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MCCB to Launch National Laity Day Celebrations at Ntcheu Parish in Dedza Diocese

The Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) has announced that it will officially launch the National Laity Day celebrations on 25 October 2025 at Ntcheu Parish in the Diocese of Dedza.

Making the announcement in Lilongwe on Friday, Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, who spoke on behalf of the Bishop President of the Pastoral Commission, said this year’s celebrations will be held under the theme “Be Converted and Live.”

Bishop Mwakhwawa called on all Catholics across the country to take an active role in preparing for the event, emphasizing the importance of unity and participation among the faithful.

Bishop Mwakhwawa
Bishop Mwakhwawa

“The National Laity Day provides an opportunity for Catholics to reflect on their mission in the Church and society. We therefore encourage all dioceses, parishes, and lay groups to support the preparations,” Bishop Mwakhwawa said.

His lordship disclosed that the event has a budget of K14 million and appealed for both financial and material contributions from the faithful and well-wishers.

On his part, Onances Nyirenda, an Executive Member of the National Laity Council, said preparations are progressing well, with committees already in place to handle logistics, liturgy, and publicity.

Onances Nyirenda, an Executive Member of the National Laity Council
Onances Nyirenda, an Executive Member of the National Laity Council

“We are in the final stages of organizing the event. The response from dioceses and parish councils has been encouraging, and we look forward to a successful celebration,” Nyirenda said.

The National Laity Day is an annual event aimed at promoting the active participation of lay Catholics in the mission of the Church, in line with the vision of the Second Vatican Council which emphasizes the role of the laity in evangelization and community service.

This year’s national launch at Ntcheu Parish is expected to draw participants from all eight dioceses across the country.

By Monica Chinyama

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Church News

ECO STAR Project Shines: Lilongwe Archdiocese Education Commission Praises Chiotha Primary for Exemplary Micro-Projects

Education authorities in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe have praised the outcome of the ECO STAR School project at Chiotha Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority (T.A.) Kabudula in Lilongwe District.

During a tour to appreciate how the school is implementing the project on Tuesday 14 October 2025, which involved donors Wilde Ganlzen and implementing partners Edukanz, Chrissy Mithi, Education Coordinator in the Archdiocese, expressed gratitude to Chiotha Primary School for its excellent work.

The school is implementing pig farming, a woodlot, a vegetable garden, and an Eco Star Learners Council, which has fostered strong coordination among learners, teachers, and the community.

Mithi emphasized Chiotha Primary School’s commitment compared to other schools, citing their exemplary care of the trees and successful pig farming.

Chrissy Mithi, Education Coordinator in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe

“We are satisfied because in some schools, for example, in Nsalu, we might find only three pigs, but here we have 11, And even the woodlot is very encouraging. We have seen that the Mibawa trees there are 50 and are surviving; in some schools, we find only a few surviving, but not at Chiotha. So, Chiotha is very encouraging in how they are managing their micro-projects.” She noted.

She expressed commitment to continued supervision of the project to ensure its sustainability as it phases out next year.

“In terms of sustainability, we are looking at the micro-projects themselves. The vegetable garden will continue because they will use the sales realized to buy seeds and continue. Likewise, the pig farming will continue because they sell the pigs.”

In his remarks, Edwin Chimwendo, the Head Teacher for Chiotha Primary School, expressed his joy with the ECO STAR School project, saying it has helped in teaching the community about environmental conservation.

 

Edwin Chimwendo, the Head Teacher for Chiotha Primary School.

Chimwendo added that it has also provided learners with practical lessons using the gardens and woodlots, thereby improving their performance.

Meanwhile, Kees De Jong, Director of the Wilde Ganlzen Foundation, said they saw it as important to work with Malawian communities to assist in conserving the environment, which is a major challenge.

De Jong expressed satisfaction with the collaboration between the community and the school in the project’s implementation.

 

“At this school, there is much more dominance of parents and children. For example, the children have a children’s council, and they report when there is bullying or teacher absenteeism, and they find a way to report this through the head teacher, this way, you can also discipline teachers through pupils. So, that’s very unique, and it works very well.”

The visitors earlier met with the auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe His Lordship Right Reverend Vincent Mwakhwawa before touring the school.

Bishop Mwakhwawa with visitors

By Peter Dumayo.

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News

Global Action to End Smoking Hands Over K5.1Billion Agricultural Transformation Centre to LUANAR.

