Category: News

The Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Country Director Chisangalalo Ntonia has highlighted that Malawi is making slow progress in addressing children’s mental health issues, partly due to prevailing cultural practices.

Ntonia emphasized the urgent need for increased advocacy and concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including the government, to tackle this growing concern.

He made these remarks today, 12th June 2025 in Lilongwe during a Mental Health Workshop organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

“I can say we are making progress, but we are not yet there as a country,” Ntonia stated.

He has however highlighted the significant work still required to effectively address mental health challenges in children.

He says they plan to train teachers and other professionals on trauma and mental health to better equip them to support children facing such difficulties.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Udedi, Assistant Director of Curative Medical Rehabilitation Services in the Ministry of Health, revealed that a significant number of Malawians are grappling with mental health and psychosocial issues.

He pointed to an “aggravated situation of suicide,” evidenced by suicidal behaviors recorded between 2021 and 2025.

According to Dr. Udedi, Malawi registered 597 suicide cases between January and December 2024, mirroring the 597 cases recorded in 2023.

By Monica Chinyama Lipiya

A local non-governmental organization, Paradiso has launched an initiative to distribute Buffalo Bicycles to volunteers who travel long distances collecting tuberculosis (TB) samples.

The effort aimed to ease their transportation burden and boost the fight against TB in Malawi.

Paradiso’s Programs Manager, Limbani Mbetewa, stated in an interview that the organization plans to distribute 3,000 bicycles across various districts, including Zomba, Dedza, Dowa, and Lilongwe.

“Looking at the catchment area that these volunteers go around to disseminate information, we thought it wise that we should ease the challenge of mobility by giving them the bicycles,” said Mbetewa.

He added that the distribution will be carried out in phases, with an initial rollout of 250 bicycles currently underway.

Paradiso believes these bicycles will significantly support volunteers in their vital work, ultimately contributing to better TB control in the country.

By Monica Chinyama Lipiya

In a move aimed at improving financial accessibility for Malawians, Centenary Bank has launched the CenteValue and CenteFees in partnership with Airtel Money.

Speaking at the launch event on Wednesday, 11 June 2025 in Lilongwe, Centenary Bank Managing Director, Godfrey Byekwaso announced that the agreement will allow parents to pay school fees via Airtel Money for schools that hold Centenary Bank accounts and Airtel Money agents will be able to request value whenever needed.

Byekwaso highlighted that the initiative has the potential to reduce long queues at banks and save time for parents, who can now make payments from their homes.

“The product is helpful as it will save time and some inconveniences to our customers,” He said.”

In her remarks, Airtel Money Managing Director, Thokozani Kamkondo Sande, expressed optimism about the collaboration, emphasizing that Airtel Money is Malawi’s largest mobile financial service and remains committed to transforming lives economically.

She noted that education is key to national development, which is why Airtel Money saw value in partnering with Centenary Bank.

“Education is the key to any development in the country hence the partnership agreement,” She said.

Commenting on the development, Sister Valentine Gudyanga, a Bursar at St. John’s Catholic Secondary School, one of the institutions that hold accounts with Centenary Bank welcomed the initiative, noting that it will simplify transactions as payments will be processed instantly.

“This is simple, and it will ease our work as an institution,” she said.

By Peter Dumayo

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it has placed a strong emphasis on fostering women’s empowerment throughout the electoral cycle as Malawi gears up for its general elections on September 16, 2025.

The commission’s comprehensive approach aims to give room for women’s participation as voters, candidates, and electoral staff, signaling a concerted effort to achieve a more equitable democratic landscape.

Media and Public Relations Director at the MEC, Sangwani Mwafulirwa, articulated the commission’s vision, highlighting the critical stages leading up to polling day, including nominations, the campaign period, and the polling and results management.

Mwafulirwa underscored that the MEC’s commitment extends to ensuring a truly inclusive environment where women can fully engage at every level, emphasizing the MEC’s dedication to providing a safe polling process where women are free from intimidation or obstruction when casting their votes.

He stressed that women should be able to “come from home and go back without somebody intimidating them.”

Mwafulirwa also highlighted the commission’s internal pledge to achieve a 50-50 gender balance among temporary polling staff.

“If we are employing 10,000 or 15,000 temporary staff, how many of these are women? There is a commitment from the Malawi Electoral Commission that we should employ 50-50 of each gender,” he affirmed, noting that this commitment has already been implemented during voter registration, inspection, and verification processes.

Furthermore, he has pointed to the encouraging statistic that women already comprise over 50% of registered voters, saying MEC’s focus now shifts to encouraging a high turnout among these registered women on polling day.

On working to reduce financial barriers for women aspiring to hold political office, Mwafulirwa revealed that “the commission gazetted that women should pay 50 percent less of the nomination fees.”

To ensure these empowerment efforts are transparent and effective, the MEC has enlisted the support of the media, urging them to serve as “the eyes or the vanguards or the watchdogs” of the electoral process and to scrutinize issues pertaining to women’s participation from various angles – as candidates, voters, and polling staff.

MEC has also called on journalists to hold other stakeholders, particularly political parties, accountable for their commitments to women’s empowerment.

“If parties have committed to women empowerment, providing an environment for equal participation of women, what is it that the parties are actually doing beyond their expression or their commitment to supporting women?”

By Eric Norman Mkwaira