First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera has been crowned Malawi Tuberculosis (TB) Champion, a move that is aimed at alleviating the vice by the year 2030.
Madame Chakwera has been appointed to the new role on Wednesday 13th September 2023 during a meeting with the National TB and Leprosy Elimination Program (NTLEP), PARADISO TB Patients Trust and the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives.
Just like many other countries across the globe, Malawi is implementing the End TB Strategy which aims at ensuring reduction in number of TB deaths compared with 2015, reduction in TB incidence rate compared with 2015, among others.
As TB champion, the first lady is expected to lead the country’s efforts in mobilizing financial resources towards TB, fighting stigma and discrimination towards TB affected populations, advocate for better nutrition for TB patients, advocate for multisectoral participation as well as promoting community engagement in the fight against TB.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Program Manager for NTLEP Dr. James Mpunga said crowning the first lady as TB Champion signifies a huge milestone in the country’s efforts towards ending TB by 2030 and also a strong demonstration at the highest level of the country’s commitment to end TB.
He added that they are humbled by Madame Chakwera’s interest in ensuring that the glaring gender disparities that exist in TB response as well as stigma and discrimination are alleviated.
TB remains the biggest cause of death among people living with HIV. In Malawi the TB / HIV coinfection remains high at 45 percent.
Sami Sohail has a T20I average of 72.5 and is now trying to help his club in Eckington, Derbyshire avoid relegation
When batting for Eckington Cricket Club as the club’s overseas professional, Sami Sohail has often been asked where he is from.
“I say, ‘I’m from Malawi’,” Sohail recalls. “They were like ‘where is Malawi’? I said ‘in Africa’. They were like ‘ah somewhere in South Africa.’ I said ‘no, Malawi is a different country.’
“Whoever you tell you come from Malawi they’re like, is it South Africa?’ Players don’t even know where Malawi is. That really annoys me because we’re an international team.”
Malawian Cricketer Sami Sohail
For all the geographical ignorance of opponents in the Derbyshire League, their surprise at encountering a Malawian opponent is understandable. Sohail, who is 21, might well be the first Malawi cricketer ever recruited to be an overseas professional in English club cricket. To understand why, just glance at the records for the top Twenty20 international averages. Just above Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and India’s superstar Virat Kohli is Sohail: in 26 matches, he has an average of 72.50 for Malawi.
“It’s a privilege and an honour to be amongst the top in the world,” Sohail says. “People are looking at the stats – there’s someone from Malawi who has done this.”
These deeds helped Sohail to become one of club cricket’s unlikeliest overseas players. Last year, Sohail visited family in the USA, timing his trip to coincide with trials for Minor League Cricket. He was selected for the Chicago Tigers in the competition, where he impressed some South African professionals, who then recommended him to an agent.
“He told me that it’s very surprising a club approaching a player from Malawi,” Sohail recalls. “They have opportunities to get players from all over the world. Choosing a play from Malawi is a great thing for the nation
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I really want other Malawians to follow this trend and I hope I’m motivating them – if you work hard and believe in yourself, all of us can get overseas contracts and represent our country.”
And so Sohail has spent the summer playing and coaching in the village of Eckington while living at the club chairman’s house 10 miles north, in Sheffield. “You’d not really see in club cricket a player from Malawi,” says Nathan Musselwhite, Eckington’s first-team captain. “All that mattered to me was the kind of person Sami was. From the conversations we had he was a great guy and wanted to come over to do his best for the team. He stood out with his love for the game and general positivity – as soon as I spoke to him over the phone, I thought he was our man.”
While he inherited a love of the game from his parents, who hail from Pakistan, Sohail is emphatically a product of Malawi cricket. He moved to Lilongwe, the capital, aged three when his parents set up a grocery shop and restaurant there. Sohail learned to play the game with family and friends, especially the country’s South Asian community, at a private school in the city.
“It all started at school with friends who were interested in cricket,” he recalls, “Pretty much every day after school we used to hang out at the local club and play cricket: tennis ball, hardball, whatever.”
Sohail honed his game playing for clubs in Malawi. His performances led to him having trials with the national team and then making his Malawi debut aged 16.
From 2019, full international status was extended to all T20 matches between nations, giving greater profile to the feats of Associate players. “That was just motivation for us,” Sohail says. “We want to see Cricket Malawi on the cricketing map.”
