Blantyre, Malawi, Dec. 3 (MaraviPost) _ The European Union (EU) delegation in Lilongwe and the Malawi mission to the EU in Brussels have denied reports that President Joyce Banda cancelled her trip to Brussels last week because she was barred from entering the EU following financial scandals currently rocking her government.

 

Banda was supposed to fly from Abu Dhabi and Kuwait straight to Brussels to attend the European Development Days’ activities on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. But State House Press Secretary Steven Nhlane announced that the President would not go to Brussels because the trip was not fully-funded.

 

Social media was nonetheless abuzz with suggestions that EU was annoyed by the financial scandals at Capital Hill that it imposed a travel ban on Banda and her government. 

But head of the EU delegation to Malawi Alexander Baum described the suggestions as ‘false’.

“There is nothing like a travel ban for anyone and this is also not the way the European Union or any state conducts international relations,” he told maravipost.com on Tuesday.

Baum said President Banda was welcome any time in Brussels and the entire 28-member economic bloc.

“We believe that it would have been an opportunity for bilateral political consultations, but at the same time, we do fully understand and respect the fiscal constraints under which government is operating currently and that the President wishes to set an example, even if it would have been important to travel,” he said.

Following western donor nations’ decision to suspend US $150m in aid, new Finance Minister Maxwell Mkwezalamba announced new austerity measures including a ban in both unnecessary local and international travel for all government officials, including the president. The former African Union Economics Commissioner said government officials can only travel if such trips are very important or have been fully-funded.

Malawi ambassador to the EU Brave Ndisale corroborated Baum’s statement, saying international visits by the heads of state and government are arranged through diplomatic channels and, in this case, her mission. She said Brussels never communicated any travel ban for Banda to her office.

“You may wish to note that under the (Africa Caribbean and Pacific and European union) ACP–EU Partnership Agreement, there are procedures that are followed by either party before any form of cooperation is suspended. Suspension of aid or travel is done in a transparent and consultative manner,” she said.

Ndisale said when it was learnt that Banda would be in Brussels a lot of leaders, including EU commissioners for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Development Catherine Ashton and Andris Piebalgs respectively, asked for bilateral talks with her.

“She was also supposed to be on several panel discussions,” she said.

Africa was represented at the European Development Days activities by presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Mahamadou Issoufou of Liberia and Niger respectively, Cape Verdean Prime Minister Jose Pereira Neves and African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The European Union Commission and the Presidency of the European Union Council organise European Development Days annually where leaders and organisations discus issues affecting development in the world.-maravipost

Note: Maravi Post was also one of the Media Outlets that had reported in error that President Joyce Banda was barred from Travelling to EU Countries.

Lilongwe, December 2: The newly appointed Japanese Ambassador, Shuichiro Nishioka, who presented his Letters of Credence to President Dr. Joyce Banda at Kamuzu Palace, Lilongwe, on Monday, pledged his government’s continued support to Malawi.

Nishioka told journalists after meeting President Dr. Banda that he was proud to have finally presented his Letters of Credence to the Malawi leader and that he would see to it that Malawi continued to receive grant aids from Japan.

 

“Japan is willing to continue supporting the country with grant aids and technical expertise in various interventions such as irrigation, and agriculture in general, among other areas,” explained Nishioka, who has replaced Fujio Samukawa whose term ended recently.

He added: “For the past 40 years Japan has supported Malawi with over 1, 600 grant aids and currently, there are about 70 grant aids that are operational and we intend to continue with this support.”

He said he had also conveyed to President Dr. Banda and people of Malawi message of goodwill from the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and that the latter looked forward to seeing diplomatic ties between the two countries getting stronger by the day.

Receiving the new Japanese envoy, President Dr. Joyce Banda, expressed gratitude over the Japanese Government’s support in areas such as agriculture and rural development, basic education, water development, maternal and child health and transport infrastructure development.

