BY Albert Sharra.
The 11 year old girl who got fistula after rape is now no more fistula and is expected to go for a close colostomy operation on 27 October 2010 at Mwaiwathu hospital in Malawi.The operation will involve replacing the temporary rectum to its normal place from the stomach.There is alot of expectations on this day as the parent plans to fast for 10 days asking God to bless Mr Price shop who are sponsoring the operation and Albert Sharra who wrote the pursuasive story that invited the sponsor.
After the hopsital release there will be pictures of the girl and mother on this blog and some details so stay connected.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Girl with fistula coping well, Mother applauds Mr Price
ALBERT SHARRA
11 year old girl who has been struggling with fistula for over seven years is coping well having undergone the first operation at Mwaiwathu hospital in Blantyre courtesy of international business operator Mr Price.
The girl underwent transverse colostomy whose purpose is to divert the stool from its normal passage to a temporary rectum on the stomach as the doctor’s work on the fistula.
According to one of the gynecologist at the hospital who are helping the girl Dr Edgar Kuchingale the girl is expected to undergo three operations but because she is young the operations have been phased into three to be done on a month interval.
The three phases involves transverse colostomy, repair of anal sphincter muscle and close colostomy.
Ruth Hara, the mother of the girl told Nation on Sunday last Friday that the girl is coping well after the first operation.
“I am happy that she is fine and I am optimistic that the remaining operations will be successful, “she said.
Hara has also applauded Mr Price who has not concentrated on hospital support alone but has touched on the girl’s material support.
According to Hara Mr Price donated clothes, shoes, blankets and some materials that have helped to ease the situation the girl was going through.
She has also held the support other people have rendered to her.
Mr Price chief executive officer Debbie Eve also confirmed the development and said they are committed to provide all necessary support the girl may need and added that the duration of the operation will not affect the sponsorship.
“We are not affected with the duration because we are committed to make sure the girl is fine. We will stick to our promise and make sure the girl gets all the necessary support from us during the entire period of her operation,” she said while confirming that they have spared one million for the girl.
The girl is expected back in hospital on 13 September for the next operation.
Raped by unknown man when she was only three, the girl has struggle for seven years when in toilet with both feacal matter and urine coming out through the same passage.
11 year old girl who has been struggling with fistula for over seven years is coping well having undergone the first operation at Mwaiwathu hospital in Blantyre courtesy of international business operator Mr Price.
The girl underwent transverse colostomy whose purpose is to divert the stool from its normal passage to a temporary rectum on the stomach as the doctor’s work on the fistula.
According to one of the gynecologist at the hospital who are helping the girl Dr Edgar Kuchingale the girl is expected to undergo three operations but because she is young the operations have been phased into three to be done on a month interval.
The three phases involves transverse colostomy, repair of anal sphincter muscle and close colostomy.
Ruth Hara, the mother of the girl told Nation on Sunday last Friday that the girl is coping well after the first operation.
“I am happy that she is fine and I am optimistic that the remaining operations will be successful, “she said.
Hara has also applauded Mr Price who has not concentrated on hospital support alone but has touched on the girl’s material support.
According to Hara Mr Price donated clothes, shoes, blankets and some materials that have helped to ease the situation the girl was going through.
She has also held the support other people have rendered to her.
Mr Price chief executive officer Debbie Eve also confirmed the development and said they are committed to provide all necessary support the girl may need and added that the duration of the operation will not affect the sponsorship.
“We are not affected with the duration because we are committed to make sure the girl is fine. We will stick to our promise and make sure the girl gets all the necessary support from us during the entire period of her operation,” she said while confirming that they have spared one million for the girl.
The girl is expected back in hospital on 13 September for the next operation.
Raped by unknown man when she was only three, the girl has struggle for seven years when in toilet with both feacal matter and urine coming out through the same passage.
Things turning positive for girl with fistula
ALBERT SHARRA
Hopes for the better for the eleven year old girl who has been struggling with fistula for seven years seems to be ticking positively towards success of the fistula operation she is going through at Mwaiwathu hospital in Blantyre .
After the first operation which was carried out last month came out successfully, glory was back gain last Thursday at Kabula ward at the hospital where the girl is lying after the second operation came out successful.
Mwaiwathu hospital gynecologist Dr. Edgar Kuchingale who is carrying the operation confirmed the success of the operation.
“Things are just going on okey,the operation was successful and the girl is responding well that I am optimistic that the last operation will be a success as well,”he said.
According to Kuchingale the girl is expected to be in hospital for a week while healing.
The second operation involved the repair of the anal and vaginal canals and after healing will pave way for close colostomy which will involve transplanting the temporary rectum to its normal place.
