Pastoral Commission Holds Review Meeting
By Moses Raymond Kamanga
Two heads are better than one is an old adage but its relevance is ever new. Believing in this adage, the Pastoral Commission of the Diocese of Karonga has brought together all its key players in the Commission to review some of the activities it carries out for better continuity.
Opening the meeting at Viphya Lodges in Chilumba, Father Joseph Sikwese, Head of Pastoral Section and the Bishop’s Secretary, mentioned that the meeting is necessary because it gives a better chance for interfacing, bringing ideas together, sharing challenges and together moving forward as a unit as “two heads are better than one”.
“The meeting is important because it brings all players in the Pastoral Commission together. We have Parish Priests from all the parishes in the Diocese, Chaplains, Catechetical Methodology Advisors and other stakeholders including the diocesan radio (Tuntufye FM Radio)” said Fr Sikwese. Also in attendance is Monsignor Denis Chitete, who is the Vicar General, Chairperson of the Diocesan Pastoral Commission and Administrator of St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral.
The meeting scheduled for two days (27th and 28th of February) is aimed at among others receiving reports from departments under the Pastoral Commission and reviewing the Sunday School Project activities and ironing out challenges for effective pastoral ministry.
In an exclusive interview with the Chairperson of the Pastoral Commission, Monsignor Denis Chitete, stressed that the review meetings of this kind are very beneficial for they help to look back and check where things have gone well to be upheld and those that have posed challenges to be done in a better way.
“In general terms, I would say the Pastoral Commission has been on a good pace and the reports are encouraging. From the time we launched and started using our new catechism, we have made a lot progress,” said Monsignor Chitete.
St Michael’s Parish Takes Moral Lessons to Kameme CDSS YCS
By Lonely Paul Mwandira (Methodology Advisor)
With the funding from Coppel’s Family, through Karonga Diocese, St Michael’s Parish engaged Kameme Community Day Secondary School in a move to shape the future of young girls and boys.
The lessons intensively engaged learners in moral conduct of Catholic students, behaviour change process, personal hygiene and sacramental life in Roman Catholic.
Speaking during the occasion, Father Chinula, the Parish Priest of St Michael’s, stressed on the notion of morality which leads to positive change (metanoia).
“Acceptance, openness to change and courage are the only catalysts to permanent change” said Father Chinula. He further shared with the students that they are living in a world full of temptation and they will not build a better Malawi if they continue embracing worldly things.
The Parish Priest urged the students to put their Christian life and education as priorities in life. He encouraged them to read and abide by the word of God.
Chipalamoto Nyirenda, Chitipa Field Officer of Lusubilo Orphan Care engaged the students on behavior change process. He mentored the learners to have a clear vision of their future and have role models for them to accomplish their educational goals.
“Personal hygiene forms part of Christian life. You need to keep your bodies as healthy as possible. Good personal hygiene coupled with godly life is recipe for good life and achievement of goals.” said Mrs Chilenga from Chitipa District Hospital.
Concurring with Mrs Chilenga, Paul Mwandira challenged the learners to be focused in life and not to be carried away with things that could disturb their future through total abstinence. He urged them to respect their bodies and keep themselves pure. This comes against the background that Kameme CDSS girls far prey to Tanzania men who entice them with prospects of happy marriages across the border, only to be used and refused.
The YCS patron Mr Kalagho thanked St Michael’s Parish for organizing the lessons.
Justice and Peace Desk Set to Empower Communities in Extractive Governance
By Norbert Mzembe
Based on the fact that Karonga District is rich in natural resources like mineral deposits cannot be overemphasized, the Justice and Peace Desk of Catholic Diocese of Karonga is geared to implement a three year Proactive Extractive Project through information sharing across the district.
According to a CCJP officer, Vincent Bwinga, the background of the project is lack of transparency and accountability from the government in the generation, collection and expenditure of revenue from the extractive industries.
Bwinga further disclosed that lack of transparency and accountability on contracts and revenue collection from Extractive Industries (EI) through government machinery and companies failing to uphold human rights in their policy and practices highly affect the citizenry, particularly women and children.