The Malawi leader said she looked forward to increased cooperation with Japan on natural resources, industrial development and education as per her meeting with Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe in June 2013.

Dr. Banda also noted Prime Minister Abe’s pledge to support SADC and Africa’s regional development and agro-industries through the Japan-African Regional Economic Communities Summit.

Malawi-Japan relations date back to Malawi’s independence in 1964 when the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) opened offices in Malawi in 1964.

Japan established a Residential Embassy in Lilongwe in 2008, while Malawi’s Embassy in Japan was opened in 1992.

Main areas of cooperation between Malawi and Japan include: agriculture and rural development, basic education, water development, maternal and child health, medical services, transport infrastructure development, rural electrification and the One Village One Product (OVOP).

Japan hosts the Tokyo International Conference on African Development every five years, with the objective of ‘promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.

TICAD is an evolving element in Japan’s long-term commitment to fostering peace and stability in Africa through collaborative partnerships.

BLANTYRE (MaraPost)—Five contestants have progressed to the finals of the Sunbird Search for Star music competition after surviving fourth and last eviction show held last Saturday in Blantyre.

The final show will be held on December 14 at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe where the winner will walk away with K500,000 as grand prize, K300,000 and K200,000 will be given to second and third finalists, respectively.

The show lived up to the billing with contestants, who performed local trucks such as Ned Mapira’s Kaphiri kakwanthu, Alan Namoko’s Lameck, Lucky Stars’ Chinafunabale, Micheal Yekha’s Ndiwerengere ndalama, Bright Nkhata’s Ndiri ndimanyazi, Kalimba Band’s Mlendo ndi mame and Giddes Chalamanda’s Line and Chemeri, received overwhelming praise from the judges and standing ovation from the audience.

There was apparent excitement among the patronage with some taking to the dance floor in appreciation to the golden old music, which really made the fourth eviction four very captivating.

The finalists are Sithembire Banda, Brian Kachilowa, Adrian Kwerepete, Ruth Magona and Chisomo ‘Chichi’ Nteteka.

The contestants who were shown the exit door despite splendid performance are Dorothy, Kondwani Luwe, Gift Vole and Stanley, christened as ‘Tholo’. 

The show was also spiced up with live performances from acoustic musicians David and Edgar who equally mesmerized the audience with their tracks such as ‘Ndifuna Energy Saver’ and ‘Fanuel’.

The ‘old man himself’, Giddes Chalamanda also added colour to the event when he separately joined two contestants (Chisomo and Brian) on stage singing and dancing to the delight of the fans, who couldn’t help, but follow suit.

During the show, sponsors of the music competition, Sunbird Tourism also splashed prizes to lucky winners of a raffle draw. The grand prize of two nights for two people at any sunbird Hotels went to Linga Gondwe whereas Sally Chanza and Elizabeth Kwaila won dinner for two at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel’s Picasso Restaurant. Seven other won Sunbird branded umbrellas.

 

KASUNGU, Malawi – To see the promise of an AIDS-free generation drawing closer, look no further than Lexina Lungu. When we last left the Lungus, she was 36 weeks pregnant and attending her regular antenatal check-up. She had earlier learned that she was HIV-positive, as was her husband. The couple were expecting a baby girl.

The couple were concerned about their child. Women can transmit the virus to their babies during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.

 

Ms. Lungo had started treatment to protect her baby and herself. And, in doing so, she had become part of her country’s bold new approach to safeguarding infants from HIV – an approach that has since been adopted by other countries.

Protecting babies from HIV used to combine testing, antiretroviral treatment and counselling, with care tailored to the health of individual mothers based on how sick they were. For this conventional approach to be effective, countries needed robust infrastructure that could provide the necessary tests, results and medicines consistently – and was close to the women who needed it.

Such infrastructure is common in industrialized countries, where HIV infections among babies are now almost unheard of. But, in the developing world, where health systems are weak and obstacles including distance, poverty and persistent stigma can stand in the way, mothers and their infants remain at risk.

Globally, about 260,000 children aged 0–14 years were newly infected with HIV in 2012. Almost 90 per cent live in the 22 Global Plan priority countries, including Malawi. In these countries, mothers and babies may not be able to make repeated trips to far-away clinics, and test results may arrive late or not at all. Each new pregnancy presents women with fresh obstacles – including starting the process all over again.

Malawi knew that it was years away from creating the infrastructure to solve these problems. Its breakthrough came in realizing that, by changing its testing and treatment model from complex to simple, it could bypass the weaknesses in its own system.

 

Rethinking prevention

The new approach places women at the centre. It depends on simplicity to keep mothers and babies healthy.

When Ms. Lungu tested positive for HIV, she was offered antiretroviral treatment for life, in line with the new approach. The treatment protects the mother, her baby and children from any future pregnancies – as long as she stays on treatment. It also decreases the risk that she will pass the virus on to an uninfected sexual partner.

Instead of managing several pills each day, mothers like Ms. Lungu now take just one pill. This single pill, taken once a day, combines three antiretrovirals. And, while old approaches called for a special CD4 test to show whether a mother living with the virus needed treatment for her own health, the new approach starts all pregnant women on antiretrovirals right away, with a positive HIV test result alone.

This approach has proven remarkably effective – so much so that Malawi is now among 13 countries of the 22 Global Plan countries using the same policy, or something similar.

Hope for the future

Not long after her antenatal check-up, Ms. Lungu gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She named her daughter Chriselda.

When Chriselda was 6 weeks old, Ms. Lungu brought her back to the clinic for her first HIV test. She was about to learn whether her lifelong treatment had protected Chriselda.
Chriselda was free of HIV.

There are more tests to come, and Ms. Lungu must continue to take her one pill a day faithfully to protect her own health and the health of her baby. But, for now, this family remains protected by lifelong treatment.

__________

Malawi pioneered lifelong treatment for all pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. Some other countries have shifted toward simplified treatment that lasts just through the risk period of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

Expanding the simplified approaches used among Malawi and other Global Plan countries demands collaborative effort. UNICEF and partners including the World Health Organization are coordinating technical assistance, monitoring and development of guidance for countries implementing lifelong treatment, or treatment through the risk period only.

‘Let’s not despair’ 

The new Finance Minister, Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, travels to Brussels, Belgium – the headquarters of the European Union (EU), next week to discuss a new partnership agreement. The trip comes in the wake of the ‘cashgate’ and the subsequent donor aid freeze. So what are his chances of success? In Brussels RAPHAEL TENTHANI sat down with DR. BRAVE NDISALE, Malawi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the EU. Excerpts: 

Your Excellency, you’re describing Finance Minister Maxwell Mkwezalamba’s visit to the EU next week as both a ‘challenge’ and an ‘opportunity’, can you explain how you mean? 

 

We are also very delighted that the Minister of Finance, the Hon. Dr.  Mkwezalamba, is expected to visit Brussels to attend a meeting of Ministers of Finance from East and Southern Africa with the European Union (EU). During the visit, the minister will also hold important bilateral discussions with the EU and other partners. 

As you are already aware, the EU is one of Malawi’s largest development partners, the visit will indeed be a great opportunity for Malawi and for the minister to discuss issues of mutual interest to Malawi and the EU as well as to deepen the partnership and mutual trust.   

As a new minister, the Hon. Mkwezalamba will also have the opportunity to establish personal contacts with important personalities within the EU. 

You may, however, wish to note that Dr. Mkwezalamba worked closely with the EU when he served as a Commissioner for Economic Affairs at the African Union Commission. 

The minister will take advantage of the visit to brief the EU on the major social economic activities that have recently taken place in Malawi. 

I believe that the visit will also be a challenge to the minister in view of the “cashgate” phenomenon that has recently been discovered by the current government. 

Dr. Mkwezalamba will be here to negotiate the 11^th European Development fund (EDF) for Malawi. Can you outline what is at stake here? 

The minister will specifically be briefed by the EU on the policy changes that the EU has recently introduced as well as on modality for funding future programmes for Malawi and the rest of the region. Dr. Mkwezalamba is also expected to present Malawi’s development plans in the sectors to be covered under the 11^th European Development Fund (EDF) for the next seven years. 

It is important to note that during the 10^th EDF, the EU provided approximately €436 million for the period 2008 to 2013. Under the 11^th EDF, the EU is expected to substantially increase its allocation to Malawi to a total amount of €560 million which will be used in the areas of agriculture and food security, education (secondary and vocational training) and governance. These are very critical sectors for the development of Malawi. 

Do you think Malawi stands a chance of getting the EU money in the wake of the challenges back home? 

As I said earlier on, the visit by Dr. Mkwezalamba will be both an “opportunity” and a “challenge”. A challenge in view of the ‘cashgate’ occurrence. There is no doubt that this is a serious problem for Malawi. 

I am, however, happy that the Malawi government has taken concrete measures to address the challenge. The appointment of Dr. Mkwezalamba as Minister of Finance is a very welcome development in view of his qualifications and great experience in the area of financial management. I believe that Dr. Mkwezalamba has what it takes to help improve financial management in Malawi and I am confident that he will have fruitful discussion with donor partners in Brussels. 

Can you outline how Malawi has benefited from the EU so far 

The EU is indeed a major donor for Malawi. The organisation has provided funding for implementation of development projects in almost all the sectors of Malawi’s economy since Malawi’s independence in 1964. The assistance has been provided to Malawi under various partnership agreements signed by the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries (ACP). The current partnership agreement was signed in Cotonou, Benin in 2000. 

As I indicated earlier, Malawi was allocated Euro 436 million under the 10th EDF. In addition, the EU has also provided the following additional resourcesto Malawi:- 

ONE

– €59.9 million additional budget support;

 

– €21.7 million for the restructuring the sugar sector;

– €1.8 million for the Trust Fund;

– €30 million for Malawi Global Loan Scheme III;

– €32 million for Peri Urban Water Project;

 

TWO 

– €87 million for good performance – these funds are yet to be fully disbursed; and- €25 million for the MDG initiative.

 

Through trade cooperation, Malawi has also benefited from preferential market access under “Everything But Arms“ (EBA) initiative provided by the EU. Under this initiative, Malawi exports to the EU many products duty free and quota free. To this effect, the EU is one of Malawi’s major trading partners.

 

On the same score, how has Malawi benefited from the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries (ACP) and EU agreement, the so-called Cotonou Agreement?

 

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries (ACP) is an

organisation created under the Georgetown Agreement of 1975. It is

composed of 48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific regions. The 79 ACP countries, with the exception of Cuba, are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement that is also known as the “ACP-EU Partnership Agreement” which binds the ACP to the European Union (EU). The development Cooperation between the ACP and the EU has been administered under various partnership agreements which were signed in Yaoundé in Cameroon and Lomé in Togo. The Cotonou Agreement is the latest partnership agreement between the EU and the ACP Group.

 

The agreement was signed in June, 2000 by 78 ACP countries and 15 EU member states. It is designed to last for a period of 20 years and will thus come to an end in 2020. The objective of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement is to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, promote sustainable development and the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.

 

Malawi is one of the major beneficiaries of the assistance that the EU provides under the framework of the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement Cooperation. The ACP as a group has worked hard in helping to mobilise resources from the EU that have been used for the implementation of development projects in its Member States. The EU is currently on its 10^th EDF for the period of 2009-2013 with a budget of € 22.7 billion. The budget is broken down as follows: 

1. €17.766 billion to the national and regional indicative programmes (i.e. 81% of the total); 

2. €2.700 billion to intra-ACP and intra-regional cooperation; and 

3. €1.500 billion to Investment Facilities (7% of the total).

 

THREE

 

The ACP has indeed acted as an important link between its member

states and the EU. The ACP is currently planning to undertake major

institutional reforms with the objective of transforming itself into a more vibrant organisation that will play a more effective role on the international scene in future. The Mission is actively involved in this important process.

 

It is important that Malawi and the Southern Africa Region play an important role in ensuring that the reformed ACP is structured in such a way that it can more effectively help address the development challenge of the Southern Africa region and the ACP as a whole.

 

How has the current happenings at Capital Hill – I’m talking about the infamous “cashgate” – affected your work as a representative for Malawi in perhaps the largest economic bloc in the world?

 

The Embassy of the Republic of Malawi is accredited to Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In addition, the embassy is also a permanent mission to the EU and other multilateral institutions that are based in these countries such as the ACP, UNESCO, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Criminal Court (ICC), International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), World Customs Organisation (WCO), World Food Programme (WFP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), just to mention but a few.

 

So, you see, we are one of key players in Malawi’s mobilisation of development assistance. Without doubt, the recent developments at Capital Hill pose a major challenge in the execution of our mandate. The infamous ‘cashgate’ gives a negative image because of the theft of the well-intended resources meant for socio-economic development. This is unfortunate and frustrating considering that this has happened at a time when we are negotiating future EU assistance to Malawi. 

The EU has in the past considered Malawi as a star performer in the implementation of development assistance. In addition, due to the global financial (economic) crisis, development partners are exercising greater scrutiny of utilisation of development aid. 

It is, however, pleasing to note that the government of Malawi has taken decisive measures aimed at rooting out the financial mismanagement by a few individuals. This is welcome development not only to this mission but to our development partners as well. 

We are all working towards full restoration of trust and confidence to regain our status as one of the star performers in the utilisation of EDF funds amongst the 79 ACP member states. 

Your Excellency, President Joyce Banda was supposed to attend the

European development Days on November 26 and 27. When she cancelled at the last minute, there was talk on the social media that the European Union had banned from entering the EU because of what is happening at Capital Hill? 

The rumours were unfounded and deeply regrettable. It is unfortunate

that some Malawians, who are supposed to be patriotic, chose to publish false stories against their own country and leadership. International visits by the Heads of State are arranged through diplomatic channels. Malawi is represented by this Mission and the EU is represented by the Mission in Lilongwe. As part of the expenditure control measures, the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda, cancelled the visit and the information was relayed to the EU through this Mission.

 

If anyone wanted more information on this matter, they could have checked with us or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation or through the EU Delegation in Lilongwe.

 

You may wish to note that under the ACP – EU Partnership Agreement,

there are procedures that are followed by either party before any form of cooperation is suspended. Suspension of aid or travel is done in a transparent and consultative manner. The ban story was a fabrication.

 

Any last words, Your Excellency? 

We are indeed facing a national tragedy as indicated by Her Excellency the President. Indeed, we feel the pain and frustration. 

We should, however, not despair. Many countries have faced similar challenges and have come out stronger than before. We should indeed draw lessons from this experience and move forward. What is important at this stage are measures that the government is putting in place to address this problem and the actions being undertaken. There is need for us to rally behind the efforts of the government and Her Excellency the President in order to ensure that the measures are implemented effectively for the benefit of all the people of Malawi and for building a prosperous future. 

To end, allow me to quote a verse in the Bible. Proverbs 27:18: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruits, and he who looks after his master will be honoured. 

In this comparison, we see a picture of competence and loyalty. The master is like the fig tree, providing for the needs of his servant. But if the tree is not tended, no one benefits. If the master is not looked after, he won’t have the resources to honour his servant. 

We may not talk about the master/servant title but today let us talk about Malawi and the citizen, I mean, Malawi and us, all of us. To tend to our source of provision (Malawi) is to take care of ourselves. So let us please help our country, let us help ourselves.

“Five shots couldn’t drop me,
I took it and smiled,
Now I’m back
To set the record straight”
Tupac Amaru Shakur

 

So the guy the whole nation has been waiting for is back.