In a telephone interview from Mwaiwathu, mother of the girl said she is happy that the second operation has come out again successful and added that she is now optimistic that the girl will be fine again.
“I am happy, my girl is responding well and doctors are doing their best ,I must appreciate and above all my great honour should go to Mr. Price who are sponsoring the operation,” said the woman stammering in excitement.
International business operator who are sponsoring the operation Mr. Price chief Executive officer Debbie Eve said her organization is happy with the progress of the operation and said they are leaving no any stone unturned to ensure the whole operation is successful.
“We are committed and we will provide all necessary assistance that may be needed so that the girl retains her normal health,” she said.
The girl was raped in 2003 by unknown man who left her with fistula and for the past years has been struggling when in toilet with both feacal matter and urine coming out through the same passage.
Hopes for the better for the eleven year old girl who has been struggling with fistula for seven years seems to be ticking positively towards success of the fistula operation she is going through at Mwaiwathu hospital in Blantyre .
After the first operation which was carried out last month came out successfully, glory was back gain last Thursday at Kabula ward at the hospital where the girl is lying after the second operation came out successful.
Mwaiwathu hospital gynecologist Dr. Edgar Kuchingale who is carrying the operation confirmed the success of the operation.
“Things are just going on okey,the operation was successful and the girl is responding well that I am optimistic that the last operation will be a success as well,”he said.
According to Kuchingale the girl is expected to be in hospital for a week while healing.
The second operation involved the repair of the anal and vaginal canals and after healing will pave way for close colostomy which will involve transplanting the temporary rectum to its normal place.
In a telephone interview from Mwaiwathu, mother of the girl said she is happy that the second operation has come out again successful and added that she is now optimistic that the girl will be fine again.
“I am happy, my girl is responding well and doctors are doing their best ,I must appreciate and above all my great honour should go to Mr. Price who are sponsoring the operation,” said the woman stammering in excitement.
International business operator who are sponsoring the operation Mr. Price chief Executive officer Debbie Eve said her organization is happy with the progress of the operation and said they are leaving no any stone unturned to ensure the whole operation is successful.
“We are committed and we will provide all necessary assistance that may be needed so that the girl retains her normal health,” she said.
The girl was raped in 2003 by unknown man who left her with fistula and for the past years has been struggling when in toilet with both feacal matter and urine coming out through the same passage.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Girl who got fistula after rape
The Girl who got fistula after rape
By ALBERT SHARRA
People were happy when government encouraged stiff punishments to rapist in 2002 when the practice became rampant. Alot of people have been arrested for rape since that time. Hospitals worked together with the police to assist the victims.
But Lucy (not real name) of traditional Authority Etisuseni in Mzimba who is now based in Mchesi, Lilongwe was not so luck as to get hospital and police support.
The girl now 11 years old has the sad story to tell. At the age of three, Lucy was raped by unknown man who picked her from outside her parent’s house in Mchesi at around 6pm.
Speaking while tears flowing down her cheeks, Lucy says she does not remember the man who raped her.
Her mother (name with held) who had seen little Lucy playing outside the house earlier said she was surprised to see that the child was not there. it was only when she asked other children that she was told that Lucy had been picked by an unknown man.
“We tried to look everywhere in the location but we couldn’t find her. She was later found lying unconscious along Lilongwe River the following day.
“We found her with a swollen face and with blood all over her waist and legs, we took her to the hospital after recognizing that she had been raped,” the divorced mother said.
The report to the police did not help because the suspect is not known.
Lucy was admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe in January 2004 and she spent two months.
A medical report from KCH dated 09/01/2004 reads.
“She has a rectovaginal fistula, keep her in paediatric ward”
It adds that the girl is a rape victim and had a penetrating injury to the rectum and vaginal canals and needs a surgical operation.
Sadly, Lucy has not yet had the surgical operation that was recommended in the medical report.
The doctor told her mother to go back for operation when the girl is an adolescent.
But challenged by lack of finances, Lucy’s mother, who is not employed and stays in her relatives house, failed to seek medical care from private hospitals.
For six years now, the girl has had problems in toilet, with both faeces and urine coming through the same passage.
Her mother says the incident has affected Lucy’s performance at school as well as her general thinking capacity.
Lucy’s std3 class teacher at Lilongwe girls primary Lulu Chikupeta says the girl struggles a lot in class.
“She is psychologically affected because even here at school, she comes randomly and do not participate effectively,” she says.
Lucy complains that the incident left her with a problem on her navel which is very painful and makes her fail to go to school most of the time.
“I feel pain in my stomach around navel everyday especially in the morning which makes it difficult for me to go to school,” she said.