He expressed that the project aims at building capacity of different stakeholders but also advocacy and lobbying through media engagement on the aforementioned issues and not necessarily to incite the communities to block government from implementing mining projects in the border district.
“Justice and Peace (JP) is not here to groom you to become a stumbling block to the side of government, but it has come to empower you to demand transparency and accountability from government in EI. Through the project, capacity of multi stakeholder groups including community members, will be built to take part in contract negotiations. The project will also develop advocacy and lobbying skills in different stakeholders like media and JP volunteers,” said Bwinga.
He then urged government to realize that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and community members are the agents of change; hence their human rights must be respected and protected regardless of age, race, gender and other factors.
Florence Ngosi, one of the residents surrounding Mwabulambo Coal Mining laments that the degradation of the land and pollution of water bodies in the area due to mining activities have exposed them to food insecurity and that their lives at risk of suffering from various diseases.
Ngosi attributes this to lack of transparency and accountability from government when issuing licenses to mining companies but also poor memorandum of understanding (MoU) that are made without the knowledge of community members.
The Justice and Peace is implementing this three year project with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through Oxfam Malawi. The project covers the following areas; Lupembe, Mpata, Boma and Kayerekela in the area of traditional authority (T/A) Kyungu and Ngerenge and Kaporo in T/A Kilupula. Centre for Environmental Policy Advocacy (CEPA) is implementing a similar project in Phalombe and will collaborate with the JP in some activities.
Nthalire Community Calls For an Ambulance
By Bishop Witmos (Contributor)
Inadequate ambulances at Chitipa District Hospital is said to have slowed down access to health service by communities in the remotest area of Nthalire in Chitipa South.
This was said during an interface meeting in Nthalire between the community members and officials from Chitipa District Hospital, which was organized by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) under the Diocese of Karonga.
Currently, Chitipa District Hospital has only one ambulance that serves a population of over two hundred thousand people.
Speaking during the meeting, Councilor for Nthalire ward Christopher Mnyenyembe appealed to government and stakeholders to consider providing an ambulance at Nthalire Health Center in order to save lives that are lost at the health facility due to inadequate transport for referral services to the main district hospital.
Mnyenyembe said despite that Nthalire is located in the far-flung area of 115 Kilometers away from Chitipa boma, it is surprising to note that his area is not a priority in terms of referral services by the district hospital.
‘‘As communities in Nthalire we are really suffering due to unavailability of an ambulance at our health facility, and it reached to a point, in the year 2017, that an ambulance was available at our facility only for maternity cases,’’ said Mnyenyembe.
However, Chitipa District Hospital has since asked communities in Nthalire not to panic as procedures are already in place that by the end of May this year the area will have its own ambulance.
Representative of Director for Health Services in Chitipa at the event who is also Senior Assistant Environmental Health Officer Mordecai Mbowe told the gathering that Plan Malawi through the Inpath project is procuring four ambulances for the district.
At Wenya, communities were surprised with the 2017 to 2018 financial report presented by the hospital officials, that only half of the 2017 to 2018 financial year, the district hospital has already spent over 90 percent of its internal travel costs; a development which Mbowe said was due to an increased number of referrals to Mzuzu Central Hospital.
While at Mwenemisuku, chairperson for Kakomo Area Development Committee (ADC) Winston Silungwe observed that the financial report was only showing the budget costs as well as expenditures for the whole district hospital without specifying breakdowns for health centres.
Silungwe therefore asked the district hospital to consider itemizing the budget in order for communities to be able to track it.
According to the project officer for the commission in Chitipa Abel Malumbira, the interface meetings were organized with an aim to bridge the interaction gap between the community and health workers.
Malumbira therefore assured communities in Chitipa that the commission will continue providing support for such interactions in order to improve the health service delivery in the district.
CCJP is implementing a health governance project in selected ADCs in Chitipa and Karonga with an aim of promoting transparency and accountability in health service delivery. The project is funded by Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA).
First Eucharistic Celebration at St Teresa of Calcutta Prayer Centre
By Benjamin Msowoya
On Sunday, 18 February 2018, the Parish Priest of St Mary’s, Fr. Joseph Sikwese, presided over the first Eucharistic Celebration at the newly established sub-station of St Teresa of Calcutta in St Mary’s Parish. This was done in order to allow the faithful of St. Teresa Calcutta Community to start using the new Church.