Before September 13 the name Paul Mphwiyo was only associated with a happy-go-lucky socialite willing without much prompting to offer rounds of you-know-what to people he hardly knew. 

To those who knew him in the so-called ‘world’, Paul Mphwiyo was ‘big man wamkulu’, a man-about-town living life in the fast-lane, ready to flaunt his ever-fat wallet to whoever needed their parched throats whetted. 

 

To those who knew him earlier in college, Paul Mphwiyo was an ambitious young man, ready to exploit to the fullest his connections in the corridors of power. 

And then someone – or some people – way-laid him and pumped into his youthful frame three (some say four) bullets as he drove into his picturesque villa on that fateful September night. 

Then suddenly Malawi changed. Joyce Banda, the woman fate brought to the pinnacle of power, told all and sundry that she knew whodunit! 

She said: It’s my crusade against corruption, stupid! 

Never mind that Abiti later unconvincingly ate her own words. The President was unequivocal when, while attending some Muslim women function somewhere in Lunzu soon after the unprecedented shooting of Mphwiyo, she said she knew the people who hit the 37-year-old technocrat. She said they wanted to frustrate her campaign against corruption in government. 

How, only the President knows for Paul Mphwiyo, for the record, was only Budget Director in the Ministry of Finance. He was not the Controlling Officer, the gate-keeper of how finances are used in the ministry. In the unique case of the Ministry of Finance, the role of gate-keeper rests with the Secretary to the Treasury. 

But then who can second-guess the President? 

Now Mphwiyo’s shooting could have been a routine robbery. Area 43 is an affluent area. Thugs would naturally want to have a go at what is hidden behind those barricaded gates. 

But President Banda said this was not a routine shooting. Who can second-guess her? She certainly was not day-dreaming. She knew what she was talking about. 

Events that followed the shooting attested to this. Mphwiyo, who mysteriously survived being hit not once, not twice, but three times (some say four times!), was accorded the best care our depleted coffers could afford – a medvac to the best facility in the region and 24-hour state security to boot. 

Mphwiyo’s shooting unravelled perhaps Malawi’s worst financial scandal since Independence half a century ago. Suddenly car boots or underneath beds became the choice way to store real cash, hard cash. High street banks, where commissions and interests are levied and questions are asked, were off limits. 

So in the wake of the Mphwiyo shooting a lot of things have happened. The President sacked her entire cabinet. Two key ministers were subsequently fired, one of them ending up being arrested in connection with the shooting. 

Allow me to be cynical and ask this question: was Mphwiyo better dead than alive? 

If Mphwiyo had died he surely would have been given a state funeral owing to what President Banda said in the wake of his shooting.  Nobody could have questioned Her Excellency’s eulogy that one of her boys was bumped off for her anti-corruption crusade. 

But, for some reason, three – or is it four? – bullets were not enough for Mphwiyo. Now the guy is alive to tell his story. 

So is he the hero we desperately seek in the infamous cashgate? Or was he safer dead than alive? 

The September 13 shooting has unravelled a cashgate that has threatened to unmake all the gains President Banda has made since taking Malawi from the precipice Bingu wa Mutharika took us to. All the Western donor nations and agencies, who were falling over themselves to prop her government, have now started asking the hard questions. 

Indeed all our important development partners have voted with their feet. How can we turn full circle in so short a time? 

So Paul Mphwiyo holds the keys to the answers to those questions. Was anyone trying to stop him from something on that warm September day? 

Several versions of his shooting point to the fact that Mphwiyo must have seen his attackers and even exchanged words with them. There is high likelihood that he knows them. 

So who shot you, young man? You hold the fate of this nation in your hands. God preserved you for a reason, that reason should be for the good of not only you and your friends and family but the entire 15 million of us. 

Do the needful for better or for worse.