Lucy’s mother says her daughter’s condition frightens her.
“Doctors say the operation will be possible when she becomes adolescent but this frightens me because my daughter is struggling with her life,” complained the mother adding: “I am worried about her reproductive system as well because she falls ill frequently,”
She called on well wishers to help her meet private hospital bills.
“I don’t have a relative who can help pay for private hospital bills. My daughter’s condition is getting worse as she grows up,” she said.
A source from KCH female surgical ward who pleaded for anonymity said the girl operation would be successful if it were done before she reaches adolescence.
The source also said the operation will be successful if it is done before the girl reaches adolescent stage.
“We have some equipment for the operation but the girl will still have problems in giving birth and in the toilet,” said the source.
Director of children voices (CV) a Human rights consultant organization based in Kawale Lilongwe Wilfred Gumbata says it is sad that the girl is getting confusing information from medical practioners.
He called on well wishers to assist Lucy.
END.
Pictures of the girl, mother and the house they live in can be released on conditions.
Note: After the story was published in the Nation Newspaper on July 29,2010,various well wishers came forward to assist the girl but finally was Mr Price who did the job.Mr Price sent the girl to Mwaiwathu private hospital where she has been undergoing surgical operations and the final operation is expected to be done October end.Currently (15 October 2010) the girl is no more fistula.What a good news.Mr Price did not only touch on medical support but also material support that they have been donating clothes and blankents to the widow (mother of the girl) who has three children but takes care of an orphan.
For comments call 0999944235/albertshara@yahoo.com
By ALBERT SHARRA
People were happy when government encouraged stiff punishments to rapist in 2002 when the practice became rampant. Alot of people have been arrested for rape since that time. Hospitals worked together with the police to assist the victims.
But Lucy (not real name) of traditional Authority Etisuseni in Mzimba who is now based in Mchesi, Lilongwe was not so luck as to get hospital and police support.
The girl now 11 years old has the sad story to tell. At the age of three, Lucy was raped by unknown man who picked her from outside her parent’s house in Mchesi at around 6pm.
Speaking while tears flowing down her cheeks, Lucy says she does not remember the man who raped her.
Her mother (name with held) who had seen little Lucy playing outside the house earlier said she was surprised to see that the child was not there. it was only when she asked other children that she was told that Lucy had been picked by an unknown man.
“We tried to look everywhere in the location but we couldn’t find her. She was later found lying unconscious along Lilongwe River the following day.
“We found her with a swollen face and with blood all over her waist and legs, we took her to the hospital after recognizing that she had been raped,” the divorced mother said.
The report to the police did not help because the suspect is not known.
Lucy was admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe in January 2004 and she spent two months.
A medical report from KCH dated 09/01/2004 reads.
“She has a rectovaginal fistula, keep her in paediatric ward”
It adds that the girl is a rape victim and had a penetrating injury to the rectum and vaginal canals and needs a surgical operation.
Sadly, Lucy has not yet had the surgical operation that was recommended in the medical report.
The doctor told her mother to go back for operation when the girl is an adolescent.
But challenged by lack of finances, Lucy’s mother, who is not employed and stays in her relatives house, failed to seek medical care from private hospitals.
For six years now, the girl has had problems in toilet, with both faeces and urine coming through the same passage.
Her mother says the incident has affected Lucy’s performance at school as well as her general thinking capacity.
Lucy’s std3 class teacher at Lilongwe girls primary Lulu Chikupeta says the girl struggles a lot in class.
“She is psychologically affected because even here at school, she comes randomly and do not participate effectively,” she says.
Lucy complains that the incident left her with a problem on her navel which is very painful and makes her fail to go to school most of the time.
“I feel pain in my stomach around navel everyday especially in the morning which makes it difficult for me to go to school,” she said.
Lucy’s mother says her daughter’s condition frightens her.
“Doctors say the operation will be possible when she becomes adolescent but this frightens me because my daughter is struggling with her life,” complained the mother adding: “I am worried about her reproductive system as well because she falls ill frequently,”
She called on well wishers to help her meet private hospital bills.
“I don’t have a relative who can help pay for private hospital bills. My daughter’s condition is getting worse as she grows up,” she said.
A source from KCH female surgical ward who pleaded for anonymity said the girl operation would be successful if it were done before she reaches adolescence.
The source also said the operation will be successful if it is done before the girl reaches adolescent stage.
“We have some equipment for the operation but the girl will still have problems in giving birth and in the toilet,” said the source.
Director of children voices (CV) a Human rights consultant organization based in Kawale Lilongwe Wilfred Gumbata says it is sad that the girl is getting confusing information from medical practioners.
He called on well wishers to assist Lucy.
END.
Pictures of the girl, mother and the house they live in can be released on conditions.
Note: After the story was published in the Nation Newspaper on July 29,2010,various well wishers came forward to assist the girl but finally was Mr Price who did the job.Mr Price sent the girl to Mwaiwathu private hospital where she has been undergoing surgical operations and the final operation is expected to be done October end.Currently (15 October 2010) the girl is no more fistula.What a good news.Mr Price did not only touch on medical support but also material support that they have been donating clothes and blankents to the widow (mother of the girl) who has three children but takes care of an orphan.
For comments call 0999944235/albertshara@yahoo.com
Monday, June 7, 2010
Malawi achieves double Declarations budget allocation targets
By ALBERT SHARRA
With only five years to the Abuja and Darker Declarations goals target the just passed 2010/2011 Malawi national budget has everything that it takes for a nation like Malawi to start celebrating the hope of achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) before 2015.
Malawi is among many countries that singed the Millennium Declarations which aims at achieving the eight MDGs by 2015.However the future of this lies in the hands of regular budget process and long term development strategies.
To achieve this easily head of states from various nations in 2001 assembled in Abuja where they discussed methods that can help nations afford to achieve the goals and they made commitments to ensure they all live to them.
Malawi was one of the participating countries who since the signings have been failing to live to these declarations. Malawi only reached the estimated target once, few months after the signing in its 2002/2003 national budget.
This however became a challenge and strengthened the hope that Malawi will be among the nations that will not achieve these MDGs by 2015.
Among the notable declarations Malawi signed, is the Abuja Declaration on health. At the April 2001 African Union Abuja declaration, nations agreed to allocate at least 15% of the national budgets to the health sector. But since then Malawi has been failing to reach the target in its budgets.
This declaration strives at ensuring that nations are able to provide better health services to its citizens so that they can be able to contribute largely on development activities that will yield in achieving other goals stipulated in the declaration.
According to article 16 of the African Chapter on Human and People Rights and article 12 of the International Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, ignoring issues to do with human health is an infringement on the right to health of African citizens.
Government’s failure to live up to these commitments for the past decade has been a concern. Health and education which are the major priorities have been receiving little funding.
Bringing to rest the hopes and wonder whether government is concerned with its failure to live by these declaration commitments government directed the withdrawal of CHAM and Health Sciences students’ government sponsorship.
It was not a surprise to see many successful students failing to join the colleges during the 2009/2010 CHAM and Health sciences intakes.
Having insufficient space in the University of Malawi students relied on health colleges and the direction was a big blow to many students.
Moses Chikuyu of traditional Authority Msakambewa in Dowa nearly lost his life after he had taken some poison.
Moses who suffered the fate of quota system was not on the list of the university selection despite passing well his Malawi School Certificate of Education and it was a relief to be enrolled at one of the CHAM colleges but the withdraw of the sponsorship was a big blow to his family that had been struggling to source k5 000 for his secondary education.
“My family is poor and they can not even afford to raise quarter of the fees and so the direction was a big blow to my career,” he said.
The resulted reduced enrolment piled concern on the nation which has a huge deficit of trained health personal despite that health training was sponsored.
Deputy Director in Midwives office in the ministry of health Dr Adressa Malata in her speech during the recent opening ceremony of this year’s International Day of Midwives conference in Blantyre said the country needs more health personnel because the increased population and HIV/AIDS have exerted high pressure on medical personnel.
“We are meeting a lot of problems in the hospitals because of the few health personnel we have and there is a need for government to recruit many to help withstand the pressure in the hospitals,” she said.
Principal secretary in the ministry of health Chris Kangombe concurred with Malata saying the situation is bad in the health sector to an extent that over 800 per 100 000 expectant mothers are dying every year due to lack of adequate well-trained and dedicated personnel.
This means if Malawi wants to achieve MDGs 4, 5 and 6 it should do something immediately to increase the annual output of health personnel.
However this can be achieved by increasing the health funding in the national budget as stipulated in the Abuja declaration.
Having done a lot by improving heath infrastructures and delivery of health service care timely the future deemed abrupt with the low funding the ministry has been getting and the intercepted education sponsorship.
However, the situation now smells an extinction hope with the 15.5 percent the government has allocated to the health sector.
The lion’s share of k45 billion the health sector has got has not given a deaf ear to the training of health personnel issue.
Government has spared k395 million for training of health personnel which will see over 1,200 medical students getting scholarships to study at CHAM and health sciences colleges under loan scheme.
The 15.5 percent the government has allocated to the sector shows that government is making strides in its commitment to the Abuja Declarations which stipulates that every government should allocate atleast 15 percent of its total budget to the health sector.
