102 quotes found
"Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically, they depend on their husbands."
"I learned that leadership is about falling in love with the people and the people falling in love with you. It is about serving the people with selflessness, with sacrifice, and with the need to put the common good ahead of personal interests."
"women constitute the majority of our population in Africa. Therefore, when we talk about poverty, suffering and underdevelopment, we are talking mostly of women."
"It is important that women’s needs, aspirations and realities become central drivers of policies and programmes to increase maternal health care access and utilisation."
"I'm indeed a mandasi seller, and I'm proud of it, because the majority of women in Malawi are like us, mandasi sellers."
"Right now, I am an Independent member who will able to speak in Parliament without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and this is in line with the oath of office that I swore."
"As their Member of Parliament, I had to make an informed choice, either to serve their interest or the interest of the party."
"Africa needs visionary and transformative that can always incorporate views of women and provide them with a conducive environment for their participation in developing the region."
"In order to encourage more women participation in leadership and government, the world should give them the support they require and create space for them."
"Women play important roles in their community such as nurturing and taking care of their families and community members which makes them loyal and dependable citizens of their nations."
"Women contribute significantly to the development agenda of their nations because they all make decisions that mould children and give life and society existence."
"There is need for the women to work together in collaboration with men and integrate young women into leadership."
"If you educate your girl, you will have everything in the future."
"When girls are educated, everything is possible."
"In most cases, our singing, like in the woman's league, we would take some of the songs sung in the villages, then we put in political words to suit the occasion... There wasn't any particular person at that time, that this was the one who composed those songs for us to sing. No, it was just general singing. Just as we are here. You could start a song, and our songs in most cases, our African songs, they are traditional. They are not difficult to sing. We could easily pick it up, and then we would all sing"
"I had this feeling ... women should be part and parcel of the whole movement, even of running the country. Women should be involved in decision making. That was my aim."
"You know, we are the mothers. We are the ones who bring out children and these children are employed by Wenela [in South Africa] at that time. They go to Wenela and most of them die there. They don't come back alive. And then there's a lot of oppression. There's this thangata and with that federation, unfortunately for them, that time, they had already started removing people in the areas where they thought it was best for Europeans or it was best for farming ... They wanted to make room for Europeans to settle. I said, you can see all these things. Now, we are being removed in our rural areas. We are being pushed here and there. And the women understood. They said, oh yes, then we must do something."
"Actually I did not withdraw, I stepped down. Many people in Malawi asked me to stand; it was under that pressure that I decided to declare myself an independent presidential candidate. But later the church saw the opposition was not very strong, so they decided to form a coalition. We needed a change of government, for many reasons.... There were nine parties at the time, so the church advised me not to stand, because I was going to divide the votes. So I applied to join the coalition."
"Unlike all the others, I satisfied all the conditions to be their presidential candidate but I hear they rejected me when they discussed my application. They were afraid of me. Here in Malawi we are still chauvinistic."
"Where I was voting there was peace, people voted freely. I am president of Women's Voice and director of the Malawi Centre for Advice, Research and Education on Rights. We participate in voter education and we also do monitoring. All the information I received from my own offices told me the elections have been almost peaceful."
"Men have been dominating Malawi politics for too long. Maybe that's why they are blundering. But I think that if a woman can come up, she would improve a lot of things"
"I am still available, watching with keen interest. If the current government fails, I will certainly stand as a presidential candidate in the next elections."
"I think the first month I want to recover and find the Martha who was the Martha before June 1, 2021, because I need her back."
"I am happy that I have been appointed as the ACB director but that is only the first hurdle as Parliament have to confirm the appointment. For now, let us wait until the appointment is duly confirmed. If given the honour to serve Malawians in this role, I am ready do what my job entails me to."
"The judge has already been bribed. We knew before going to court, the case was on Friday but we knew by Wednesday that something was wrong."
"We are cooperating with our UK partners but this matter is still under investigation and I cannot provide any more details. It is unsurprising that the case is not moving."