A decade ago, over 1 million people in Zambia were living with HIV. Only 143 of them were receiving treatment. The average cost of that treatment was more than $10,000 per year. Being infected with HIV in Zambia was akin to a death sentence.

When I visited Zambia in 2012, the picture had changed. Eighty percent of Zambians living with HIV now had access to treatment. I met Florence Daka, a mother of four, who received anti-retroviral treatment five years ago to prevent her from passing the virus to her baby while she was pregnant. Florence now takes medicine that allows her to work full time and care for her children. It costs about 50 cents per day.

On World AIDS Day, December 1, we have an opportunity to make Florence’s story a reality for more families by supporting an organization that is helping developing countries respond to three of the world’s biggest health challenges — the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Since it was founded in 2002, the Global Fund has been a leader in the world’s successful response to HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. All told, its efforts have saved nearly 9 million lives.

The Global Fund also plays a key role in helping developing countries change the course of these three epidemics.

For example, when people have early access to HIV testing and treatment, they not only save their own lives but they dramatically reduce their chances of infecting others. Moreover, a simple preventive procedure like voluntary medical male circumcision lowers a man’s chance of acquiring HIV — and potentially transmitting it to his partner — by about 60%. Overall, effective prevention and treatment programs have helped reduce new HIV infections by a third since 2001.

That last number is crucial, because preventing new HIV infections is absolutely essential to ending AIDS. Developing a vaccine to prevent HIV remains critical, and scientific researchers are achieving exciting breakthroughs. In the meantime, we need to develop new technologies that women can use to protect themselves. Condoms are a great way to prevent the spread of HIV, but they require the cooperation of both partners.
AIDS: How to survive a global plague On GPS, Bono on U.S. fight against HIV Magic Johnson on HIV/AIDS, gay son
Even if a vaccine or a revolutionary new prevention method were discovered tomorrow, our work wouldn’t be over — because they won’t end AIDS if they don’t reach people at risk. That is what the Global Fund has been so successful at doing for the past decade: delivering the best tools available to the people who need them most.
The Global Fund doesn’t just provide money for pills and other health products. It channels its resources into training new generations of doctors, nurses, and health care workers. It helps developing countries build stronger health systems. This approach guarantees that the money donors invest in the Global Fund has a long-term impact on overall health and quality of life in dozens of countries.

Put simply: The Global Fund isn’t just one of the kindest things people have ever done for each other — it’s also one of the smartest investments the world has ever made.

On Monday and Tuesday, leaders from around the world will meet in Washington for the Global Fund’s fourth pledge conference, called the Global Fund Replenishment, to raise the necessary funding for the next three years.

The gathering is a reminder that the Global Fund was founded by the world to address an urgent need. We still need the entire world’s support to continue the incredible progress we’ve made.

This World AIDS Day, we need governments, private donors, NGOs, activists and leaders to reaffirm their commitment to an organization that has helped change the course of three epidemics.

Follow us on Twitter @maravipost.

ATLANTA Friday, November 29, 2013 – Malawi’s embattled president Joyce Banda has told a British paper in an exclusive Interview that she will not be a “cry baby” over the decision by Western donors including Britain to freeze aid. 

Mrs. Joyce Banda, like Bingu WA Mutharika before her is resorting to the same response to Western donors deciding to Freeze aid due to the Massive “Cash gate” Scandal facing her less than two year old Government.

 

In the interview she is quoted to have said “”Sometimes when these things happen, you grow up, you find other ways. We must become creative, we are not going to be dependent forever. Perhaps this is a golden opportunity for us.”

Exactly what Bingu WA Mutharika said when the same donors soured on his autocratic rule in his second term in office?

Like Bingu before her President Joyce Banda has no real plan to supplement the lost donor funds. Bingu tried to look to the East for help. How well did that work for him?

The President is right in stating that the corruption did not start with her administration. However this does not absolve her from blame. She also appears to have Amnesia as she conveniently forgets she was in both the Muluzi and Bingu Governments.