With interest in the sport developing in Malawi, Sohail earns a living from his cricket academy in Lilongwe; in between matches in Derbyshire, he is doing his ECB level two coaching course. “More schools are introducing cricket,” he says. “I’ve been getting lots of youngsters, who are interested in making a career in cricket.”
Sohail’s ultimate dream is to help Malawi make it to the world stage: “in a few years we could be playing the T20 World Cup”. Regional qualification tournaments as well as the Africa Cup T20 – a new competition launched by the Africa Cricket Association and Corcom Media Ventures – reflect the growth in live streaming of Associate cricket and have allowed Sohail to build his remarkable international record.
District Commissioner (DC) for Chitipa, McMillan Magomero has described late Raphael Berlin David Mulungu, who was buried on Wednesday in the district, as a developmental conscious man.
Mulungu who hailed from Kapoka Village in the area of Senior Chief Mwenemisuku in the district was the first Member of Parliament (MP) for Chitipa East from 1976 to 1986, under Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
He died on Tuesday at Chitipa District Hospital after a short illness.
In his eulogy, Magomero said late Mulungu was a man who wished his community well and championed various developments in the area.
Magomero then called on the community members to emulate the good example set by the late Mulungu.
Incumbent MP for Chitipa East, who is also MCP Regional Chairperson for North North Region, Kezzie Msukwa echoed Magomero`s sentiments, saying Mulungu was a father and an advisor to everyone.
“Honourable Raphael Mulungu was a pillar in the Malawi Congress Party as he remained loyal to the party. He was a disciplined man, development conscious, and advisor to many including me,” he said.
African International Church Vestry Chairman, Kondwerani Panja described Mulungu as a God fearing man as he was dedicated to the work of God.
“We have lost a dedicated member in the church. He contributed a lot of things such as planks for church construction, tables, chairs but also encouraged the paying of one tenth to the church,” Panja said.
Born November 14th, 1939 (Aged 84), Raphael Berlin David Mulungu is survived by two wives, 16 children, 39 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu, has applauded DMI St. John the Baptist University for its ‘ICT Skills for All’ project which is building human capacity through training as well as promoting the countries National ICT Policy.
Speaking during a graduation ceremony at Golden Peacock in Lilongwe, the Minister, who was the guest of honour commended the good work that DMI is performing which has seen 370 civil servants and Malawi School Certificate Examination (MSCE) holders graduate with a certificate in ICT.
Kunkuyu
Kunkuyu emphasised the need for ICT training as one way of transforming the economy and driving the digitalisation agenda of the country which will help Malawi align with other countries at a time when the world is going digital.
“What DMI has done is very commendable as it has complemented government efforts by partnering with the government to train those in the civil service and those who have just attained their MSCE certificates, We believe the skills the graduates have acquired will be put to good use such as running businesses, developing content, engaging in e-commerce as well as promoting their workplace and given responsibilities,” he said.
The Minister further encouraged the graduates to display employability and promotable behaviour through their performance while making sure that they remain productive so that the country can benefit from their skills.
Addressing the 370 enthusiastic ICT graduates, Deputy Vice Chancellor responsible for academic affairs within DMI University, Dr. Benedicto Malunga emphasised on the need to include everyone in ending the digital divide which he says has greatly impacted the way of life.
“ICT is now an integral part of life, we therefore cannot afford to leave anyone behind but make sure we move together, The program from which these graduands are graduating from was established to address the national gaps in the utilisation of ICT in Malawi since ICT is one of the transformational drivers of the economy,” said Dr. Malunga.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Neno North, Thoko Tembo has appealed to well-wishers to help Neno district Council with resources, as the council is constructing a house for a fire victim, Mwandida Kabitchi.
Kabitchi’s house was set ablaze on 15th August, 2023 by children who were playing at the house and lost everything in the process.
Speaking Wednesday at Wilson 2 Village in the area of Traditional Authority Chekucheku when he donated assorted items including bags of cement towards the construction of the house, Tembo said the house needs more resources for it to be completed.
“I appeal to well-wishers to continue making donations for the completion of the house. The council is banking on support from well-wishers in the construction project as such they need to be supported,” Tembo said.
The MP said the house construction has stalled for two days now as the project has run out of sand and cement.
The legislator said he thought of making the donation to complement other well-wishers who have already started making donations so that the life of Kabitchi should return to normal as it was before the accident.
Chairperson for Chekucheku Area Civil Protection Committee Sydney Menyani thanked the MP for the donation and appealed for more well-wishers saying a permanent solution for Kabitchi is a house.
The donated items include cement, blankets, soap, sugar and clothes.