Even though construction work has not yet finished, the lay faithful have started using the Church in order to reduce the distance they to travel to St Mary’s Parish Centre for liturgical celebrations.
On the first day, the church was filled to capacity. Many very elderly men and women who could not walk to St Mary’s Parish openly expressed their joy to have the Church near their houses and asked God to bless the benefactor and the Bishop Martin Mtumbuka who made construction of their Church possible.
The Parish Priest said that he was very encouraged by the good beginning as people had gathered for Mass in large numbers, and urged the community of St. Teresa of Calcutta to continue worshipping together at their new Church and in their small Christian communities. He also urged members of the St. Teresa Local Church Council to work together as a team.
St Teresa of Calcutta Church has been built with financial support from Joe Ellul Mattei, through Missio Malta. Mr. Mattei donated 17200 Euro for the construction of the Church, but due to fluctuation of the Malawi Kwacha which led to the rise in prices of construction materials, construction has not been completed. The work which is yet to be done is: flooring, plastering, painting, fixing of windows and doors. This will cost the Diocese around 6,000 Euro (US$7,000).
First Mass in Pictures
St John Paul II Parish Youth Urged to Desist from Violence
By Brian Kachitete (Methodology Advisor)
The Diocesan Youth Chaplain for Karonga Diocese, Father Robert Songa, has called on Catholic youths of St John Paul II Parish to desist from being used as instruments of violence to victimise vulnerable people.
Father Songa said this on 12th February at Kapoka where young people had a day long with the aim of equipping them in church leadership and decision making.
Addressing the youth, Father Songa said the practice of beating or killing people suspected of witchcraft has no room in the Catholic Church.
The training was aimed at empowering youths with skills that would enable them to participate effectively in the affairs of their parish. During the training, the youths were urged to work hard and be innovative if their contribution to the church and the nation is to be recognised.
On the challenges facing the youths, the participants were challenged to tap from the existing treasury of Church teachings which have an enabling environment that will fully develop their potentials.
The Parish Priest, Father Charles Peter Chinula drilled the youth in leadership and decision making skills. In his lessons, he a leader has to be accommodating and be a good decision maker to advance the goals of the group. Father Chinula urged the youth to stand firm and assume leadership positions in the Church as the Church needs them more.
The chairperson for the youth in St. John Paul II Parish Andrew Nyondo, described the training as fruitful and thanked all who made it possible for the training to take place. On behalf of fellow participants, he promised to put into practice the lessons learnt.
St John Paul II is a newly established parish branching from St Michael’s Parish.
Bishop Mtumbuka Describes the Death of Bishop Kanyama as a Great Loss
By Ephraim Nyirenda
Catholics and people of goodwill from all walks of life gathered at Likuni Parish on Tuesday to pray for the repose of the soul of Bishop Emmanuel Kanyama of Dedza Diocese who passed on Friday, 16 February at his home; Kapiri in Mchinji District.
Speaking during the highly concelebrated requiem Mass, the main celebrant Right Reverent Martin Anwel Mtumbuka, Bishop of Karonga Diocese and Vice Chairperson of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, described the death of Bishop Kanyama as a great loss to the conference of bishops and the entire Malawi nation.
In his homily, Bishop Mtumbuka said the Late Bishop Kanyama was a gifted man, whose numerous gifts were put at the service of the Church and the nation in various areas.
“I remember Bishop Kanyama as a quiet man, but when he wanted to contribute, he could not mince words. He was always straight to the point which some of us cannot do,” said Bishop Mtumbuka.
He further urged the congregation to commend themselves into the hands of God during this Lenten season. He condemned the tendency of being preoccupied with daily cares and material things without sparing time to spend with God.
The Vice Chairperson of ECM emphasized the need for Christians to maintain a good relationship with Christ through the Sacrament of Penance and Eucharist during this time of Lent.
Notable figures at the Mass were Vice President of the Republic of Malawi Dr Saulos Claus Chilima, Minister of Information Nicholas Dausi, Leader of Opposition Dr Lazarus Chakwera and Former Vice President Khumbo Kachali among others.