The Globe Action to End Smoking on Wednesday handed over a state-of-the-art K5 billion Global Action Transformation Center to the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), as part of the Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) Project
The facility, funded by Global Action to End Smoking, is expected to revolutionize soil health monitoring for smallholder farmers across Malawi.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, CAT Executive Director Macleod Nkhoma said the initiative marks a major milestone in empowering farmers to understand the health of their soil.
Nkhoma highlighted that most of the soils in the country are degraded therefore there is need for farmers to know the state of their soil in order to find means of improving them for higher yields.
“What our farmers have to know is that our soils are degraded therefore this is an opportunity for them to bring their soils for test for improvement.” he said.
LUANAR Vice Chancellor Professor Emmanuel Kaunda welcomed the development, promising to ensure the facility reaches farmers in all corners of the country.
Kaunda added that they will make sure that the prices for the soil test are affordable so that even a local farmer can manage to pay for the service.
“We will make sure that the prices are reasonable so that even a local farmer can be able to pay,” he assured.
In Her remarks, Global Action to End Smoking executive board chairperson Pamera Parizek, says the project has assisted a lot in as far as crop diversification is concerned.
Parizek described the laboratory as an indication of the impact the project will bring to a local Malawian farmer.
The new centre is expected to support research, training, and extension services with hopes to boost Malawi’s agricultural transformation agenda.
By Peter Dumayo.
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Church News Radio Alinafe

50th Parish Opens at Mtande in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” These words echoed with joy and reverence on Saturday, 4th October 2025, as the Archdiocese of Lilongwe celebrated the official opening of St Andrew Mtande Catholic Parish, marking a significant milestone in the Church’s mission of faith and service.

The Solemn Eucharistic Mass, held at the newly established parish, was presided over by His Lordship Bishop Vincent Fredrick Mwakhwawa, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.

The event drew clergy, religious, and lay faithful from across the region, all gathered to witness the birth of a new spiritual home.

FR-Christian-handing-over-chrstians-register-book-for-the-new-parish-to-the-auxiliary Bishop
Fr. Christian handing over chrstians register book for the new parish to the auxiliary Bishop

Previously under St Francis Parish in Kanengo, St Andrews Mtande now begins its journey as an independent parish. Bishop Mwakhwawa described the inauguration as a testament to the growth of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese, and a call to leadership to respond to the evolving needs of the faithful.

“This is a great achievement,” His Lordship said, “but it opens our eyes and ears to listen to the needs of the people in order to provide good service.”

In his homily, Bishop Mwakhwawa urged the faithful of St Andrew Mtande to embrace the Catholic spirit of unity and live out their charism as a community. He emphasized that for a parish to thrive, its members must be committed to the mission of evangelization and mutual support.

He also challenged the parish leadership priests and religious sisters to be attentive to their congregation, reminding them that service is the foundation of unity.

Bishop-Mwakhwawa-handing-over-tabanacal-keys-to-the-parish-priest-Fr-Philp
Bishop Mwakhwawa handing over tabernacle keys to the parish priest, Fr. Philip

“The obligation at the parish is to serve, and service brings unity.” said Bishop Mwakhwawa.

Speaking on behalf of the laity, Mr. Patrick Liphava, Chairperson of the Laity Council in the Archdiocese, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the smooth transition and establishment of the new parish. He pledged unwavering support from the laity to ensure the parish fulfills its mission.

“As Laity Council in the Archdiocese, we are ready to provide support to the new parish in order for it to achieve its mission,” Liphava affirmed.

The opening of St Andrew Mtande Catholic Parish is more than a ceremonial event, it is a spiritual milestone, a symbol of growth, and a renewed commitment to faith, unity, and service in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.

Bishop-Mwakhwawa-installing-Fr-philp-as-a-new-Parish-Priest
Bishop Mwakhwawa installing Fr Philip as a new Parish Priest

Mtande Church was founded in 1970 by Mr. and Mrs. Bikoloni, Mrs. Magalena Nkhalamba, Mr. Kanzikiti, and Mrs. Mtande Chiofu. At that time, they worshipped at Chikunga Village in Kanengo under Likuni Parish. Due to development in Kanengo, they relocated to Mtande Village in 1972.

Of the founding members, only Mrs. Bikoloni is still alive, and she was present to witness the official opening of St Andrew the Apostle Mtande Parish last Saturday.