The 2006 report from partners, participants and organizations dedicated to Public Health Development and Financing in Africa says they are concerned with the slow progress and non adherence of nations to the Abuja commitments which has resulted in the unacceptable and unsustainable loss of over 8 million lives a year to preventable, treatable and manageable diseases and health conditions and the continued devastating economic and social cost of not implementing African health commitments and the MDGs.
Coordinator of the 15 percent health allocation Campaign Rotimi Sankore during one of the health summit said the loss of over 8 million African Lives Annually to Preventable, Treatable or Manageable Health Conditions is Equal to 43 Transatlantic Jets with 500 Passengers Each Crashing Every Single Day.
This means ignoring the Abuja declaration is a deliberate need to cost the lives of citizens whose life could have been saved.
To show its eagerness to abide by the international and national agreements, government has also reached the education national budget allocation standard target.
A total of K46.8 billion has been allocated to the ministry representing 20 percent of the total budget. The education fund has seen more allocations placed in the support of primary education a move that will see government achieving MDG 2 which strives to achieve Universal primary education.
In its quest the ministry will recruit more teachers, reduce primary school teacher pupil ration, provide sufficient learning materials and learning and infrastructures.
Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE) general recommendation report says there is a great need to ensure that allocations to the education sector are guided by the regional and international standards to ensure that the sector does not operate below minimum requirements of 20 percent for realization of Education For All (EFA) goals.
The EFA goals aims at providing free and compulsory education for all, improving quality of education and expanding early childhood care and education.
Malawi was part of the team that signed the 2000 Darker declarations to achieve the EFA goals and at the summit nations agreed to allocate 20 percent of their national budgets to the education sector.
Health and education are the priorities in the regional and international declarations and achieving the allocations shows government commitment to declarations.
Minister of finance Ken Kandodo in an interview on Monday said government is committed to live by these declarations.
“Our 2010/2011 budget has seen allocations such as health exceeding the 15 percent budget allocation nations agreed and this shows how committed we are to these declarations as they are tools to achieving the Millennium development goals ,” he said.
Kandodo also said government is not only committed to achieving these declarations but also to ensure there is quality education and proper health services in the country.
The fiancé minister has also held people who contributed their ideas during the budget consultations saying their contributions have helped in budget modification which among other things have helped it reach standard budget allocations to health and education sectors.
The Abuja declaration demand that every nation should allocate at least 15 percent of the total budget to the health sector while its sister education is entitled to at least 20 percent of the total budget according to the 2000 Darker declaration on education.
END.
EDUCATION
Teaching profession, a night mare
BY ALBERT SHARRA
It is obvious that most employed people live happy life because they are able to feed, and clothe themselves and live in descent houses. It is also this employment that gives many people their different identities in society yields better reputation to many.
With the scarcity of jobs in Malawi, employed people are regarded blessed and they enjoy special respect in the communities they live in.Among these people teachers receive the highest respect. Everywhere you may go in the world you will find out that teachers are identified fast and are regarded most important figures in the society.
.
But Contrary to this perception, these teachers are the worst professionals who are suffering in all aspects of their profession in Malawi.
Imagine yourself working under government for a period of 25 years as a teacher and get promoted only once.
This is why it not a surprise to see many government teacher`s flocking for greener pastures in private schools and while others opt for part time teaching.
One of such teachers who without their sense of patriotism to the professional would have already call it quits, is Epiphania Kakhwiya of St Jones primary school in Lilongwe.
Kakhwiya joined teaching professional in 1984 as a PT4 teacher but was only promoted once to PT3 a decade ago but her salary has never changed.
Everyone almost shed a tear when Kakhwiya revealed her monthly earnings as a P3 teacher.
Kakhwiya told a gathering that assembled at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe in the presence of the minister of Education Dr. George Chaponda during the launch of this year’s CSCQBE global campaign for quality education that her salary can not serve her home for two weeks.
“If I can show you my pay slip, you will be shocked, It is like that of a housemaid but I handle over 150 students everyday,” she said.
Kakhwiya said the road she has walked during the past 28 years she has been in the profession has been rough.
“I don’t think the government appreciates the work teachers do because at our school we have over 2000 students with less than twenty teachers and most of us operate from outside the school, because there are no enough houses. This leads to teachers failing to contribute effectively because they reach the school while tired,” she said.
A spot-check with a number of head teachers in most schools in Lilongwe urban zone has shown that the issue of housing is in almost all schools and that most long serving teachers still get little salaries with no promotion.
At St Jones primary school six teachers have served at the same post for over ten years but have had never had their salaries increased. They too live outside the school campus.