Her defenders will continue to say she was marginalized in the Bingu WA Mutharika government, While that might be true she chose not to resign which led to this accidental Presidency.

If the President has no concrete plans to replace the lost foreign aid, she needs to be humble and work with our benefactors. Blaster never did Bingu any good, her posture and defiance can only lead to long Petro lines, High inflation and misery to Malawians

Mafumu a ku Chamalaza mumzinda wa Mzuzu awalangiza kuti asafunse dipo kapena ndalama pochitira  umboni  munthu wa chilendo kapena wa mmudzi mwawo  kuti alembetse mukaundula wa za chisankho chifukwa kutero ndi mulandu ndipo akapezeka azamangidwa.

Mkulu woyang’anira zophunzitsa wanthu pa nkhani za chisankho mumzindawu mayi Naomi Gondwe NyaMNyirenda  ndiye adanena izi lachitatu pamemne amachezera azimayi, mafumu, zinduna, anthu a matchalichi osiyanasiyana ndinso akuluakulu a zipani zosiyanasiyana pa sukulu ya Chamalaza .

Mayi Gondwe NyamNyirenda adati  mfumu kuwunikira anthu ache pa zitukuko zosiyanasiyana zochitika mmudzi mwache ndi ntchito yache kuyikira umboni ndipo sayenera kufupidwa pokhetsa thukuta pantchitoyi.

Iwo ati mfumu yachoncho ilibe chikondi ndi anthu ache ndipo ndiyachinyengo yoyenera kumangidwa.

Mayiyu wanena izi malingana kuti dziko la Malawi chaka cha mawa pa May 20, lizakhara ndizisankho zapatatu kwa nthawi yoyamba muzakazambirimbiri pomwe nzika za dziko lino zizasankha phungu, mlangizi wadera ndinso mkulu wadziko(pulezidenti).

Koma izi zisadachitike, munthu ayenera kulembetsa kaye kuti azathe kusankha bwino atsogoleriwa.

Pamene kumadera ena kalemberayu adayamba kale,mumzimdawu, kulembetsa kudzachitika pa Decembala 5 ndipo kuzatha pa Decembala 18 2013.

Mayi Nyamnyirendawa ati  kuti munthu ulembetse bwino payenera kukhara chiphatso monga choyendetsera galimoto, choyendera kunja kapena chikalata chochokera kwamfumu kuyikira umboni kuti ndiwedi nzika ya Malawi.

Mayi Nyamnyirenda ati otsalembetsa asemphana ndi zabwino zambiri chifukwa chiphatso choponyera voti ndichabwino kwambiri  pazitukuko zambiri zomwe munthu nkupezapo phindu. Iwo adati ndiphatso choponyera voti munthu ungathe kutengera ndalama ku banki, ndizabwino zotero.

Polankhulaposo pa nkhani yolembetsa yomweyo, mayi Rabecca Hara Chisanya omwe ndinamandwa pophunzitsa nkhani za zisankho adati  kulembetsa kawiri kuti chipani  chomwe  amachikonda chipambane kwambiri ndi mlandu waukulu woti munthu kumangidwa.

Iwo ati ngati chithunzi chomwe wina wajambulitsa patsikulo sichidamusangalatse ndi bwino kujambulanso kachiwiri kusiyana ndi kulembetsa kawiri.

Komanso anthu akuChamalaza awuzidwa kuti asazavale Malaya a mtundu wa chipani chomwe iwo amachikonda panthawi yakalemberayi chifukwa kutero kuli ngati ukukopa wanthu kapena kuzetsa ziwawa pamalo a boma.

Anthuwa awuzidwanso kuti apite akalembetse mwaunyinji wawo tsiku likafika chifukwa kulibe kuonjezera matsiku pazifukwa zochedwera  dala.

Mmalo mwawo, mfumu Galang’ombe ya kuchamalaza yathokoza bungwe lachisankholi chifukwa cha maphunzirowo eti awatsegulammaso.