Bishop Emmanuel Kanyama was born in 1962, ordained priest in 1990 and consecrated Bishop of Dedza on 6th October, 2007.
After the Mass, the body of the Late Bishop Kanyama was taken to Bembeke Cathedral in Dedza where it will be laid to rest on 21st February after requiem mass to be presided over by Archbishop Ziyaye of the Metropolitan See of Lilongwe to which Dedza is a suffragan diocese.
Pictures
The Development Desk Increases Awareness among Small Scale Farmers in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
By Franklin Msiska
The Development Desk joined the fight against fall army worms and grasshoppers by promoting awareness amongst smallholder farmers in integrated pest management (IPM).
The Desk in January used Radio Tuntufye and some of its 94 demonstration plots mounted under Integrated Rural Development Project to teach farmers on how they can control the outbreak of fall army worms using IPM practices. Both on radio and in the demonstration plots small scale farmers were taught that early detection and proper timing of an insecticide application are critical.
Using the IPM approach farmers are encouraged to use some of the local innovations to control the spread of fall army worms. Some of the local innovations are: physical picking and killing of the worms or squeezing the plant on the whorl in the early stages of plant development, the use of powder from grounded fresh neem tree leaves which is mixed with water or the use of powdered washing soap e.g. surf which is also mixed with water and sprayed directly at the whorl of the maize plant.
Other locally used materials are empty distilled water bottles where farmers just drill a hole on top of the bottle top and use this in the absence a sprayer. Chemicals like dursban (chrorpyrifos 480 EC), cypermethrin, proclaim fit etc. are recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, however availability is the problem and where available they are not affordable to most small-scale farmers. In the absence of these chemicals IPM has helped farmers a lot to control the pest.
This is an initiative under the Integrated Rural Development Project which is targeting close to 2400 households in Chitipa and Karonga Districts in Malawi with extension services to increase their annual agricultural production.
Communities in Chitipa and Karonga Districts Embark on Afforestation Activities
By Franklin Msiska
Communities targeted under Integrated Rural Development Project in Lupembe, Kapoka and Chisenga start planting trees in order to mitigate against the effects of climate change. The project is expected to assist the targeted communities and primary schools’ to out plant 208,000 trees and therefore increasing the forestry area by 159 hectares in three years.
In the first year of the project, four communities and 32 primary schools have raised 43,185 tree seedlings which are ready for out planting. Some of the tree seedlings raised are cacius, albiza lameck and pine trees.
Out planting started in January and will continue up to February end. The raised tree seedlings will be planted under communal woodlots in a selected place in a village or around the targeted primary schools.
Community members’ especially targeted beneficiaries will also share part of the nursery and establish individual woodlots around their homesteads or garden boundaries.
Justice and Peace Desk Empowers Women to Defend Their Rights
By Violet Maluwa- Tfm reporter
As one way of taking an active role in defending their rights, women from Nthalire invited traditional and community leaders to an interface meeting to demand their right of access to development assets.
This comes against the background that although government and other stakeholders are committed to empower women in various sectors, oppression of women in developmental activities continues.
During the interface meeting, women presented a petition to leaders outlining their grievances for the traditional and community leaders to address. Some of these problems include limited access to land, negative cultural beliefs which put women secondary to men and being denied freedom to engage in economic activities such as businesses.
Speaking in an interview, one of the women who presented the letter, Emily Ng’ambi said some traditional leaders take part in oppressing women in various ways.
“We thought of calling for these discussions because we know that chiefs ought to defend us each time we are subjected to such oppression. Unfortunately they seem not to mind. We are being oppressed every day and traditional leaders do not hear our cry,” lamented Emily Ng’ambi.
She added that with they are optimistic that what they have presented has awakened their traditional leaders from their slumber and that they will act on their concerns.
Meanwhile Senior Group Village Headman Chimatulo has committed himself to ensure that women are given freedom to participate in all spheres of life. He has since urged other traditional leaders to make sure that women are treated with dignity that befits every human being.
Similar meetings targeting various leaders have been held in Chisenga, Wenya, and Thumbo. Justice and Peace Desk through the Community Managed Women’s Rights Advocacy Project is empowering women to demand. The project is supported by Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD).