Malawi and Poor Perks/Workers Exploitation

By Richard Chirombo
As the cost of living continues to escalate, some workers are living
on a K4, 700 monthly basic salary, raising questions about the
survival mechanisms they employ to see their budget through the month.
Investigations carried out between Wednesday and Thursday revealed
that workers at G4S, a multi-national security firm, are among those
earning a monthly basic salary of K4, 700 a month.
The workers are also among the least paid in the Southern African
Development Community region, cutting home less than the regional
average of US$150 (K24, 300) applicable to people in similar jobs in
such countries as Zambia.
Two workers who spoke to The Sunday Times in Blantyre Central Business
District (CBD) confirmed receiving K4, 700.
One of the workers revealed how he survives on such a basic salary,
and meet his daily needs.
“Of course, the money is too little. However, because I have no
choice, I have become meticulous in the way I budget for whole month,”
said one of the guards manning a commercial bank’s ATM machine in
Blantyre CBD.
He explained how he has manages to do that: “Because I cannot manage
to pay rentals, due to the high cost of housing in Blantyre, I decided
to be staying with two workmates. We contribute equally towards
rentals.”
The guard, who stays in Mbayani Township, added that he supplements
his salary by working part-time during the day, a development he said
leads to fatigue.
“I often sleep while on duty. I think it is better to be tired while
knowing that you have a bag of maize, relish, and a pair on new
trousers. I just feel sad when assigned on the day-shift because it
means losing out on piece works, “he said, revealing that he started
working for G4S four months ago.
Another worker said he struggled to pay K2, 500 rental fees for the
month of July, the time he started work this year, but has solved the
problem by inviting a former classmate who mends shoes in Zingwangwa
Township.
He also said he supplements his income by working in people’s gardens,
washing cars, and carpets.
“I need, at least, between K15, 000 and K16, 000 to meet my monthly
needs. I, therefore, depend on other unofficial duties to meet food,
housing and transport needs. In addition, I am skilled at repairing
electrical appliances to make up for the gap in my salary,” he said.
One of the guards who has been with the company for 20 years revealed
that he currently receives K12, 000 as basic salary, while another
worker- who started working for the company in April 2009- said his
basic salary is pegged at K5,580.
Two of the guards interviewed further revealed that union leaders have
been agitating for an industrial action, saying, if current conditions
do not improve, G4S workers could be forced to go on strike come
February 1, 2012.
When contacted to comment on the workers’ concerns, G4S Human
Resources Director, Nargis Khan, could neither confirm nor deny that
some of the company’s workers receive K4, 700 as basic salary.
However, Khan decried the tendency by some workers to only “dwell on
the basic salary, instead of talking about gross salary”, saying this
was creating a negative impression that K4, 700 is the whole take-home
package.
“When it comes to salaries, people often talk of only one thing (basic
salary), instead of talking about the gross salary. Let me say,
however, that it is difficult for me to tell you how much, in gross
salary, workers take home because people in different categories
receive different packages,” Khan said.
Malawi’s current minimum wage is K178.25, which translates into K4,
633 when multiplied by 26 working days that constitute a local guard’s
month. This means G4S adds an extra K67 on top of its least-paid
workers’ wage bill, and is not breaking any law under the country’s
labour laws.
Khan also responded to reports that local G4S workers are among the
least paid in the region. She said workers’ salaries are
country-based, and depend on the economic conditions prevailing in
different countries.
“As a journalist in Malawi, do you think your average salary can match
the average salary being received by a journalist in South Africa? Do
you think that South African journalists receive salaries similar to
those applicable to their counterparts in the United Kingdom?
“Salaries correspond to the economies of scale. May be our economists
should carry out a comprehensive comparative economic analysis of the
region and come up with a clear picture on what should be applied in
our economy,” Khan said.
However, a top official in the union that represents security workers,
including G4S guards, in the country confirmed being approached by
some guards over plans to stage a sit–in.
Textile, Garments, Leather and Security Services Workers Union
(TGLSSWU) deputy general secretary, Macdonald Chuma, said, while he
sympathized with the workers, he has advised them to “keep their
patience” because TGLSSWU is already negotiating with G4S. His
sentiments were corroborated by Khan, who confirmed that discussions
with the union over improved working conditions were in progress.
“In fact, it is not only guards who are receiving K4, 700 that have
approached us; we also have people who have been working for years and
feel that, looking at the escalating cost of basic commodities, pay
rises are in order. Our stand is that, ‘No’, such action is not
necessary at the moment. Perhaps people can do that if current
negotiation effort fail,” Chuma said, adding:
“In fact, some G4S workers have told us that, if the negotiations drag
to February, then, they will go on a sit-in. But, as a union, we are
trying our best to conclude the negotiations without any labour,
unrest, or industrial action. Should every tactic in the book fail,
then, we will definitely know what to do.”
According to Chuma, a guard who receives K4, 700 as basic salary is
entitled to a 50 percent (of basic salary) overtime and 10 percent (of
the basic salary) as house allowance.
“This means that a worker receiving K4, 700 gets K470 as house
allowance,” Chuma said, describing the figure as “very much on the
lower side”.
In total, basic salary plus house allowance and over time comes to a
gross monthly salary of K7, 520.
Reports of poor perks come at a time when the country’s economy is
going through a bad patch. Finance and Development Planning Minister,
Ken Lipenga, told Parliament in November that the economy would slow
down by 0.9 percent, from 6.9 percent to 6 percent, in the 2011/2012
fiscal year.
In addition, International Monetary Fund’s 2011 estimates hint that
the local economy will grow by a meagre 2 percent, sharply contrasting
the 6 percent growth rates that characterized Malawi’s economic
performance for the past five years.
Also coming into the gloomy picture is the 2011 United Nations
Development Programme Index Report. The report, which evaluates
people’s freedoms and capabilities to lead lives that they value and
have reason to value, ranks Malawi poorly, as evidenced by the
country’s decline from position 153 in 2010 to 171 this year.
The Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), in its November Food Basket
Report, described the situation as a tell-tale sign of economic
malaise. CfSC programme officer for social conditions, Alex Nkosi,
said this meant “…that the economic gains that Malawi has garnered in
the recent past are not making a real dent in the pervasive poverty to
enable significant improvements in social conditions”.
According to CfSC, this is characterized by upward movements in the
cost of living as espoused in CfSC’s Urban Basic Needs Basket for
November. The basket pointed to increased prices on products such as
Maize, Beans, Usipa, Utaka, Kapenta and Bread.
Said the report: “For instance, the price of maize has surged upwards
tremendously. Mzuzu, the hardest hit, has witnessed an average maize
price rise by 28.2% (K2, 200 per 50kg bag) in November as compared to
average price in October which was at K1580.
“On average, the same trend has been observed in all the major cities:
in Lilongwe it went up by 11%, Zomba 13% and in Blantyre maize
registered an increase of 10%. Most sellers in the market attribute
the increase to scarcity of the commodity and an increase in the cost
of transportation.”