Unfortunately, this school is located close to town where living standards have grown at a fast rate in the past ten years.
“We used to pay less that a thousand kwacha for rent in the past and water and electric bills were minimal but today it is different and so how can you survive on the same earning?” said Kakhwiya.
Civil Society Coalition Quality Basic Education national Coordinator Benedicto Kondowe said the situation is bad for almost 90 percent of teachers in the country.
Kondowe added that the ministry of education is facing a lot of shortfalls due to government‘s failure to provide adequate funding to the sector.
“Malawi is among the 182 countries that signed the Darker declaration in 2000 to come up with serious measures to improve education in the country but it is sad that the government still allocates little funds to the ministry of education,” said Kondowe.
For the past decade the ministry of education has failed to get the international education funding target of 20 percent of the national budget.The biggest funding the ministry got was in the 2007/2008 financial year when it got 14.1 percent of the budget.
However over 50 percent of this education fund is spent in non-salaries activities thereby constraining some important sectors such as salaries review for teachers.
Minister of education Dr. Goerge Chaponda concurred with Kondowe that government is failing to provide quality basic education in the country and that teaching profession remains undesirable to most teachers because of poor funding the ministry gets.
“It is fact that the quality of education in the country is poor and that our teachers are facing a lot of problems in their profession,” he said.
But Chaponda said there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed to achieve quality education in the country.
He said government making strides in developing ways that will solve these challenges.
“We have put in place a number of strategies that will help the ministry of education to have enough funding. We have received some donor funds and the parliament recently permitted government to access more funds of whose biggest share will go to ministries of education and health,” said Chaponda.
Malawi is among the countries striving to achieve the 2015 Education For All (EFA) goals.
Among the notable goals are expansion of early childhood care and education, improving quality education, increasing adult literacy and provision of learning and life skills for youth and adults.
Director of finance and administration in the ministry of finance Ben Botolo who also attended this year lunch of the global campaign for quality education said government of Malawi still stands a mile to achieve provision of better quality education and improve the welfare of its employees in the country.
“It is a dream and a hope that all Malawians wish to achieve, but the current situation with our economy cannot achieve this in a short time. Our exports are not giving back enough and the donor aids are just too little to address all problems Malawi is facing,” said Botolo.
According to CSCQBE statistics on education, Malawi has over 500 000 children who live on the streets and 12 percent of children enrolled in school drop out of school every year.
Minister for Youth Development and Sports Dr Lucious Kanyumba said education is the key to any development in any country and so need good funding.
He said his ministry is aware that many children have no access to education and that many teachers are suffering.
“We are aware of the situation with our teachers in the country and something need to be done immediately,”he said.
END.
By ALBERT SHARRA
With only five years to the Abuja and Darker Declarations goals target the just passed 2010/2011 Malawi national budget has everything that it takes for a nation like Malawi to start celebrating the hope of achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) before 2015.
Malawi is among many countries that singed the Millennium Declarations which aims at achieving the eight MDGs by 2015.However the future of this lies in the hands of regular budget process and long term development strategies.
To achieve this easily head of states from various nations in 2001 assembled in Abuja where they discussed methods that can help nations afford to achieve the goals and they made commitments to ensure they all live to them.
Malawi was one of the participating countries who since the signings have been failing to live to these declarations. Malawi only reached the estimated target once, few months after the signing in its 2002/2003 national budget.
This however became a challenge and strengthened the hope that Malawi will be among the nations that will not achieve these MDGs by 2015.
Among the notable declarations Malawi signed, is the Abuja Declaration on health. At the April 2001 African Union Abuja declaration, nations agreed to allocate at least 15% of the national budgets to the health sector. But since then Malawi has been failing to reach the target in its budgets.
This declaration strives at ensuring that nations are able to provide better health services to its citizens so that they can be able to contribute largely on development activities that will yield in achieving other goals stipulated in the declaration.
According to article 16 of the African Chapter on Human and People Rights and article 12 of the International Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, ignoring issues to do with human health is an infringement on the right to health of African citizens.
Government’s failure to live up to these commitments for the past decade has been a concern. Health and education which are the major priorities have been receiving little funding.
Bringing to rest the hopes and wonder whether government is concerned with its failure to live by these declaration commitments government directed the withdrawal of CHAM and Health Sciences students’ government sponsorship.
It was not a surprise to see many successful students failing to join the colleges during the 2009/2010 CHAM and Health sciences intakes.
Having insufficient space in the University of Malawi students relied on health colleges and the direction was a big blow to many students.
Moses Chikuyu of traditional Authority Msakambewa in Dowa nearly lost his life after he had taken some poison.
