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 ...

Its Just Great to be home. No internet for two weeks, just fun from Chiweta down to Mulanje. Stories and great photo's coming.

I knew Madame Ethel Mutharika just like many ordinary Malawians did. She was wife to the then United Party President Bingu wa Mutharika. Though she never directly participated in politics. Later, we saw her in Area 18 at here relations and funerals and various church events. Just like her Husband Bingu, Malawi's First Lady was a dedicated Christian. She was a woman of faith, strong one for that matter. In her pain and suffering, she smiled, reached out to her women empowerment projects, did her farming and everyday from my City Centre office could see her four vehicle motorcade passing. Yet she smiled and her family opted to spare Malawians that pain and remained strong in discharging their duties. President Bingu wa Mutharika has carried his own family burden and that of the State without affecting the other. In many cases he sacrificed the love of his life for the burderns of the State. As I became privileged to cover the President, the more I realised how the President relied on...

Thandeka Mkandawire ranks among very few Malawians that have achieved much far and greater things that as a country we should have been proud and used their achievements for greater good. Recently the prestigious Rhodes University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in recognizing his work and achievements. We have a young Malawian Joe Mlenga who will be joining the Rhodes community and this cannot be considered something that is expected. I wish to congratulate Prof. Mkandawire and Mlenga for the Rhodes Honours. This comes to mind how quickly our great poets and academics such as Jack Mapanje and David Rubadiri whom I have heard from so many people here at Harvard and beyond asking. Wole Sonyinka and others have become symbols of their nations and ambassadors promoting good. Apart from the two, people like Goodall Gondwe made an impact at the IMF, early May 2007 when I visited the institution I heard fascinating stories on how he used to move from office to office meeting his jun...

Fare thee well Jafalie Mussa I am a youth worker to the core. As I write, My tenure as Country Representative to the Commonwealth was lessened by a year due to my Harvard Fellowship. I still retain for some mysterious reasons the title Country Coordinator for Malawi . Apart from that, I moderate the think-tank- Malawi National Youth Dialogue. I am still Chairman of the Youth Alliance in Social and Economic Development Board of Trustees. My good former Secretary General Rex Nyalugwe is a board member and acting Chairman in my absence. My term of office for Counselling of Adolescent Youth Organisation-CAYO just started and I am not sure when I will be removed. The same for the Presidential appointment as a Board Director at the National Youth Council of Malawi. That is the long list of my involvement in youth work in Malawi . With the incoming Deputy Minister of Transport and Housing Honourable Gift Mwamondwe, together we w...