields, estate tours, and private tea tastings. 

6) GIVING BACK THROUGH RESPONSIBLE TOURISM 

While Malawi is a country full of beauty and amazing people, it is also important to remember that the average person in Malawi struggles to live on less than $1 a day. Tourism is a significant part of the economy and as it is still a hidden gem, foreign dollars can stretch far here. However, it is crucial when visiting developing countries such as Malawi to ensure being a respectful visitor. “We Are Travel Girls strives to work with tour companies that give back to the communities we visit so we are proud to have partnered with The Responsible Safari Company to show our guests the best of Malawi during our annual Malawi Safari & Charity Trip.” Says Becky and Vanessa. “The Responsible Safari Company is committed to creating sustainable growth [in Malawi] through social enterprise, reducing dependence on foreign aid and driving tourism that generates income for rural communities in Africa.”

Malawi - Co-founder of We Are Travel Girls, Vaness Rivers in Malawi on a river safari
Malawi – Co-founder of We Are Travel Girls, Vaness Rivers in Malawi on a river safariWE ARE TRAVEL GIRLS

A portion of the proceeds from the Malawi Safari & Charity Trip are donated to Malawi to go towards local resources and infrastructure. Becky and Vanesa have also worked to raise through their, “Travel Girls Giving Program” over $15,000 for school children in need in Malawi.

Story by J.Q Louise for Forbes

Catholics to hold prayers for Malawi’s peace on Oct 19

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Catholics in Malawi will on October 19 hold national prayers pray for peace, unity and reconciliation following “disturbing trends that have occurred as an aftermath of the 21st May tripartite polls,” the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has said.

Malawi has been rocked in an elections dispute over the results of the presidential race, after MEC declared President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika winner of the poll.

Fr. Henry Saindi 

Both opposition parties MCP and UTM have petitioned the court, seeking nullification of the result, claiming the poll was fraught with irregularities.

But ECM Secretary General Fr. Henry Saindi said in a statement said it was important for the biggest church in Malawi to hold the Eucharist celebration and pray for peace, unity and reconciliation. “It is an important national celebration for the entire Catholic church in Malawi,” he said.

“As Catholics, we believe in the power of prayer. We are aware human efforts can fail but God does not fail,” he said, adding that:

“It is against this background that the ECM has decided to hold nationwide prayers in all dioceses of the Catholic Church to seek God’s intervention.”

The Church was this time divided on whom to support for president, with several of the seven dioceses openly supporting Saulos Chilima (a catholic) of UTM, while others remained non-committal.

MEC has said no church or religious body should endorse a candidate as this is against the rights of the electorate to choose a candidate of their choice.

Demos ends today as Ansah refuses to resign

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Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) officials Thursday described the third day of the demonstrations as successful and peaceful.

The demonstrations that have been taking place in Lilongwe since Tuesday, are expected to end today.

Speaking after Thursday’s protests, HRDC Vice Chairperson, Gift Trapence, thanked the protesters for patronising the demonstrations.

He urged them to maintain peace and order, especially today.

HRDC Chairperson, Timothy Mtambo, said if members of Parliament confirm Mwapasa as Malawi Police Service Inspector General, they would hold demonstrations against Mwapasa.

“If you dare confirm Mwapasa, we are ready to hold demonstrations against Parliament’s decision. We will put Mwapasa as the second person on our list of people who are not supposed to hold public offices,” Mtambo said.

HRDC has been organising demonstrations to force Malawi Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Jane Ansah and all commissioners to resign for allegedly messing up the May 21 presidential elections.

Ansah has refused to resign.

Budget needs some sugar

By Gilbert MOYO

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha presented the K1.7 Trillion budget to Parliament last month.

From the budget statement, I have noted that the budget prioritises cotton and legume production which have been allocated K1 billion and K1.85 Billion, respectively.

Are these the only crops at the heart of government agenda?

However, sugar cane has conspicuously been denied a slice of the national cake. Why? I have no answer. This year again, sugar cane has no support in the national budget even though the National Export Strategy of 2013-2018 identified this as a priority crop for export.

Finance Minister Mwanamveka

Similarly, the proposed National Export Strategy II touts sugar cane as a priority crop together with legumes.During the review of the expired export strategy, participants noted that the blueprint had several challenges inhibiting its success.

One of the bottlenecks was inadequate funding from government to drive the strategy. The implementation of the export strategy was at the mercy of development partners.

If government does not allocate adequate funds for sugar, sugar cane products and other priority activities in the national strategy, who will do so?

In 2011, exports from sugar cane products reached four percent of the country’s total exports, only third to tobacco and tea.However, for many years, it has been confined to two districts—Chikwawa and Nkhotakota—unlike other crops.

Sugar cane’s contribution to the national economy is derived from sugar and ethanol. In Brazil, India, Mauritius and other countries that are serious with sugar cane production, no single part of the crop goes to waste. Every part has value; it is a raw material for another product.These countries have heavily invested in research and development to make sugar cane a high-value crop.

They produce a cocktail of products from sugar cane, including fertiliser, electricity, plastics and carbon dioxide.

In fact, this is exactly what the National Export Strategy intended to achieve. The brains behind the strategy envisioned sugar cane production producing sugar, syrups, sweets, caramel, sweetener, ethanol, spirits, cane juice, fertiliser, animal feed, electricity, cosmetics and many more.

One of the major challenges slowing sugar cane production in Malawi is lack of extension services. Smallholder farmers grow sugar cane without technical support. These extension officers are not available simply because local universities do not extensively teach anything about sugar cane.

If government is serious about promoting sugarcane, it must seriously consider allocating funds in the 2019/20 National Budget to support the promotion of sugarcane production.The funds will help develop a team of specialists who should be providing extension services in sugar cane production.In the end, this will improve productivity and reduce poverty among the farmers.

Currently, there is growing interest in sugar cane value chain. That is why we have a new factory in Salima where smallholder growers have already started producing and supplying sugar cane.

These are the farmers who need appropriate extension services in sustainable and productive sugar cane farming.

I hope members of Parliament from sugar cane-growing districts of Nkhotakota, Salima and Chikwawa will lobby the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development for a slice of the cake to go towards promoting the crop their constituents grow for industrial use.

Some of these legislators are actually sugar cane farmers, so they are aware of what the cane farmers are going through.

This is why they need to act now.