Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

“I get laid in two days” Myth’s and challenges in delaying sexual debut My experiences with Love Life Being in Cape Town has it own fun. Thursday looks like was set to be one of those days where I would fill my blog with a million and one stories. I have come into contact with Love Life an adolescent and youth sexual socio-life skills development programme in South Africa that has exploited all means of mediums to reach to its young population. A session with Love Life Chief Executive Officer Dr. David Harrison is fascinating. I had several questions when I had an opportunity to jump into the Love Life train. Its not my first interaction with the programme, and I should say every time I do I learn new ideas, new innovative ways of tackling youth challenges posed by the HIV and Aids, poverty and general socio-economic environment. Guess what, the poor are the most affected, you say I know, but the people worst affected are the ones in the worst townships. In informal urban settings and

Thursday, 19 July 2007; Cape Town I have been in Cape Town since Monday night. The Kaiser Family Foundation kindly provided me a break from a grueling task of field work in Zambia for a refresher in HIV and Aids reporting. It was nice to meet my two work mates in Malawi, Frank Kapesa and Gladys Gandali from Television Malawi. Other country men Aubrey Mchulu of the Nation and Frank Kandu, of MBC again (Wow three MBC guys in a single event) were part of the main event. I also had a chance to meet one of Malawi's leading mental health Professor's Dr. Chiwoza Bandawe who was kind enough to visit us at our Hotel. He is based at the University of Cape Town. National Director of NAMISA Innocent Chitosi was also around so too Multi Choice Malawi MD Eddie Smith. The first two were among the entrants to the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of the Year Awards. The Aids programme is also comprised of Journalists from South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, Congo DR, Mozamb

After spending some ten days in a deep rural Zambia at Chisutu Health centre, witnessing immusation campaign and all sorts of health interventions by two health workers whose work shift is simply 24 hours, I returned to Chipata my base on Tuesday morning to replenish my cash coffers. Of course, credit cards, ATM or whatever mode of money technology doesn’t work in area where the basic needs include portable and clean water, treated bed nets and food. Chipata is mountainous though surrounding areas have good farm lands and Luangwa area some 2 hours drive has fish in abundance thanks to the river there. Health wise, as a provincial headquarters’ for the Eastern province Chipata has a lot to offer, lots of NGO’s, local and international, the Adventist run Mwami Hospital on the border with Malawi with a lot of specialists treatment. The hospital is famous for its eye specialists. I have also been talking to Health workers local and community based health assistants on how the needs of the