Moses who suffered the fate of quota system was not on the list of the university selection despite passing well his Malawi School Certificate of Education and it was a relief to be enrolled at one of the CHAM colleges but the withdraw of the sponsorship was a big blow to his family that had been struggling to source k5 000 for his secondary education.
“My family is poor and they can not even afford to raise quarter of the fees and so the direction was a big blow to my career,” he said.
The resulted reduced enrolment piled concern on the nation which has a huge deficit of trained health personal despite that health training was sponsored.
Deputy Director in Midwives office in the ministry of health Dr Adressa Malata in her speech during the recent opening ceremony of this year’s International Day of Midwives conference in Blantyre said the country needs more health personnel because the increased population and HIV/AIDS have exerted high pressure on medical personnel.
“We are meeting a lot of problems in the hospitals because of the few health personnel we have and there is a need for government to recruit many to help withstand the pressure in the hospitals,” she said.
Principal secretary in the ministry of health Chris Kangombe concurred with Malata saying the situation is bad in the health sector to an extent that over 800 per 100 000 expectant mothers are dying every year due to lack of adequate well-trained and dedicated personnel.
This means if Malawi wants to achieve MDGs 4, 5 and 6 it should do something immediately to increase the annual output of health personnel.
However this can be achieved by increasing the health funding in the national budget as stipulated in the Abuja declaration.
Having done a lot by improving heath infrastructures and delivery of health service care timely the future deemed abrupt with the low funding the ministry has been getting and the intercepted education sponsorship.
However, the situation now smells an extinction hope with the 15.5 percent the government has allocated to the health sector.
The lion’s share of k45 billion the health sector has got has not given a deaf ear to the training of health personnel issue.
Government has spared k395 million for training of health personnel which will see over 1,200 medical students getting scholarships to study at CHAM and health sciences colleges under loan scheme.
The 15.5 percent the government has allocated to the sector shows that government is making strides in its commitment to the Abuja Declarations which stipulates that every government should allocate atleast 15 percent of its total budget to the health sector.
The 2006 report from partners, participants and organizations dedicated to Public Health Development and Financing in Africa says they are concerned with the slow progress and non adherence of nations to the Abuja commitments which has resulted in the unacceptable and unsustainable loss of over 8 million lives a year to preventable, treatable and manageable diseases and health conditions and the continued devastating economic and social cost of not implementing African health commitments and the MDGs.
Coordinator of the 15 percent health allocation Campaign Rotimi Sankore during one of the health summit said the loss of over 8 million African Lives Annually to Preventable, Treatable or Manageable Health Conditions is Equal to 43 Transatlantic Jets with 500 Passengers Each Crashing Every Single Day.
This means ignoring the Abuja declaration is a deliberate need to cost the lives of citizens whose life could have been saved.
To show its eagerness to abide by the international and national agreements, government has also reached the education national budget allocation standard target.
A total of K46.8 billion has been allocated to the ministry representing 20 percent of the total budget. The education fund has seen more allocations placed in the support of primary education a move that will see government achieving MDG 2 which strives to achieve Universal primary education.
In its quest the ministry will recruit more teachers, reduce primary school teacher pupil ration, provide sufficient learning materials and learning and infrastructures.
Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE) general recommendation report says there is a great need to ensure that allocations to the education sector are guided by the regional and international standards to ensure that the sector does not operate below minimum requirements of 20 percent for realization of Education For All (EFA) goals.
The EFA goals aims at providing free and compulsory education for all, improving quality of education and expanding early childhood care and education.
Malawi was part of the team that signed the 2000 Darker declarations to achieve the EFA goals and at the summit nations agreed to allocate 20 percent of their national budgets to the education sector.
Health and education are the priorities in the regional and international declarations and achieving the allocations shows government commitment to declarations.
Minister of finance Ken Kandodo in an interview on Monday said government is committed to live by these declarations.
“Our 2010/2011 budget has seen allocations such as health exceeding the 15 percent budget allocation nations agreed and this shows how committed we are to these declarations as they are tools to achieving the Millennium development goals ,” he said.
Kandodo also said government is not only committed to achieving these declarations but also to ensure there is quality education and proper health services in the country.
The fiancé minister has also held people who contributed their ideas during the budget consultations saying their contributions have helped in budget modification which among other things have helped it reach standard budget allocations to health and education sectors.
The Abuja declaration demand that every nation should allocate at least 15 percent of the total budget to the health sector while its sister education is entitled to at least 20 percent of the total budget according to the 2000 Darker declaration on education.
END.
EDUCATION
Teaching profession, a night mare
BY ALBERT SHARRA
It is obvious that most employed people live happy life because they are able to feed, and clothe themselves and live in descent houses. It is also this employment that gives many people their different identities in society yields better reputation to many.
