Expanding terrorist networks, mass displacement and the collapse of essential services in West Africa and the Sahel are a growing concern worldwide.
Tag Archives: Concern Worldwide
Cycling for Climate Justice in on-going COP-29: With calls for funding accessibility to Malawi’s vulnerable communities
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s environmental and climate change advocates are calling for easy access to funding for smaller organizations working directly with vulnerable communities for rural voices.
The call was made during the just ended Malawi Climate Justice Caravan, a cycling event advocating for climate justice for the on-going Conference of Parties on Climate (COP-29) in Baku in Azerbaijan.
The Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) and National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC) with support from Concern Worldwide and Oxfam Africa through Oxfam Malawi organized the Climate Justice Caravan from Saturday to Monday which started in Blantyre and pass through Balaka, Ntcheu, Dedza and concluded in Lilongwe.
Addressing the media at the end of Caravan, NYNCC National Coordinator Dominic Nyasulu called for fair, accessible funding for smaller organizations.
“This movement fights for an equitable future where those bearing the climate crisis’s brunt are empowered and supported.
“This is the reason we want developed nation at COP-29 for provide enough funding for local organisations for various climate change adaptation programmes towards vulnerable communities”, appeals Nyasulu.
In his remarks, Oxfam Malawi Project Coordinator Kondwan Mubisa called for community voices to be at the forefront of discussions at #COP29 COP29 in Baku.
Mubisa observed that communities in developing nations including Malawi face the harshest impacts of climate change and deserve a central role in shaping the global response.
“Vulnerable Clcommunities’ experiences and challenges must guide climate action to ensure solutions truly meet their needs”, urgues Mubisa.
One of the cyclists, Mike Liwonda said a three-day journey was tough but worthy which advocated for climate justice.
“This journey highlights Malawi’s urgent climate challenges—droughts, floods, rising lake levels, and Cyclone Freddy—largely fueled by actions of wealthier, high-polluting nations.
“Malawi needs #climatejustice with financial support to recover and invest in green solutions”, he said.
Liwonda therefore called for investments in renewable energy and subsidies for clean energy sources including solar power and LPG, to reduce Malawi’s dependence on polluting fuels.
“It’s time for #COP29 leaders to support true #ClimateResilience for all”, he concluded.
During the launch of cycling caravan, CISONECC Board Member Melton Luhanga said the primary goal of the cycling event is to demand accountability from developed nations.
He called for climate finance to be offered as grants—not loans—to support countries severely affected by climate change.
Luhanga however observed that CISONECC members are united in their commitment to amplifying the voices of those most impacted.
He therefore appealed, “Time is now for developed countries to support developing nations fairly and adequately”.
Concern Worldwide for SGBV survivors proper support
By Thandie Chadzandiyani
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s Concern Worldwide has emphasised the need for Sex and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors to have proper support in communities.
This is the reason the organisation orgainised a week long training on service providers to properly support the SGBV survivors.
The training which is conducted from Monday, June 21 to June 25 aims at boost knowledge on SGBV
Deputy Director of Gender affairs in Ministry of Gender, Alice Mkandawire said: “The training is very important because most of the survivors do not have readily available services as most of the service providers do not have the skills and knowledge to do so plus they are not enough service providers for that matter”
“In these issues coordination of service providers is very important because when people experience this act they are supposed to be assisted as quickly as possible, so all the prayers need to know their roles such the coordination” added Mkandawire.
The training has attracted service providers from the police, healthy, the judiciary and also community leaders.
Madalitso Munthali Program Coordinator of Concern Worldwide in an interview said: “The training is all about SGBV which is aimed at equipping service providers with knowledge on this issue, so we want to ensure that their service delivery should be perfect”.
“Most survivors do not get the help they needed due to less knowledge of leaders on this aspect of act. SGBV is very common but victims do not come out due to poor service providers, for us to solve this we see it as perfect to start from the head to the tail,” added Munthali.
SGBV survivor Esnart Salimu said the training is timely for knowledge gap that has been existed for long.
“SGBV is rising per day as we are saying so we need more and more leaders who are going to be addressing it without fear”, Salimu said.
