Traditional Leader Urges Girls to Have a Clear Vision to Excel in Education
By Vincent Bwinga
Senior Group Village Headman Jodi has urged the students, especially girls, to have a clear vision of the future they want and be focused in their education to achieve it.
He said this at Therere CDSS in Nthalire during a role modeling event organized by the Justice and Peace Desk of Karonga Diocese. Addressing students, SGVH Jodi said many girls go to school without any dream for the future. Education, for them, means nothing more than pastime; as such they easily fall into the trap of early marriages.
“Girls don’t make yourself cheap, tell your boys that no education, no Love. Everything else should wait, your education first.” The traditional leader said. He urged girls to report to any traditional leader if anyone tries to disturb their education.
During the same event, a female role model, Lumbani Kawonga, encouraged girls to work hard in school to achieve their dreams.
Lumbani Kawonga, a 22 year old primary school teacher shared her life experience highlighting the difficulties she overcame to be what she were. She expressed that most of her contemporaries at the school fell prey to early marriages and dropped out of school.
Lumbani Kawonga is the pride of Therere CDSS since she did her Junior Secondary education at the same school.
Reacting to Lumbani Kawonga’s story, Juliana Sibale said it was rare and strange to find educated girls in the area. The 17 year old girl said many girls in their area face challenges and many resign to them. She advised her fellow students to refrain from behaviors that might ruin their.
Lack of role models in Nthalire and many areas in Chitipa District demotivates many girls from going further with education. The role modeling activity is a deliberate attempt by the Justice and Peace Desk to promote girl child education.
The activity brought together students, teachers, chiefs, parents and Women Rights Group members from Nthalire zone. This is one of the activities under Community Managed Women and Girls Rights Advocacy Project (CMWRA) funded by CAFOD.
CCJP Karonga Calls for More Support for Girls Rescued from Early Marriages
By Vincent Bwinga
Some girls rescued from early marriages and readmitted to school struggle to continue with their education due to lack support to keep them in school.
This was disclosed at Thumbo during a monitoring and documentation exercise conducted by Justice and Peace Field Officer, Vincent Bwinga.
Speaking during the exercise, Boniface Kayira, Chairperson of Women Rights Group (WRG) for Thumbo Zone said having rescued the girls, the challenge becomes how to keep them in school. He said some of those rescued find it hard to survive in school beyond one year. He attributed this to lack of support from parents or guardians and even community members. Further, he said poor parents fail to provide for these girls and marrying them off is usually a way of running away from responsibility.
“Due to lack of support some of these girls lose interest is education and opt to remarry to get provisions. There is need for deliberate interventions to keep these girls in school,” said Kayira.
Concurring with Kayira, one of the girls [name withheld] said she remarried a year after she went back to school because her parents were not supportive and showed no interest in her education. She got married at the age of 15.
During the lifespan of women and girls’ rights projects in the areas of traditional authorities Wenya and Nthalire, the Justice and Peace Desk of Karonga Diocese has rescued 54 girls from early marriages. Out of these, 15 girls dropped out of school and remarried. Out of the remaining 39, 25 are secondary school students while 14 are in primary school. Most of these girls are between 15 and 18 years of age.
The Justice and Peace Desk of Karonga Diocese has been implementing women and girls’ rights projects in the area since 2013 with funding from Catholic Agency for Oversees Development (Cafod). The current project, which runs to March, 2018, is called Community Managed Women and Girls Rights Advocacy.
Bishop Mtumbuka Urges Christians to Assess Their Encounter with Christ
By Violet Maluwa – TFM Reporter
The Bishop of Karonga Diocese Martin Anwel Mtumbuka has urged Catholic Christians to take the season of Advent as an opportunity to assess their encounter with Christ and render a helping hand to the needy.
Speaking at St Michael’s Parish in Chitipa during the First Sunday of Advent Mass, Bishop Mtumbuka urged Christians to use this season to realign and reconcile themselves with Christ.
“During this Advent season, we prepare for an encounter with Jesus Christ at Christmas; His second coming at the end of time and His coming in the Sacraments.” Said Bishop Mtumbuka.
The preparation for the triple encounter with Jesus focuses on three pillars of charity, prayer life and reconciliation with Jesus Christ, friends and relatives.