With the scarcity of jobs in Malawi, employed people are regarded blessed and they enjoy special respect in the communities they live in.Among these people teachers receive the highest respect. Everywhere you may go in the world you will find out that teachers are identified fast and are regarded most important figures in the society.
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But Contrary to this perception, these teachers are the worst professionals who are suffering in all aspects of their profession in Malawi.
Imagine yourself working under government for a period of 25 years as a teacher and get promoted only once.
This is why it not a surprise to see many government teacher`s flocking for greener pastures in private schools and while others opt for part time teaching.
One of such teachers who without their sense of patriotism to the professional would have already call it quits, is Epiphania Kakhwiya of St Jones primary school in Lilongwe.
Kakhwiya joined teaching professional in 1984 as a PT4 teacher but was only promoted once to PT3 a decade ago but her salary has never changed.
Everyone almost shed a tear when Kakhwiya revealed her monthly earnings as a P3 teacher.
Kakhwiya told a gathering that assembled at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe in the presence of the minister of Education Dr. George Chaponda during the launch of this year’s CSCQBE global campaign for quality education that her salary can not serve her home for two weeks.
“If I can show you my pay slip, you will be shocked, It is like that of a housemaid but I handle over 150 students everyday,” she said.
Kakhwiya said the road she has walked during the past 28 years she has been in the profession has been rough.
“I don’t think the government appreciates the work teachers do because at our school we have over 2000 students with less than twenty teachers and most of us operate from outside the school, because there are no enough houses. This leads to teachers failing to contribute effectively because they reach the school while tired,” she said.
A spot-check with a number of head teachers in most schools in Lilongwe urban zone has shown that the issue of housing is in almost all schools and that most long serving teachers still get little salaries with no promotion.
At St Jones primary school six teachers have served at the same post for over ten years but have had never had their salaries increased. They too live outside the school campus.
Unfortunately, this school is located close to town where living standards have grown at a fast rate in the past ten years.
“We used to pay less that a thousand kwacha for rent in the past and water and electric bills were minimal but today it is different and so how can you survive on the same earning?” said Kakhwiya.
Civil Society Coalition Quality Basic Education national Coordinator Benedicto Kondowe said the situation is bad for almost 90 percent of teachers in the country.
Kondowe added that the ministry of education is facing a lot of shortfalls due to government‘s failure to provide adequate funding to the sector.
“Malawi is among the 182 countries that signed the Darker declaration in 2000 to come up with serious measures to improve education in the country but it is sad that the government still allocates little funds to the ministry of education,” said Kondowe.
For the past decade the ministry of education has failed to get the international education funding target of 20 percent of the national budget.The biggest funding the ministry got was in the 2007/2008 financial year when it got 14.1 percent of the budget.
However over 50 percent of this education fund is spent in non-salaries activities thereby constraining some important sectors such as salaries review for teachers.
Minister of education Dr. Goerge Chaponda concurred with Kondowe that government is failing to provide quality basic education in the country and that teaching profession remains undesirable to most teachers because of poor funding the ministry gets.
“It is fact that the quality of education in the country is poor and that our teachers are facing a lot of problems in their profession,” he said.
But Chaponda said there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed to achieve quality education in the country.
He said government making strides in developing ways that will solve these challenges.
“We have put in place a number of strategies that will help the ministry of education to have enough funding. We have received some donor funds and the parliament recently permitted government to access more funds of whose biggest share will go to ministries of education and health,” said Chaponda.
Malawi is among the countries striving to achieve the 2015 Education For All (EFA) goals.
Among the notable goals are expansion of early childhood care and education, improving quality education, increasing adult literacy and provision of learning and life skills for youth and adults.
Director of finance and administration in the ministry of finance Ben Botolo who also attended this year lunch of the global campaign for quality education said government of Malawi still stands a mile to achieve provision of better quality education and improve the welfare of its employees in the country.
“It is a dream and a hope that all Malawians wish to achieve, but the current situation with our economy cannot achieve this in a short time. Our exports are not giving back enough and the donor aids are just too little to address all problems Malawi is facing,” said Botolo.
According to CSCQBE statistics on education, Malawi has over 500 000 children who live on the streets and 12 percent of children enrolled in school drop out of school every year.
Minister for Youth Development and Sports Dr Lucious Kanyumba said education is the key to any development in any country and so need good funding.
He said his ministry is aware that many children have no access to education and that many teachers are suffering.
“We are aware of the situation with our teachers in the country and something need to be done immediately,”he said.
END.
Monday, May 31, 2010
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