Mrs-Bikoloni-in-the-middle-one-of-the-fisrt-christian-who-started-mtande-church-in-1970-today-St-Andrews-the-Apostle-Mtande-Parish
Mrs. Bikoloni in the middle, witnessing the opening of St. Andrews Mtande Parish

The new parish comprises two outstations: St Andrew, which includes 11 Small Christian Communities with a total of 3,481 Christians, and St Catherine of Siena, which consists of 7 Small Christian Communities with 1,806 Christians.

By Peter Dumayo

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News

SMALLHOLDER FARMERS CROP DIVERSIFICATION KEY FOR MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE SHOCKS

The Vice President and Country Director of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Dr. Candida Nakhumwa says farmers across the country (Malawi) are responding well in-terms of diversifying from relying on Tobacco only as a cash crop to other alternative value chains.

Dr. Nakhumwa made the remarks on Wednesday, 24 April 2024 at NRC – CAT Smart Farm during a farmer field day which was organized by the Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) under the theme “Smallholder Farmers Crop Diversification Key for Mitigating Climate Change Shocks.”

Dr. Nakhumwa says they are overwhelmed with the response from farmers after they started working with CAT (five years ago), having seen a lot of farmers diversifying to other alternative crops like Soyabeans, Groundnuts, Cassava just to mention a few.

“You know, farmers are rational human beings. They can see the changes that are happening out there. They know that the market for tobacco is affected. They know that climate is changing. And all they need is a little bit of support in terms of knowledge, but also information as to what is it that we can do. And through the CAT, we are excited to answer your question that there’s a lot of change that we’ve seen that farmers are actually adopting. Behind me, you can see that there is a banana crop, a very good banana crop. In the past, people used to think you can only grow bananas, maybe along (districts of) Thyolo, Mulanje, or Nkhatabay in the Northern Region (of Malawi). But now it’s exciting to see farmers in Central Region growing bananas,” Dr. Nakhumwa explained.

She added by commending CAT for promoting both improved productivity, value addition as well as linking farmers to readily available markets.

“Farmers will always want to ask, if I grow bananas, for example, do I have a readily available market for this? And we want them to be introduced to those markets. And in doing that, they are encouraged to actually diversify. Farmers want to be assured that there is a readily available market for what they are producing. So, the response has been very good, and I’m happy that that’s also in line with what, you know, we’ve stipulated on our own in Malawi 2063,” She added.

The Smoke Free World Vice President and Country director expressed her optimism that crop diversification is also a key to mitigating the impact of climate change.

In his remarks, CAT Executive Director, Macleod Nkhoma re-affirmed their continued commitment in ensuring that farmers are equipped with new technologies that will help them increase production, as well as start earning profits through farming business.

Among others, Nkhoma thanked the Foundation for a Smoke Free World through the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI) for their continued support towards the program’s, CAT is undertaking in the country.

The Farmer Field Day brought together various lead farmers across the country, government officials as well as private partners to appreciate different technologies available at NRC – CAT smart farm.

 

By Lester Mhone

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News

DON BOSCO TECH AFRICA LAUNCHES THE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY IN MALAWI

Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute has on 22 April 2024 hosted the launch of communication strategy in the country as one of the countries under Don Bosco Tech-Africa.

Malawi has become the first country to launch the communication strategy out of the 11 countries which are under the Don Bosco Tech Africa.

Speaking at the event, the superior for the Salesians of Don Bosco in Zambia and Malawi, Father Michael Mbandama outlined the importance of the communication strategy to the youths and the citizenry.

In his words, Fr. Mbandama indicated how the youths will benefit from the strategy and also how Don Bosco youth Technical Institute empowers the youths with wisdom and knowledge on how best they can live their life.

He further explained how the communication strategy will help their school as it is a tool that will create a way on how they can communicate with their beneficiary.

“It is in this that we communicate what we do, in this that we want to set up a kind of a pattern on how we are going to defuse information and it is in this that will are going to catch those that we inform and it is in this also that we are going to penetrate our stakeholders especially the industry and it is in this that we are going to bring alot of those young people who are poor into our system so that we also empower them as we have done in the past,” explained Fr Michael.

Don Bosco Tech Africa includes all 24 technical institutions under Don Bosco in Africa and Madagascar and over 2000 students have patronized Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute in the country.

by Tiyamike Paul Chisale