Bishop Mtumbuka further urged Christians to seriously reflect on their own death and their relationship with Christ, which is central to salvation. He said God can call us suddenly through road accident, hence the need to be prepared always to stand in his presence.
In Solidarity with St Cecilia Parish
At the same celebration, Christians made special offerings in aid of the newly established St Cecilia Parish in Mpherembe under Mzuzu Diocese. Bishop Mtumbuka said it was everyone’s responsibility to help those in need including the newly established parish. The St Cecilia Parish has numerous challenges such as lack of Rectory (Fathers House) and kitchen ware.
He added that although the Diocese of Karonga has few Christians but their generosity towards the Church in both urban and rural areas is so encouraging.
In his words, the Parish Priest of the newly founded St Cecilia Parish, Father Isaiah Nyirenda commended the generous contributions from Christians of St Michael’s Parish towards his parish.
“I thank you all for all the gifts you have offered to our new parish. What has happened today is a miracle.” Said Father Isaiah in appreciation for the numerous gifts.
In a similar event, Christians from St. Mary’s Parish in Karonga District, selflessly gave to assist St. Cecilia Parish during a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the Curate of St. Cecilia Parish, Fr. Petros Mwale.
In his remarks, Fr. Petros Mwale expressed thanked Christians for their generosity saying that was what God expects of Christians “to be Brother’s keeper”.
Fr. Joseph Moloka Sikwese, Parish Priest of St Mary’s Parish and Pastoral Secretary of the Diocese of Karonga also commended the Christians for being other-oriented.
The Diocese will transfer all the offerings on 17th December to the newly established Parish of St Cecilia, Mpherembe in Mzimba.
‘We Shall Go to Them’: Pastoral Commission Intensifies Missionary Work
By Moses Raymond Kamanga
We shall go to them is a moto that steers the Diocese of Karonga in a direction where all Christians regardless of their locality feel equally belonging to the Diocese. The Diocese walked the motto again as it has traditionally done by bracing itself with the armour of fortitude and determination to hike the Nyika Plateau to reach a community in the middle of nowhere and far from everything else.
Re-evangelization Mission
One would think this is too large a community worthy spending energy on. To the contrary it is a community of only 22 people; some Christians and others catechumen emerging from 13 families. Regardless of the small number, the Diocese of Karonga left the 99 to search for the one lost on the plateau of Nyika (Lk 15:4).
A 5 member delegation from the Curia Offices to the Chilinda community led by the Diocesan Pastoral Secretary Fr. Joseph Moloka Sikwese was geared towards assisting the community in understanding leadership and church structure, sacraments, liturgy, married life and the new version of the Creed as popularized by the Diocese just to mention a few.
The Missionary Experience
The four days of interaction with Chilinda community at the plateau was very warm though the weather was “prohibitingly” cold with sun and rain intervals. The nights always brought the delegates around the fire to survive the biting cold weather.
Speaking at the end of the four day visit (Monday, 27 November to Thursday, 30 November) the Pastoral Secretary expressed gratitude to Chilinda community for showing interest in the instructions which was evidenced by their unwavering commitment in attending all the sessions. He was committed to arranging more instructions for the community in the near future. Further, he conceded to the fact that the community was a bit behind comparing with the rest of the communities.
‘We are not forgotten: We are part of the Catholic Family’
Taking his turn, the chairperson of the community, Mr. Peter Ng’omba said he was overwhelmed with the visit and the lessons as they were an indication that the Diocese loves them like any other Catholic Community within the Diocese. He also expressed gratitude to the Bishop of the Diocese of Karonga, Rt. Rev. Martin Anwell Mtumbuka for he was the first to visit the Chilinda Catholic community earlier in the year (August) and promised them that he would send officers to visit and instruct them.
We shall still go to them
Chilinda, which is about 290km from the central administration offices of the Diocese of Karonga, is one of the furthest and hard to reach communities belonging to the Diocese of Karonga. Some places apart from Chilinda are Diya-diya where no vehicle can reach and Chakaka where the gospel is being preached now.
It is in the plain of the Diocese of Karonga try its level best to reach other places like Tcharo where the only means to reach the place is a boat. All this is in the spirit of searching for 100th sheep.