Malawi and World Bank-funded Business Growth Scheme

By Richard Chirombo
Funding uncertainties have marred implementation of the Business
Growth Scheme (Bugs), a component in the Business Environment
Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (Bestap) being implemented
by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, raising fears over its
sustainability.
The project, approved in 2007 and co-financed by the World Bank and
European Union, seeks to support capacity development and investment
climate reforms in order to accelerate economic growth.
According to ‘African Tax Administration Forum’, Malawi is ranked 133
out of 183 economies, with Singapore leading the pack as the
top-ranked country in the ease of doing business.
One of the entrepreneurs, who claimed that his application was
approved nine months ago, said in an interview on Wednesday that Bugs
officials have been tossing him left and right whenever he inquires
about the where-abouts of his money.
“All I am told is that funding disbursement stopped because of donors’
reluctance to release funding,” said Ndirande-based Saulosi
Mtambalika-Kapwepwe, one of the would-be beneficiaries.
He said this disturbed his business plans, and forced him to keep on
waiting since he depends on entrepreneurship and is currently
unemployed.
However, belated delays in carrying out some aspects of the project
are not new. For example, soon after project approval by the World
Bank Board, administrative hiccups affected project implementation in
the wake of delays in finalizing administrative arrangements needed to
operationalise the use of European Union (EU) co-financing for
activities that WB and EU agreed to jointly finance in the project.
Kapwepwe said it was unfair to subject beneficiaries to pro-longed delays.
“Bugs is our only hope because other government initiatives, including
the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, have been politicized while
Bugs is managed by professionals who follow donors’ guidelines,”
Kapwepwe said.
He added that the uncertainties surrounding the scheme had left him
without other economic options since he, and his brother, Kingsley-
who work as business partners- are not formally employed.
But, when contacted for comment, one of the officials at Bugs in
Blantyre, Jones Mauluka, referred this reporter to the Principal
Secretary (PS) for Industry and Trade, Newby Kumwembe. He said the PS
was the one mandated to speak about the scheme.
Project officer for Bestap, Shadrick Ulemu, also declined to comment.
He said Kumwembe was the only one who could comment.
However, when contacted to comment on the delays and reports that
government has started looking for potential donors, Kumwembe pushed
the matter back to Bestap, saying the project officer was
better-placed and mandated to respond to all issues pertaining to
funding disbursement.
“Talk to Mr. Ulemu who, as Bestap project officer, is well-positioned
to answer that. I am just the coordinator, by virtue of chairing the
steering committee,” Kumwembe said.
Added Kumwembe: “These (Bestap officials) are the technical people and
well-versed with project implementation. Definitely, they will give
you the information. If these technical people are not able to give
you the information; then, I don’t know what they are supposed to be
doing.”
Further efforts to talk to Ulemu did not yield any results as he
preferred to communicate with this reporter through his secretary.
Even when told that the P.S. was the one who instructed this reporter
to talk to the project officer, she maintained that Ulemu could not
speak unless he got authorization from Kumwembe.
Meanwhile, a member of the steering committee told The Sunday Times
that a meeting held six months ago resolved that all matters
pertaining to Bestap and Bugs be referred to the PS for Industry and
Trade.
The source also said Bugs was still spending K1 monthly on rentals and
operational costs, and that at least 137 people whose applications
were approved are yet to get their disbursements.
In Africa, Bestap supports industry and trade initiatives, public
administration, finance, regulation and competition, micro, small and
medium enterprise, export development and competitiveness, among
others.

Malawi and Foreign Exchange

By Richard Chirombo
The Malawi economy could create a niche among top African countries
that benefit significantly from service exports, but unfriendly
foreign remittance instruments have translated into a negligible Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) contribution from the country’s human resource
capital abroad.
Malawi is grappling with a forex shortage problem that has paralysed
its ability to import essential goods and services. But the Economics
Association of Malawi (Ecam) says foreign remittances have the
potential to help heal the battered economy and lift the market gloom.
Statistics from the National Statistical Office (NSO) imply that
financial contributions from Malawians abroad could make less than 4
percent of GDP. This is shown in an April 2011 report released by
NSO’s Economics Division, and published in its GDPflash publication,
which conspicuously fails to mention remittances’ actual contribution
to GDP.
Instead, foreign remittances are included under the ‘Other services’
slot, rendering impossible efforts to establish its real value
contribution.
Among others, NSO’s 2007-2010 ‘GDP by Activity Report’ only mentions
accommodation and food service; information and communication; human
health and social work; transport and storage; real estate; financial
and insurance; mining and quarrying; professional, scientific and
technical, administrative and support activities; agriculture, forests
and fishing; wholesale and retail trade; manufacturing; and, other
services.
Of these, agriculture, forestry and fishing contribute more to GDP, at
30 percent, followed by the wholesale and retail sector at 20 percent,
financial and insurance activities at 6 percent, transport and storage
4 percent, human health and social work 4 percent, other services 4
percent, information and communication 3 percent, among others.
The situation forced former Finance Minister, Ken Kandodo, to urge
Malawians in Diaspora to start remitting foreign currency back home as
one way of pumping up depleted forex banks back home.
Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Ken Lipenga, was not picking
up his mobile phone between Tuesday and Thursday when we wanted to
know if Malawians have taken heed of the ministry’s call.
Ecam president, Naomi Ngwira, said this week research on the financial
contribution of Malawians in Diaspora was attempted in 2005 by Alimon
Mwase under the aegis of the Malawi Government and United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and, in a nutshell,
pointed at the potential benefits of forex remittances to the local
economy. The report has not been distributed.
UNCTAD, established in 1964 to provide a forum where developing
countries could discuss economic development challenges, grew from
widely-held conceptions that the World Trade Organisation, World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and World Bank cannot effectively
handle development challenges prevalent in developing countries like
Malawi.
“Of course, they (foreign remittances) do (have an economic impact).
The Malawi economy could be among those that benefit much from
remittances. One way to facilitate transfer of forex through offering
financial instruments and also investment opportunities in PPPs.
Improving the legal and service environment for remitting forex for
those who are employed is the other policy area,” Ngwira said.
She, however, said this depended on reforms in development planning,
logistics, and improved engagement mechanisms with those in Diaspora.
Ngwira suggested that development planning include mechanisms on how
to prepare for export of services. She also asked for the need to
revisit the logistical and legal framework for making and remitting
payments back home.
Malawi could also benefit significantly “if there was enhanced
involvement of the Diaspora in financial markets’ instruments, Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI), Public Private Partnerships and venture
capital investments”.
She said the country could take advantage of the demand for human
capital to prop up its foreign currency reserves.
“Services like teaching - high school and university- medicine,
aviation pilots, nursing, housekeeping and chauffeurs are in much
demand in Europe, Asia and the Arabian peninsula, where incomes have
risen significantly such that middle income consumers want good
quality services but find that local labour is expensive. Some
countries like Sri Lanka, the Philippines, or those in the Caribbean,
depend a lot on export of services.
“So, Malawi could expand the export of services by entering into
proper agreements with partner countries, partly to protect their
rights, and training more people in those services required. This
requires doing periodic environmental scanning to know the skills
demanded for the moment.
“For example, English teachers are in great demand in non-English
speaking Asia and Arabian peninsula. Malawi should be able to offer
crash courses for specialized kinds of teachers needed in these
countries, as well as nurses, and chauffeurs,” Ngwira said.
For this to happen, however, there is need to encourage people to
channel their money through the official financial system, which
Ngwira said was “presently not the case”.
“Remittances can aid various forms of development- construction of
houses, education and as venture capital. They add to forex reserves
which are critical for importation of raw materials and general
imports and hence economic growth. Remittances boost rural economic
activities and soci0-economic change and, therefore, have development
impact, ”Ngwira said.
All these benefits are being hampered by institutionalised bottlenecks.
“There has been much done but, perhaps, not enough to persuade huge
inflows into the formal forex and financial system given the lucrative
black market rates and limitations on forex/capital inflows in banks.
“The legal framework needs to be revised to allow for a fully
liberalised capital account that allows for ease of in and outflows.
The use of the informal system further means inflows are not captured
in the official accounts (Balance of Payment statistics),” Ngwira
said.
Ngwira said the situation could be improved by minimising the
discrepancy between black and official market forex rates, a
development that calls for liberalisation of the Kwacha.

The second option is to remove restrictions on forex and capital
account outflows so that individuals and institutions running Foreign
Currency Denominated Accounts (FCDA) are able to withdraw as much as
they want “any time or, at least, given priority unless there are huge
forex shortfalls”.
She said further liberalisation of the market would promote FCDA
accounts’ opening, as “remitting forex becomes more conducive with
improved access to formal remittance transfer channels and with
increased transparency of the flows and the (low) cost structure”.
“Otherwise, for those in the Diaspora, one is better off keeping the
forex outside and changing at the black market back home when need
arises,” Ngwira said.
Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) spokesperson, Ralph Tseka, acknowledged
on Tuesday that forex remittances make a contribution to a nation’s
economy.
“In fact, foreign currency remittances are included in our Gross
National Disposable Income calculations, along with goods transfers
and incomes,” Tseka said.
Tseka said, however, that NSO was the right authority to speak on
foreign currency remittances’ contribution to the country’s GDP.

Malawi Culture

By Richard Chirombo
There is a battle going on, started- like many before- by the machinations of Western governments. It all started as an unofficial report, over 13 years ago, to the effect that Western governments wanted to depose one of Africa’s market ‘leaders’: ‘Sir’ tobacco.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) then confirmed the reports, saying the ‘culprit’ was a dictator out to kill ‘his’ own subjects with a barrage of health complications that were causing preventable deaths among people who called his name from the shelves willingly, and inhaled him leisurely.
It has turned into a battle because WHO and most Western governments have stood their ground. Canada has, for instance, become the lead soldier in throwing a dagger at Africa’s, and therefore Malawi’s, economy by declaring a ban on barley imports. Tobacco is Malawi’s top forex earner.
This battle is truly on because affected countries such as Malawi and Zimbabwe have stood their ground by not relenting on ‘Sir’ Tobacco’s production levels. Every year, more tones of tobacco continue to grace the Auction Flours.
However, nobody doubts that, when all this confusion comes to an end, Malawi’s Africa will lose. This sense of imminent defeat is sufficient to send tongues wagging, with experts talking in different tongues- a day of Pentecost for crop strategists.
Their new language in face of defeat has no verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, or pronouns; it is comprised of nouns: cotton, tea, coffee, sugar, soya beans, macadamia nuts, ground nuts, pigeon peas, paprika, and cassava.
The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mzuzu Coffee Planters Association, Thyolo/Mulanje Smallholder Tea Growers Association and Farmers Union of Malawi will always pick their favourite noun from the list. Each of them chooses a different noun from the other. Only one point draws them into a unity of convenience, though: none mentions culture!
Is culture so difficult a commodity to sell?
Symon Vuwa-Kaunda, Minister responsible for Youth Development, Sports and Culture says culture can be tooled to contribute towards Malawi’s socio-economic development.
Kaunda adds that other African countries have invested in promoting their culture that, today, tourists travel across the vast oceans just to appreciate some African cultures.
“I don’t think that culture is not marketable. We already have countries that have capitalized on their unique cultures to influence the world. Culture, if well marketed, can help generate income for a country,” says Kaunda.
The minister adds that Malawi is more advantaged because every human activity seems to have some attachment to one or two traditional practices.
“We are one people with a diversity of cultures. You talk of dances, practices, events, and countless other interesting features. The potential is great,” says Kaunda.
Kaunda added that even the State President, Bingu wa Mutharika, realizes the effect of culture in shaping lives, hence his continued support towards the Ministry of Youth Development, Sports and Culture.
“You can appreciate this when you attend any international conference held here in Malawi. Delegates are always mesmerized by our colourful dances,” Vuwa-Kaunda adds.
His sentiments are echoed by Mike Gondwe, Education Coordinator for the Museums of Malawi.
Gondwe says culture- as expressed through dances, cooking, dressing, eating and pottery methods- has the potential to put Malawi on the map, and even generate foreign exchange.
“But the problem is that we do not take advantage of existing opportunities. A good example is that of the Five-Star International Hotel in Lilongwe. Are we going to have a section where local artwork, traditional implements, dances, and our history will be displayed for tourists’ sampling and appreciation? Very often, we miss opportunities like these,” observes Gondwe.
Gondwe says Malawi’s culture is marketable, adding, however, that the country has missed out on this goldmine because of too much obsession with foreign concepts.
“I find it sad that our places of tourists’ attraction have no sections where our cultural endowments are displayed. In countries like Kenya, you will find hotels running cultural sections. Tourists patronize these places and pay United States Dollars, Euros and British Pounds. Tourism destinations are making millions in foreign exchange, thereby fostering socio-economic development,” notes Gondwe.
Financial constraints, he says, should not be the excuse sold by tourism industry players.
Francis Mbilizi, executive director for the National Lotteries Board (NLB) - the body mandated to licence lottery operators in the country- says culture plays a crucial role in the development of any nation.
Mbilizi says this is the reason NLB has, through the National Lottery Distribution Fund (found in Section 34 of the Lotteries Act) disbursed part of generated funds towards sports, environment and culture, among other areas.
“We have supported cultural activities a number of times, and we continue to support culture. This is why NLB has in the past channeled part of its revenue to cultural efforts,” says Mbilizi.
NLB falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Tourism.
The section in question (34) reads:”The Minister, in consultation with the Board, shall prescribe the amount of money and the manner in which the money in the Fund shall be allocated to different sectors, and other good causes for the welfare of the general public and contribution to the national economy.”
Tourism Minister, Daniel Liwimbi, says Malawi is exploring all possible ways of raising the contribution of tourism towards Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and that culture could be one of these.
“At the moment, tourism is only contributing between 10 percent and 11 percent of GDP. We can do better than this,” says Liwimbi.
But Traditional Authority Chekucheku of Mwanza warns that “careless commercialization” of culture could lead to a decay of cultural values.
“What will happen when these (foreign) tourists demand that we change this, or that, practice? We should be careful and avoid what happened to Gule wamkulu. Missionaries said it was evil, and most of our people abandoned it,” says Chekucheku.
It is an inevitable question.

Museums of Malawi

By Richard Chirombo
He is old enough to understand that both culture and dead matter, having no living cells, are stripped of the ability to reproduce. Yet, despite the great weight of evidence in favour of this reality, he still wants them to attain the status of immortality.
“This is achievable,” says Mike Gondwe.
He is Education Co-ordinator for the Museums of Malawi, one of the rarest local places where human beings live and intermingle freely with the dead. All this happens in a plain building strategically located next to Blantyre Civic Centre offices along the Masauko-Chipembere Highway.
Welcome to Chichiri Museum, but do not be tempted to conclude that the seemingly tranquil environment that prevails in this place is a tell-tale sign of peace. Chichiri Museum is a battleground, a place where people like Gondwe wedge a daily war against the possible loss of citizens’ memory about the things that make Malawians unique when drawn against the rest of the world.
“Preservation of all things that have helped create our belief system and way of life is the only way to achieve immortality. That is what we do at the museum,” says Gondwe.
Those who visit the museum at Chichiri, and appreciate the many preserved exhibits in stock, go back home full of admiration for his fortitude, his faith, courage and dedication towards artifacts.
But Gondwe reveals that, these days, the territorial scope (of the battle ground) is uncharacteristically changing. He says the museum no longer fights against one enemy (loss of memory and appreciation for our cultural heritage); it now has to fight against “wrong perceptions” in the minds of those who have not yet fallen into the pit of forgetfulness.
“These are people who understand the concept of establishing museums but (still) fail to pay visits because of misperceptions that we only keep old, lifeless materials that offer modern society little value. The truth is that there is more to a museum than static exhibits. The museum offers vast opportunities for recreation activities and can be used as an educational and tourism tool,” says Gondwe.
Adds Gondwe: “In countries such as Kenya, governments are generating significant income in terms of foreign exchange because they have discovered ways of making money out of their cultural heritage. Places of tourist attraction work with museums to promote local cultures. They literally have the whole calendar filled up with activities.”
He describes museums as multi-faceted places that mean so many things to so many people. They are places bustling with recreational, tourism and educational facilities. What matters is the way these opportunities are communicated to all parts of the world,” he points out.
Gondwe describes museums as vehicles through which cultural values are passed from one generation to another, one nation to another; and that one of the many benefits to patrons is the chance to appreciate a multiplicity of cultures gathered together in an exhibition room. These cultures, he says, are portrayed by cultural exhibits different districts in Malawi.
“As an institution, we try our best to promote local cultural practices. We have different cultures portrayed through exhibits. But we also realise that exhibits are static; and, so, we have cultural troupes that perform live at the museum. These groups have undergone special training on how to promote Malawian cultural dances,” said Gondwe.
The only challenge facing the museum is that of lack of space.
“We don’t have enough space to showcase everything we have. This means we have not done as much as we want. We have not even reached half our potential and more needs to be done,” bemoans Gondwe.
Malawi has one of the oldest museums in Africa, following establishment of the National Museum in June 1960. Malawi’s first President, Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, opened the museum long before he became the country’s president in 1964.
However, the institution has gone through a metamorphosis process since its establishment.
It forms part of the museum’s on-going effort to adapt to scientific and technological advancements. A visit to Chichiri, for instance, reveals a plethora of science and technological exhibits. But these, too, are just a drop of the downpour the museum can offer; the rest remain under lock somewhere, prevented from making it to the exhibition room due to space constraints.
Among the few exhibits are Blantyre’s first fire-fighting brigade machines, traditional clay ovens, a pond of slow-swimming fish, among the limited offers on display.
But, at least, the museum is more than a dead place. For one, there are many fascinating objects, among them absorption spectrophotometers, motorized wheel chairs, gas coolers, cookers and cultural relics. The museum also plays host to a variety of masks and Liguria used in such traditional dances as Ingoma, Gule wamkulu, and Tchopa.
There is also an array of bows, arrows and spears- remnants of the stone and middle ages, when our ancestors counted on hunting to meet their daily needs. Not that all the arrows on display were used during the stone and middle ages, though, as some were used as lately as between the late 1890s and early 1900s during tribal wars- long before guns and bombs took all the fun out of warfare.
Chichiri is also home to other important exhibits, including traditional salt containers (zigulu), Malawi’s maiden decimal coinage, a picture completed by exhibition of the first banknote of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Also on display are some common insect families and fauna species found in Malawi, and a cross-section of game found in some of the country’s National Parks and Game Reserves.
“We receive people from different places. Some visit to learn about science, technology, animals, plants and culture. On average, we receive 5,000 visitors every month. They come to appreciate our wide range of cultural and scientific objects. It is interesting to note that some people visit the museum just to see the Bible Dr. Hasting Kamuzu Banda used during his swearing-in ceremony in 1964,” said Gondwe.
This confirms that the museum has become more of a baking machine than dead place. This machine needs the raw materials of culture, tourism, education, science, technology and curiosity to produce human food called unity. The unity of all cultures.

CONCERNED CITIZENS OF MALAWI



PRESS RELEASE



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11 JANUARY 2012



TIME FOR ACTION AGAINST ECONOMIC FAILURE



My Fellow Malawians.



I greet you in the name of the Lord our God.



97 years after Rt Rev John Chilembwe sacrificed his precious life to fight colonialism, Malawi is at the Crossroads again. Our leadership has failed us big time.



With their own hands, our leaders have created gargantuan problems for the ordinary people. With their own hands, our leaders have depleted all our forex reserves on luxuries such as the presidential jet, Mercedes Benz vehicles for members of the Cabinet and grand high level corruption.



With their own hands, our leaders have left the country’s health delivery system in a shambles. With their own hands, our leaders have facilitated the deaths of thousands of ordinary poor Malawians through failure to supply hospitals with basic essential drugs.



With their own hands, our leaders have rendered the public ambulance system which serves the medical emergency needs of 90% of Malawians ineffective leading to massive deaths.



With their own hands, our leaders are failing to support private sector growth, denying companies the much needed foreign exchange needed to import raw materials. With their own hands, our leaders are forcing companies to cut jobs, rendering thousands of Malawian jobless.



With their own hands, our leaders are forcing people to spend long unproductive hours and sleepless nights queuing for fuel at pump stations without any hope.



Yet, when the suffering public raises their voices to complain about the deteriorating life standards, with their own mouth, our leaders are happy to call its people chickens.



Are you really chickens Fellow Malawians? This is the question that we, as Concerned Malawian Citizens (CMC), would like every Malawian to reflect on as we commemorate the Rt Rev John Chilembwe’s uprising of 1915.



Let there be no doubt, my Fellow Malawians. Malawians succeeded to remove colonialism and one-party dictatorship despite immense resistance. There is absolutely nothing that can stop Malawians today from removing the current dictator and save the nation from further economic deterioration. We must remain united and focused on rescuing our poor people.



WAY FORWARD



The commemoration of the 1915 Chilembwe uprising gives us a window of hope. As Concerned Malawian Citizens, we would like to reject in the strongest terms possible, that Malawians are not Chickens. In view of that, we would like to appeal to all Malawians to unite and take the following peaceful actions in protest:



Effective today, 11 January 2012, all Malawian motorists are asked to blow their vehicle horns three times a day at the following times: 0830am, 1230pm and 1630pm. This must be done continuously for some 30 seconds. This also applies to motorists camping at a fuel stations.



Every Friday, all Malawians are requested to put on red attire or a red scarf in protest to continued suffering of the people.



All Malawians are requested to get a small red flag or red card. This red flag or red card should be waved in the air, everything you see any member of the Cabinet or other senior government officials. This must be done in the same way as Football Referees do when sending off a player who has breached football rules. Where possible, when raising the flag, you must shout: “I am not a Chicken”.



On Chilembwe Day, which falls on 15 January, all Malawians are asked to put on red attire and peacefully converge at the following places for a three-hour vigil. The vigil will start at 0900 am.

· In Blantyre, Kamuzu Upper Stadium

· Lilongwe, Area 18 Tower

· Zomba, Academic Freedom Park at Chancellor College

· Mzuzu, Katoto Freedom Park.



Activities will include poetry recitals, traditional dances and songs.



THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW OR NEVER. SAY NO TO ECONOMIC FAILURE



YOURS





CONCERNED CITIZENS

10 Years of Human Rights Violations at Guantánamo Bay

Today, 11 January 2012, marks the 10th anniversary of the first detainees being transferred to the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay.

The detention facility has, since, been associated with the most shocking human rights abuses- including arbitrary detention, secret detention, torture and unfair trials.

This has gone on far too long now!

Today, there are still more than 150 detainees being held at Guantánamo Bay, the majority of which are in indefinite detention without charge or trial.

Those who have been charged face unfair trial by military commission and some can face the death penalty if convicted.

The government claims that even those found not guilty can be returned to indefinite detention.

There has, essentially, been no accountability, or redress, for the human rights violations to which they, and other detainees, have been subjected.

The Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is surely a curse for the world.

It is high time this 'nonsense' stopped at Guantánamo Bay.

As US President, Barack Obama, prepares his State of the Union address on 24 January, he must not forget to include something about the emancipation of the people at Guantánamo Bay.

The Way It Is: Malawi

Knowing US Ambassador to Malawi, Jeanine Jackson

Name: Jeanine Jackson

U.S. Ambassador to Malawi, Jeanine Jackson

Position: Ambassador
Country: Malawi
Term of Appointment: 08/01/2011 to present

Ambassador Jackson was nominated by President Obama on May 9, 2011 and confirmed by the Senate on June 30, 2011 to become the next ambassador to Malawi.

Ambassador Jeanine Jackson, a native of Wyoming, recently completed a two-year assignment as Minister Counselor for management at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. As such, she provided in a war zone, the support platform for the world’s largest embassy.

She simultaneously led the planning and implementation processes required to expand the number of diplomatic establishments throughout Iraq and to take over myriad support functions currently provided by the U.S. military. Ambassador Jackson received the Secretary’s Distinguished Honor Award for leading the Iraq military to civilian transition effort.

She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and a retired colonel of the U.S. Army Reserve. She has served as a diplomat in Switzerland, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Kenya, and Afghanistan. She was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso where her focus from 2006-2009 was improved military cooperation and increased infrastructure and development assistance for that West African Country.

Ms. Jackson has been a key player in activities related to creating, adapting, rebuilding, and reopening different U.S. Embassies: As post management officer for the Soviet Union at the time of its dissolution, she managed from Washington the establishment of U.S. Embassies in the 14 new countries left in its wake.

In Hong Kong she established programs to protect the interests of all U.S. Government civilian, military, and local employees at the time of the British Colony’s reversion to Chinese sovereignty.
In Kenya, following the Al Qaeda bombing, she served as supervisory general services officer of the largest embassy in Africa and was key to reestablishing its operations and infrastructure.
In Afghanistan in 2001, she led the team that reopened the U.S. Embassy and then returned to Kabul in 2002 and served as the Embassy’s management counselor until 2003.
From Kabul she went to Washington where she was the Department of State’s Management Coordinator responsible for the Inter-Agency effort to reestablish the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

In Burkina Faso she achieved a bilateral agreement which enabled U.S. Special Operations Command to regularize and accelerate its counter-terrorism work against Al Qaeda in the Maghreb and a five hundred million dollar Millennium Challenge Corporation grant for infrastructure, education and agricultural projects.
Concurrently, she orchestrated a greatly improved, bilateral development relationship, cementing strong and mutually supportive ties between the governments and peoples of Burkina Faso and the United States.

