Sister Zimba Concludes Her 3 Year Contract as a Lay Apostolate Coordinator in the Diocese; She Says Bye to Diocesan Curia Staff.
Sister Victoria Zimba has concluded her contract with the Diocese of Karonga. She says she is very grateful to Bishop Mtumbuka, Staff and Management of Karonga Diocese and all faithful for allowing her to work in the Diocese and for granting her wonderful support as she was executing her roles as a Diocesan Lay Apostolate Coordinator. Sister Zimba said these words on 6th August at Karonga Diocese Offices during a farewell reception organised for her by the Diocese.
Sister Victoria Zimba joined the Diocese’s Curia offices in 2014, becoming the very first coordinator of lay movements in the young Diocese of Karonga. The major achievement of Sister Zimba was the kick starting of the functions of the office and to provide proper direction and coordination to lay groups in the Diocese.
Representing the Bishop at the function, Fr Denis Chitete, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Karonga, extended the Diocese’s words of thanks for the service that Sister Zimba rendered to the Diocese of Karonga. He said the Diocese enjoyed the benefit of having a religious sister serving among staff members at the Curia; the secretariat of the Diocese. He further highlighted that Sister Zimba has provided services which will be remembered down in history of the Diocese.
With the leaving of Sister Zimba, the Bishop has appointed Mr Grego Lusale to provide coordination of the Lay Apostolic Office.
OSISA Urges Government to Implement ATI Law
By Ephraim Nyirenda-Tuntufye FM
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) that supports the Justice and Peace Desk of the Catholic Diocese of Karonga in implementing health governance project , has asked government to speed up the process of coming up with procedures so that the Access to Information Bill can start working.
Programme Manager for OSISA , Cynthia Ngwalo Lungu said this during a visit to appreciate what CCJP is doing in Karonga and Chitipa districts.
Ngwalu in her remarks said, through the interface they had with different stakeholders such as; Area Development Committee, Health Advisory Councils and Civil Society Organization in the two districts, it has been observed that people do not have adequate information on health service governance.
“The community members and even local duty bearers do not know that they have the right to know how drugs are being utilized, how much money were put in the drug budget. Therefore, as a country Malawi, you are lucky that parliament passed ATI Bill that could solve many of these challenges in the Health sector” She said.
She therefore asked all partners to push government so that the ATI law be put practice.
In his remarks, the Caritas Secretary for the Diocese of Karonga Mwawi Shaba quickly said that as civil society organization, CCJP will try to work with other stakeholders and make sure that people are enjoying their right to good health service so that citizen could appreciate the role of government on the same.
Commenting on the plans to raise Nthalire Health Centre to a rural hospital, Mrs Cynthia Ngwalo Lungu said this is an opportune time considering that even the president made a public commitment on the same. Therefore, citizen have just to devise ways of following up in this pledge.
Open Society Initiative started funding CCJP of the Diocese of Karonga in 2016 and the first phase expired in June this year with an extension of another year with money amounting to $120,000.00.