The Joyce Banda Foundation International (JBFI) has expanded its school feeding program in Traditional Authority(T/A) Njema in Mulanje District, increasing the number of Community-Based Childcare Centre (CBCCs) it supports from six to sixteen.
The expansion comes after the organization initially responded to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which led to scores of children dropping out of school due to hunger.
Brown Masingati, JBFI Community Development Officer told journalists on Friday when the organization was distributing roasted maize and soybean porridge to the CBCCs, that feeding the hungry is a core program for JBFI.
Ellina Mmaka, mentor of the CBCCs in Group Village Head Namasalima, expressed gratitude to JBFI for the support, stating that over 50 children had dropped out of CBCCs after Cyclone Freddy.
The porridge will help address the hunger needs of children in the 16 CBCCs, ensuring they can continue their education.
Malawi Police in Mzimba are keeping in custody three agriculture officers for allegedly stealing 50 bags of relief maize flour meant for hunger-stricken families in the district.
The suspects, identified as Brown Themba Jere, 53, Bertha Mwamulima, 43, and Nowa Kamanga, 34, were assigned to distribute the maize flour at Champhira EPA.
However, they conspired to steal 55 bags, weighing 50 Kgs each, and changed the sacks to conceal the identity.
According to Mzimba Police Spokesperson Peter Botha, the incident occurred on the afternoon of May 9, 2024, at Chimkusa location.
Meanwhile,police have recovered the stolen maize flour, and the suspects are expected to appear in court soon to face charges of theft by a servant.
The Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) has called on Malawians, the international community, and the British Government to join forces in appealing against the discontinuance of the corruption case involving Vice President Dr. Saulosi Klaus Chilima.
The party has also sought funding from the British High Commission, the US Embassy, and the European Delegation to intensify its pursuit of justice in the case.
Muvi wa Chilungamo
In a statement signed by President and Commander in Chief Bantu Saunders Jumah and Secretary General Greyson Mikuwa, MRP have expressed concern that Malawi’s poverty and unemployment rates cannot afford to let corruption go unchecked, especially when high-profile government officials are involved.
The party has cited the Watergate scandal in the USA as an example of how corruption cases should be treated with seriousness.
MRP has accused President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima of being aware of the consequences of this corruption case and its potential to bring down their government.
The party has however, vowed to leave no stone unturned in pursuing justice for the 20 million citizens of Malawi, present and future.
The party has acknowledged that all instruments of government are captured, from State House to the Judiciary, and that they will not hesitate to take the matter beyond borders if necessary.
MRP has vowed to ensure that the 53 senior government officials and 31 Civil Society Organizations (CSO) leaders, media managers, and journalists involved in the corruption case face justice.
The party has further expressed outrage at rumors of a K980 billion compensation package for Dr. Chilima in damages, calling it a reward for corruption.
MRP has assured Malawians that it remains a legal political party committed to fighting for justice and will not let the MCP-led Tonse Alliance government under President Chakwera undermine the nation’s progress.
Lazarus Pious, Nezia Banyan, and Jimmy Mkwenda have each been awarded K250,000 from First Capital Bank’s (FCB) ‘Civil Servant Aweruke Promotion.’
FCB conducted its second monthly raffle draw in Blantyre, revealing the lucky winners of the monthly prizes.
The bank’s Marketing Manager, Pachalo Chiyora, said the promotion aims to reward civil servants who have utilized the bank’s loan facility.
To qualify for the draw, civil servants must apply for and access a minimum loan amount of K1 million, giving them the chance to win the grand prize of up to K10 million.
Civil servants were broke during Easter as the Department of Human Resource Management and Development delayed to process their pay for March. The department attributed the delay to the integration of newly recruited healthcare workers on the government payroll for March 2024.
How you receive these cash promotions can vary from one bank to the next. One might direct deposit the money into the new account; another might send you a prepaid debit or credit card in the amount of the cash offer. Again, find out all the details of a promotion before signing up.
A raffle is a type of contest in which you buy a ticket for a chance to win a prize. After the tickets are sold, a drawing determines which ticket holds the winning number. People raffle off everything from fruit baskets to cars. You might enter a raffle at a school gathering, a fair, or another event.
Everyone loves a game of chance, and raffles are great for incentivizing more ticket sales – resulting in more funds to support your important work. If you’re not sure how to get started, we have 10 fundraising raffle ideas to inspire you and make your next raffle your best yet.
Bank loan facilities are financial assistance programs offered by banks and lending institutions to help companies. The main types of facilities are overdraft services, business lines of credit, term loans, and letters of credit. A facility is essentially another name for a loan taken out by a company.
A facility is an agreement between a company and a public or private lender that allows the business to borrow a particular amount of money for different purposes for a short period of time. The loan is for a set amount and does not require collateral.
COMSIP says it will buy crops from 639 savings and loan groups they are working with in 14 districts under Legumes Enterprise Structured Program (LESP).
Comsip spokesperson Mercy Kayuni told Zodiak that through LESP they supported Comsip groups with money to procure best seed varieties,fertilizer and pesticides during this year’s farming season.
According to Kayuni,the LESP program is aimed at enhancing food security and income generation among savings and loan groups .
She added that One billion Kwacha was invested and the program targeted Comsip members benefiting from social cash transfer and climate smart program.
Within Malawi, groundnut is the most important legume and oilseed crop both in terms of the total area cultivated as well as production.
The choice of legume depends on when the cover crop will be planted. For summer planting, use warm-season legumes like Southern peas or soybeans. For planting in the fall, choose cold-hardy legumes like peas. Clover and alfalfa are classic cover crops; both germinate best at warm temperatures.
*Ways to improve your food security:*
Get to know your local farmers. Free or reduced lunch at school. Learn food preservation methods. Local food banks. Improving budgeting for food. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Income generation can help to overcome food insecurity when economic factors are a fundamental cause of food insecurity and when food is available in local markets but lack of money is the main difficulty faced by the vulnerable population. However, the promotion of income generating activities is not a recipe that can be applied in any type of situation. An initial food security analysis of the context and the problems faced by the vulnerable population is essential in order to decide the kind of response that is best suited to each specific case.
These investments reduce hunger, increase crop production, grow household assets, and result in significantly more children going to school instead of working to help support their families. In addition, the cash transfers benefit the local economies.
The main objectives of the Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) are to reduce poverty and hunger, and to increase school enrolment. The programme began as a pilot in 2006 in Mchinji District and was subsequently expanded to an additional six districts in 2007.