Prior to entering the Foreign Service, Ms. Jackson worked in Saigon as a civil service employee in the Office of the U.S. Defense Attaché and then served 10 years as an active duty Army officer, primarily in Germany and Korea. She continued her military service for another 20 years as a reservist while pursuing her Foreign Service career.

Ambassador Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in art education followed by a master’s degree in business administration. She is an accomplished pianist. She met her husband when they were both Army lieutenants serving in Germany. Enamored of Africa’s cultures, they have independently traveled more than 20,000 miles on the African continent.

Rev. John Chilembwe

...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!

...Elapsed Time Since Chilembwe's Death: 97 years
...Rev. John Chilembwe Was: Tall, married, Mang'anja and Yao by tribe, Asthmatic, and reserved
...Occupation: Baptist preacher, trained in America
...John Chilembwe's Inspiration: John Brown
...Hated:Racism, blacks' oppression
...Wanted: Fairness, equality
...Chilembwe is Pronounced: chil-EMB-way
...Chilembwe Lived in: Nyasaland
...Nyasaland is Now Called: Malawi
...Nyasaland was, then, under: British Rule
...Chilembwe Preached Against: Murder, Robbery, Theft, Carnibalism, Carnality
...He Set Up The Church Called: Providence Industrial Mission (PIM)
...PIM is Found In: Chiradzulu District
...Chiradzulu is Located: In the Southern Region of Malawi
...Chilembwe's Father Was: Yao
...His mother was: Mang'anja
...He Rose Through the Education Ladder Because of: Joseph Booth
...Joseph Booth Was:, an eccentric, apocalyptic British fundamentalist missionary
...Relation Between Rev. John Chilembwe and Joseph Booth: House servant and boss, respectively
...John Chilembwe joined Joseph Booth's Staff In: 1982
...Booth Established: The Zambesi Industrial Mission
...Joseph Booth Promoted: egalitarian ideas
...Chilembwe traveled with Joseph Booth to Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.A In: 1897
...In Virginia, He: Attended a small African-American seminary
...Among Other Things, He: Learned about John Brown and other abolitionists and emancipators.
...Rev. John Chilembwe's Wife Was: Ida
...His Daughter's Name Was: Emma
...Rev. John Chilembwe's Face Appears: On the obverse of Malawian banknotes
...All Banknotes, Including Those Printed in 1980?: No, only those printed between 1994 and 2000
...Which White Person Got Rev. John Chilembwe's Picture From George Booth?: George Shepperson
...Which Plantation Manager Treated Indigenous People Harshly?:William Jervis Livingstone
...Indigenous People Called William Jervis Livingstone: Lisitoni
...Chilembwe's Anger Became Intense After: the outbreak of World War I in Europe
...The War Led To The: Recruitment of locals to fight the battle against Germans in neighboring Tanzania
...He decided to Strike a Blow In: January, 1915
...About His Plans, He Shared With: 200 followers
...Among Other Things, He Told Them About: The inspiration of John Brown
...Rev. John Chilembwe Warned His 200 Followers Against: Looting and Molesting white women
...His Action Reached a Crisis on: January 23, 1915
...When: In different sporadic attacks, his men beheaded Livingstone (Lisitoni)
...Apart from Livingstone (Lisitoni), They: killed two other white men and several Africans
...The Rebels: Looted ammunition
...But They: Spared White women and children
...The Next Thing Rev. John Chilembwe Did After Beheading the Whites Is: Pray
...When The Uprising Failed, Rev. John Chilembwe: Fled to Mozambique
...Rev. John Chilembwe Was Killed On: February 3
...February 3 Is, Among Others, The Birthday for: Zimbabwean President, Comrade Robert Mugabe, and Richard Leviano Simon Chirombo
...After Chilembwe's Death, How Long Did It Take Malawi To Become Independent: 49 years
...Today, Rev. John Chilembwe is: Regarded as a martyr in Malawi
...His Commemoration Day Is: January 15
...The Day Is Called: John Chilembwe Day
...Rev. John Chilembwe's Descendants Still Live In: Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia
...Some of Those Who Live in Zambia Are: Children of his sister Kumphita
...Kumphita Was: The daughter of Nyangu
...Nyangu Was: The Mother of Rev. John Chilembwe
...Kumphita is: Che Ebulo Kwali's mother
...Che Ebulo Kwali Was The Father: John Kwali
...In Mozambique, Rev. John Chilembwe's Niece Is: Erica Sapuna
...Who Introduced John Chilembwe Day: Malawi's Founding President, Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda
...Chilembwe Day Has Always Been: A public holiday in Malawi
...On Rev. John Chilembwe's Day: Malawian newspapers run special supplements
...Rev. John Chilembwe's Church, Providence Industrial Mission: Is Still There
...Zachimalawi: Respects Rev. John Chilembwe

...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!
...Kunali John Chilembwe!!!

Zachimalawi Facts: Cotton, Nsanje District

...Cotton productions estimates for 2012: 200,000 metric tons of lint in the season to July 2012

...2011 Cotton Production Figures: 55,000 metric tons

...Nsanje District is: 150 kilometers (94 miles) south of Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital.

...Amount of Cotton Land in Malawi: 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres).


...Amount Spent by the Malawi Government Towards Cotton Subsidy in 2011/12 Season: 1.6 billion Malawian kwacha ($9.7 million).


...Who initiated the cotton subsidy programme: President Bingu wa Mutharika, who told parliament in June 2011 that government wanted to promote the crop.


...Why? To counter the worldwide anti-smoking lobby


...Goal: Develop cotton as Malawi's main foreign exchange earner.


...Current Position of Cotton: Malawi’s fourth-largest cash crop.



...Which crops lead: Tobacco, tea and sugar.



...Who said so?: The National Statistical Office and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Cotton Development Association of Malawi, Development Media Africa, The Country Register/Malawi.

...2011 cotton price: 190 Kwacha per kilogram (2.2 pounds), more than double the government-set price of 75 Kwacha per kilogram.


...The future of cotton: Promising, according to Agriculture and Food Security Ministry Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga.

