President Lazarus Chakwera has called on all the believers and faith communities in the country to dedicate the first 7 days of the new year 2022 to pray for the end of the dry spell currently being experienced in the country which he says could impact the next farming season.
In a statement, Presidential Press Secretary Anthony Kasonda says the 7 day period of prayer, will include fasting that covers each day of the week, from Saturday January 1, 2022 to Friday January 7, 2022. ” This arrangement allows believers to have individual as well as group prayers session. The President, therefore, calls on the mother bodies of all faith groups to encourage their communities to pray together whenever they meet for worship on their designated holy days,” say Kasonda in a statement.
There has been growing concerns over dry spell In Malawi with most areas not experienced any rainfall up to this time of the year, which in Normal circumstances,is the time when the Maize crops should long have been planted and growing.
The Malawi Police Service ( MPS) says a total of 43 road accidents and 10 fatalities were recorded during this year’s running from midnight of December 24 to midnight of December 27,2021.
According to the statement signed by Assistant National Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Felix Misomali, the number is small as compared to that of last year ( 2020) where a total of 67 road accidents were recorded with 16 fatalities.
Assistant National Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Felix Misomali
However, the service has intensified traffic checks, day and night traffic patrols and sensitization meetings on road safety nets to further reduce road accidents in Malawi.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of USD 1.5 million from the Government of Norway to support the provision of locally produced school meals for 50,000 primary school learners in Malawi. This forms part of a larger contribution of around USD 5.5 million to locally produced school meals programmes in three countries – Ethiopia, Malawi and Niger.
Through the home-grown school feeding model, food commodities for school meals will be supplied by 1,000 smallholder farmers, particularly women, who will also benefit from capacity development in production, post-harvest handling and marketing.
The contribution will sustain and improve access to education by providing nutritious and diversified school meals. Other expected gains from this funding include improved enrolment, attendance and retention in school.
“We commend the Government of Norway for its strong commitment to the home-grown school feeding model that will not only provide learners with a daily meal, but also strengthen the local economy and the broader food value chain,” said Paul Turnbull, WFP Country Director and Representative in Malawi.
File Photo: Paul Turnbull, WFP Country Director with Hon Mkaka
Under the home-grown school feeding model, WFP partners with schools through district councils to purchase food locally. Participating schools sign contracts with farmers to procure local and diversified foods. This new contribution will strengthen the gains made with Norway’s humanitarian support to Malawi since 2014 and will contribute to the development of a sustainable model for a national school meals programme.
“A daily nutritious school meal is a strong incentive to enroll and keep children in school,” said Ørnulf Strøm, Chargé d’Affaires at the Norwegian Embassy in Lilongwe. “We are very pleased to continue supporting the school feeding programme in Malawi in partnership with WFP and the Government of Malawi. The funds will complement the Norwegian support to home grown school meals under the Joint Programme for Girl’s Education.”
The interventions will also promote household and community level resilience, as well as contribute to improved nutrition, education and economic development of communities. They will also contribute to women’s empowerment and gender equality by promoting access to education for girls and ensuring that women farmers participate in economic activities.
On-site in-school feeding resumed in October this year after suspension as part of the Government of Malawi’s COVID-19 containment measures. Throughout the suspension of in-school feeding, WFP continued to provide school meals as take-home rations. WFP’s school feeding intervention in Malawi reaches about 600,000 children in seven districts.
A report from Ministry of Health ( MH) indicates that over 840 babies were delivered on Christmas day for this year with highest number registered in Mangochi.
According to data presented by Spokesperson in the Ministry of Health Adrian Chikumbe on Tuesday, Mangochi alone has registered 102 new babies with 47 males and 55 females. Chikumbe said, in total, out of 16 districts in the country, 849 babies were delivered on the day in which 417 are boys and 432 are girls. He however, said the figures could go up as these deliveries are from only 16 districts of 28.
Chikumbe said, this means that some districts such as Mangochi have high fertility rate which need promotion of family planning methods so as to trim down the figures. Below is the breakdown of data recorded:
The office of the president and cabinet has today announced that the former first lady Anne Muluzi, ex wife to former President Bakili Muluzi has died.
In a statement signed by Zanga Zanga Chikhosi, the former first lady died on Tuesday 28th Decemeber at Aga Khan Hospital In Nairobi Kenya . The statement highlights that she was battling Cancer.
Anne Muluzi was also the mother of current United Democratic Front President Atupele Muluzi. Details of the funeral arrangements and repatriation of th body will be announced later
The late Anne Muluzi
Anne Muluzi had two children from her marriage with Bakili Muluzi, namely Austin Atupele Muluzi and Esmie Atweni Muluzi Malisita. The couple lived in a polygamous marriage arrangement as practiced by Islamic custom and Muluzi was also married to Patricia Shanil Muluzi from 1989 On 15 March 1999, Muluzi announced officially the separation from her after 30 years of marriage. He then re-married Patricia Shanil Muluzi in a formal ceremony to mark her new position as the official first lady. Up until their separation in March 1999, Muluzi lived with Anne in the State House in Blantyre.Muluzi’s second wife, Patricia Muluzi, resided at another of Muluzi’s official residences in the former colonial capital of Zomba
Mulizi’s first born daughter, Esme Atweni Muluzi Malisita, died after lightning struck her on December 12, 2016.