ECHO community, faith leaders on Covid-19 vaccine drive campaign
By Thandie Chadzandiyani
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), faith leaders and Lilongwe District Health Office (DHO) has embarked a sensetization campaign to ward block leaders and faith leaders on Covid-19 vaccine uptake.
Lilongwe DHO Health Promotion Officer Trinitus Mvalo said with financial support from Concern Worldwide the campaign uses mobile van publicity to publicize the vaccine.
“We have seen a change since we started these meetings more people are coming for the jab. For health personnel protection we prefer people coming to the public hospitals, this jab is a volunteer thing, no one is forced to get it,” he said.
Patrick Jackson Kalolo chairman of Champuntha Trading center explained that ” Its not easy to get people from this village to get the jab as they have received the wrong information already, you have to start from the beginning again to reset their mindset, but with the help from the DHO we have made progress”.
Wongani Kaonga programm support officer explained the project aims at providing support to the national govetnment, local government authorities and communities in Malawi to prevent, rapidly detect and effectively respond to COVID-19 pandemic thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.
“These briefings are being conducted with the aim of appealing the gate keepers to have a better understand on the characteristics of the vaccine and the vaccine administration process focusing more on countering misconception about the vaccine and corona virus disease,” she further elaborated.
The project working on COVID-19 vaccine awareness is being implemented under a consortium of nine organizations, Concern Worldwide, Ciiperazione Internazionale (lead), Oxfarm, Catholic Relief Services, United Purpose, Save the Children, GOAL Malawi, Care and Trocaire.
The ECHO project has been running from August 1 2020 and will end on October 31 2021 with 3.4 Million EURO’s contribution from the European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) plus 93, 355 EURO’s contribution from the NGO partners.
16 Day of Activism; Malawian women asked to break marital rape’ silence
LlLONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Just a few days before winding up this year’s 16 Day of Activism to end domestic violence, Malawian women have been challenged to break the silence on marital rape.
Marital rape whereby a man forces to sleep with the wife against her will is said to be common in most families which has been detrimental to social-economic environment of the communities.
Therefore reporting marital rapes to the victim support is recipe for free-violence communities as perpetrators will be taken to task. Continue reading 16 Day of Activism; Malawian women asked to break marital rape’ silence
Two Malawian G4S guards in Mchinji nabbed for stealing at duty station
MCHINJI-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi police in the boarder district of Mchinji are keeping in custody two G4S security guards for allegedly breaking into a warehouse in which they were assigned to guard and stealing therein assorted items wealth K1,188,000.00.
Mchinji police station spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino has identified the suspects as Watson Kamwathendo 26, and Hazwick Sankhulani, 24, who committed the crime on the night of January 8 and 9 of this year.
Lubriano told The Maravi Post that the guards were assigned as usual to guard Mchinji Field Offices for Concern Worldwide and it is alleged that during the same night one guard was spotted by a colleague sneaking and breaking in the warehouse where operational items are kept.
The police publicist said without knowing that he was seen the suspect took fifteen cloth wrappers but before he was successful with his plans he was confronted by the colleague.
Lubirano added that following the development the said colleague reported the matter to the Project Manager Kennedy Nyirenda alerting him of the issue.
“The Manager then made inquires to establish what properties were missing in the warehouse and he discovered that 22 laptop bags, 222 cloth wrappers, and 48 t-shirts all totaling to the value of K1,188,000 were missing.
“Nyirenda disclosed also that the properties started missing during the month of September last year up to the day of this revelation. After a formal report was made to Mchinji Police Station, investigations were instituted another G4S guard who was working during day shift was connected to the theft.
“The police have so far recovered 15 cloth wrappers, 2 laptop bags and 3 t-shirts from the suspects. And the two have already been formerly charged with an offence of breaking into building and committing a felony therein which is contrary to section 311 of the Penal Code and will appear before court when investigations are over”, said Lubriano.
Both Kamwathendo and Sankhulani hail from Chigunda and Mata villages, Traditional Authorities (T.As) Mabvwere and Kalumbu in Mchinji and Lilongwe districts respectively.