No Rains in Chikhwawa, as Country Braces for Hunger

Maize is wilting in some parts of Malawi, with Chikhwawa leading the fray.
A visit to the district on Thursday revealed that the maize crop in most gardens is drying up.
Most Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation depots are also dry, with no maize, rice or groundnuts crops in stock.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has responded to reports of hunger in some parts of Malawi by ordering that food be distributed in areas hard-hit.
Agriculture and Food Security Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga, has said her ministry will respond to the president's call.
Malawi has become a success story following her successful food security programme, an initiative that has helped the Southern African Development Community member state register bumper yields for six consecutive years.
Mutharika has made it his government's policy goal to turn Malawi from a net importer to dominant producer and exporter.

2011 Recap: The Issue of Homosexulity Made Headlines Again; What Did Malawian Religious Leaders Say?

...REITERATING MALAWI COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’ POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY
Our Concern

The Daily Times of Monday 10th October 2011, headlined ‘ACCEPT GAYS OR FORGET UK AID’, reported by Madalitso Musa, that:
‘Poor African countries including Malawi must abandon their rigidity against
same sex marriages as a condition for receiving British.’
‘Britain’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is quoted in UK’s The Daily Mail of yesterday through his spokesperson that Britain has resorted to cut aid to African countries that are against gay marriages.’
‘The British Government said it had cut aid of about 19 million pounds (MK4.8 billion) to Malawi because of government’s position regarding homosexuality particularly the conviction and sentencing of gay couple Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza’.
Our Mandate
Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) is a fellowship of 24 Protestant Member Churches and 20 affiliates which is committed, faithful, transparent, accountable and financially sustainable in the advancement of God’s mission, transforming humanity after the image of Christ, promoting holistic human development and fostering communities in the communion of peace, justice and love.
The Council, in this regard, has engaged itself in socio‐economic development issues including the thorny issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) as a global matter that needs sober and serious attention.
Our Stand
Seeking to address the controversial issue of homosexuality, the Malawi Council of Churches first engaged national church leaders and other stakeholders to a consultative workshop gathered at Sun ‘n’Sand Holiday Resort in Mangochi from the 15th to 18th March 2010, to deliberate on the Contemporary Issues Affecting the Church and Society including Homosexuality.
From this gathering, it was agreed to:‐
1. Affirm the authority of the Bible to regulate the belief and practice of Christians and the Church
2. Recognize the divergent interpretation of the Holy Scriptures
3. Trust on the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning of Scriptures
4. Recognize the universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings that go with corresponding duties and responsibilities
5. Note the fact that homosexuality is influenced by a variety of factors
Pursuant to this, members of the Malawi Council of Churches agreed to:‐
1. Hold that homosexual acts and or practices, are a violation of the revealed truth of the complementarily of males and females (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:18‐25)
2. Uphold the current penal code provision that criminalizes homosexual acts and or practices, in as far as they bring about reform
3. Hold that the Church should treat practicing and self affirming homosexuals as sinners just as any other persons engaged in persistent unrepentant acts of sin. They should be loved and ministered to. The Church therefore must accompany the homosexuals in their struggle to transform their lives.
Our Call
The Council, as it earlier stated in its Press Statement of 18th March 2011, fully and strongly calls against legalizing homosexuality because the practice is a defined contradiction with the teachings of the Lord; a threat to the family unit which was institutionalized by God; and a contradiction to Malawi’s rich traditions and culture.
We wish to call on all stakeholders to the Scripture:‐ Leviticus 20:13; "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable,” and 1 Corinthians 6:19‐
20 (NLT); “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
Our call to all Christians, Malawians at large and all stakeholders is to take part and convince upon proponents of homosexuality to exercise reasonableness in calling for cultures that will only alienate the general citizenry. The Council understands and believes that Malawi needs aid, and therefore asks that homosexuality should not be used as a benchmark to penalize and put to risk the lives of millions of
innocent Malawians.
3 We therefore call upon all donor partners to reconsider their demands for poor African countries,including Malawi, to embrace homosexuality as one of the tenets to accessing the much needed aid, and pray that development partners refrain from using aid to enforce negative lifestyles in poor countries.
In Conclusion
The Malawi Council of Churches therefore wishes to categorically state that the Christian Church, in line with the revealed Scripture, advises that homosexuality should not be made legal in Malawi. This is an alien and immoral culture that denigrates human dignity, contradictory to God’s teaching – and in itself,
a human rights violation where poor people are denied an opportunity to realize their full potential.
God bless Malawi.

Signed:
Bishop Dr. Joseph BVUMBWE Rev. Dr. Osborne Lukiel JODA‐MBEWE
Board Chairperson General Secretary

Malawians and Mozambicans are Friends!!!

Malawians and Mozambicans are friends: In Mozambique without a passport or any traveling documents. It is so simple to understand: Malawians and Mozambicans are friends!

Malawians and Mozambicans are friends: In Mozambique without a passport or any traveling documents. It is so simple to understand: Malawians and Mozambicans are friends!

High Cost of Living Undermining Poor People’s Access to Food- Centre for Social Concern

In September 2000, 147 heads of State and government, and 189 nations in total, convened for the Millennium Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. They adopted the Millennium Declaration, committing themselves to halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Currently, there are more than 800 million people worldwide who do not have adequate access to food. In Malawi, exact figures are not known, however with the widespread poverty and unemployment, most urban poor people are struggling to adequately access food. This, despite a long-standing acknowledgement by the countries of the world, that everyone has a “right to have access to safe and nutritious food.”
For Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), the right to food is a crucial element in the fight against poverty and social injustice. Food and nutrition security are foundations for development. Nutritional status of children is used as one of the key indicators for poverty reduction in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This reflects the insight that policies, programmes and processes to improve nutrition outcomes have a role to play in poverty reduction and national development. Without access to food, there can be no development.
There are a number of key elements required in enabling people to have access to food. Actualising the right to food means that people should have access, to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that is culturally appropriate, at prices that they can afford. Hence people that are unable to satisfy their basic needs – for example, food, health, water, shelter, primary education and community participation are considered to live in (absolute) poverty.
As the CfSC Social Conditions Research Programme Officer, Mr. Alex Nkosi observes, “the current trend in Malawi of sustained rapid food price inflation poses an enormous challenge in enabling poor people to access food because prices for staple foods are rising well beyond the reach of most Malawians, more especially the poor. What is surprising is the fact that this increase in maize prices is happening at a time when Malawi has had bumper yields for a couple successive years. What has happened to the abundant harvest?”
The CfSC Cost of Living Survey for December in the Cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Zomba and Blantyre has shown unrelenting rapid price increase for food commodities. In December, maize has registered an average 7% increase in all the cities. While Mzuzu was the hardest hit in the month of November, this month the price of maize is hitting hard the Lilongwe city residents. In the capital city the staple food has gone up by 11% (K2, 236 in November to K2, 514 in December per 50kg bag) while Mzuzu has seen the maize price increase by 10.2%. In Blantyre the price of maize has stabilised remaining at K2, 500 per 50kgs in the months of November and December while in Zomba it has gone up by 7% - from K2, 083 in November to K2, 242 in December. In November, there were reports that Kenyan and Somali bulk-buyers had swarmed the markets of Mzuzu City and were offering better rates than the locals, consequently inducing the price of maize to surge upwards. In Lilongwe maize is becoming a rare commodity in the face of the ever-increasing demand and the prices are responding accordingly. It is important to note that this survey was conducted days before Government decide to increase its price through ADMARC by 50% from K2000 to K3000 per 50 kg bag. With this development it means that all the highlighted prices in this statement will automatically surge upwards.
Similar trends have been observed with other items in the food basket. Beans, for instance, has gone up by 5.5% in Lilongwe from K259 per kilogram in November to K279 in December. In Zomba beans have notched a 3% increase while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the prices have remained the same from November. The average price of Tomato per Kilogram in Zomba is K175 from K88 in November – representing a 49% increment. In Lilongwe Tomato has gone up by 24% while in Mzuzu and Blantyre the commodity has upsurged by 7.7% and 1.8% respectively. For the past couple of months, all items in the food baskets have shown a steady rise in prices. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET, December 21, 2011), a body that monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity has also observed that maize prices in Malawi have been increasing slightly faster than in the rest of the SADC region. FEWS NET attributes the price rise to cross-border flows of grain towards the deficit markets of Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
In summary, the cost of living continues to go up in all the cities of Malawi. The average December food basket (the cost of essential food items) for Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Zomba and Blantyre went up by 5.7%. Zomba witnessed the highest increase (10%) from K30, 800 in November to K34, 602 in December. In Lilongwe the food basket went up by 6.5% while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the basket rose by 1.3% and 5.2% respectively. Regarding the entire Basic Needs Basket (comprising of food and non-food items) the survey has disclosed that the cost of living for the four cities has gone up by 3.3% on average. With a 5.5%, Zomba has registered the highest increase in the cost of living – in November a family of six people needed K56, 727 to live a minimum dignified life, now the bill is at K60, 080. In the Capital City, the cost of living went up by 3.3%, Mzuzu 3.2% and in Blantyre by 1.2%. Having said this, Lilongwe remains the most expensive city with the current Basic Needs Basket standing at K69, 303.
Mr. Alex Nkosi further notes that “with this rapid food price inflation and the current economic slowdown, there are two main channels through which households are affected: (a) the ensuing food price inflation has made it increasingly difficult for low-income households to afford their food baskets – their take-home pay is not even enough to cater for the essential food items. Further, the fluctuating agro-food markets have exposed people who were perceived as food-secure at one moment to enormous risks, and it has therefore raised their vulnerability to unanticipated livelihood shocks. (b) The knock-on effects of the economic slowdown have occasioned an increase in job losses (especially in the private sector) which has practically obliterated the income of the households where their breadwinners are victim of jobs losses”.
This increase in the cost of living is taking place at a time when the income for low and middle earners is inadequate and has stagnated for a while. For instance, the Salary Survey carried out by CfSC (August, 2011) in the cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu for low-income and middle-income earners revealed that Police officers (Grade PM 1 to Grade PL6) receive a gross monthly salary in the range of K19, 887.00 to K28, 858.00. At the end of the month, domestic workers (Nannies, Housemaid, Garden boys etc...) rake-in a measly range of K2, 500 - K12, 000 per month. Nurses & health personnel (Grade O to I) are in the range of K12, 833 to K64, 860. General workers (cleaners, office assistants, shop assistants) receive a gross salary in the range of K9, 000 - K39, 741 while Journalists hover between K30, 000 and K49, 364 per month. Teachers in Primary and Secondary (PT4 to Grade I) get a monthly gross salary of K23,000 to K46,000 in the private sector while those in government schools are in the range of K25,870 to K47,000.
“With these unmatched increases in food prices”, points out Mr. Alex Nkosi, “it means that low and middle income earners are practically required to spend all of their income on the food basket if they are to live a minimum dignified life. In fact, for most low-income earners, their income falls far short from meeting their monthly basic needs. Thus even the slightest increase in food prices can have devastating consequences on low-income earners’ ability to access food”.
As the scarcity of foreign currency supply continues to contribute to an unstable economy, traders are struggling to purchase and import essential commodities such as fuel and fertilizer. Problems in importing fertilizer into the country and difficulties faced in distributing the imported fertilizer to rural areas will likely negatively affect harvests in April-August 2012. Looking at the ascending trend that the price of maize has taken for the past 12 months (January 2011 to December 2011) CfSC is concerned if the staple will be within the reach of poor households in the coming months. Our concern is heightened especially that Government has decided to increase the price of maize by 50%. Of particular worry is the fact that Malawians are approaching the lean months of January, February and March when, judging from experience, maize prices are always at their peak. This period is especially tough for many households because families usually grapple with extra responsibilities in the range of paying for school fees to meeting the costs of farm inputs. While CfSC appreciates the touted benefits that market liberalization brings, our concern focuses on the fact that maize is the life-line commodity in Malawi and as such, it needs to be safeguarded. CfSC applauds the Government for approving a humanitarian food assistance intervention plan for southern Malawi covering all people identified by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC). In the same spirit CfSC urges government to put up measures that will enable the poor to have access to the staple including those in very low paying jobs by among other things reconsidering the recent maize price hike.
We at CfSC have a preferential option for the poor and express our deep concern regarding the debilitating impact that the cost of living is having on poor people. Our primary purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good. The economic insight of the principles of the Universal Destination of Goods is that each person needs to benefit from how social output is divided. It does not claim that each person has the right to an equal share, but that each has a right to sufficiency. It does assert that wealth and poverty are socially created categories, and those who have a surplus above their needs have an obligation to help those who have less than what they need. ‘Option for the poor,’ therefore, is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons.

Prayer for Malawi; Prayer for 2012

"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.

"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.

"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Get Out of The Vehicle, Get Us Out of This Economic Mess, This National Misery We See in Children's Eyes

Malawi's President, Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika.: The devil sat on our back in 2011; 2012, I assure you, will be better.

"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.