"I still do charity work. I formed a community based organisation called Dzidalire. It is in Ntcheu and Dedza. We want to have it in all three regions. It started when a certain community asked me for help. I asked them what the most important thing was in this country. They said food. Then I advised them to start planting trees in their area. Previously Chitukuko Cha Amayi M’Malawi (CCAM) planted trees in that area, but over the years people cut or burnt them down and cultivated the land. We then raised funds for the project."
"I have problems with my back, that’s why I walk with a stick. It is Arthritis that affects the vertebrae. You can’t bend for hours. I need to time it. I always say thanks to the Lord, despite Arthritis, He has given me good health."
"We have plans to build a big maternity hospital. We just need to secure funding. That way is how I keep myself busy while helping others. I still work with Malawi Against Physical Disabilities. So, I write individuals in different countries to secure equipment for those with disabilities even for those in big hospitals. I also do a lot of farming in Mchinji, where I grow seed maize and beans (kholophethe). There are two villages where we look after orphans. So whatever we grow especially maize and soya beans, we donate to these kids."
"I had a very good upbringing; my parents were very strict and loving as well as disciplinarians. My parents always stressed one point that everyone is equal to each other. I am a staunch Catholic member."
"It is not a long-time ago that I decided to venture into politics. Just last year, it was when politics crossed my mind. I never liked politics even when I was a first lady, the time I was at state house. I remember telling my then husband that, joining politics was not my priority."
"I would not even encourage young ones to think that being a first lady is a career. Being first lady is just as well as being a house wife. I wonder why people think that my being a Member of Parliament is a demotion. Is it because I am a woman? Take for instance, people like former vice-president Khumbo Kachali, who is now a Member of Parliament. Can you tell me that this is a demotion? I don’t really care what people will always say about me. I thank God for the promotion."
"I would like to work together with the councilor in my area to make sure that we make a difference in the constituency. I will make sure to look at the needs of the people from Balaka West. There are a lot of challenges that need to be addressed. The first thing I would like to see is that people have clean water and that a government hospital is constructed. I will help in passing of laws that shall make our country heaven on earth."
"I enjoyed my life as I played the role of first lady to the fullest. I learnt a lot and, through the Freedom Foundation, I was able to help a lot of needy people. When I was the first lady I was able to interact with people at all levels."
"I have fond memories of Zomba as I spent four years of my secondary school at St Marys and that time it looked greener and Zomba used to be so beautiful. However, things have changed now."
"If you walk around the district nowadays you will see so many people coming down the mountains carrying charcoal and firewood, and when I see this I ask myself if we will have trees in time to come,” wondered Mutharika."
"People living in Zomba and surrounding areas should take the responsibility of planting trees, flowers to restore the lost glory of the district."
"We’re incredibly excited about this."
"I am doing this because I have experience on challenges which these girls go through. I am a living example, that is why am doing this work from my heart."
"No government institution has funded this event, the government has only sponsored the venue for the launch."
"I am very happy to hear that the Spotlight Initiative, which is a partnership between the EU and UN has registered tremendous results in six districts since its inception. I do hope that the good practices in these six districts will trickle down and impact the lives of girls in the other districts as well."
"Climate change has really exacerbated child marriages in most least developed countries (LDCs), including Malawi. We need to put into action different commitments made to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It is encouraging to note that Malawi has included climate change as a priority in its long-term development strategy, the Malawi Vision 2063"
"Both the police and the council are aware about the development."
"I told the police the same day when one of the DPP senior officials threatened me not to come outside the elections’ hall saying they will kill me but the police never acted on the matter."
"I don’t know what they want. I am a DPP follower and will die a DPP."
"The ruling DPP is accusing me of helping the MCP candidate Desmond Bikoko to win the mayor’s elections of Lilongwe city."
"It’s true that I am in hiding, this is because some DPP senior officials are on my life. They said I am the one who helped the MCP candidate Desmond Bikoko to win the mayor’s election."
"I will pay greater attention to street lighting maintenance."
"Lilongwe City residents should expect change and I would like to plead with them that by and by we will form the Lilongwe City Friends, everybody who is concerned with Lilongwe City will be coming here and sitting down together and strategize on how we can improve our city."
"I made the decision to contest following requests by traditional leaders and the people who voted for me in the 2014 elections."
"During the primary elections only 1,300 people voted but Zomba Central Constituency has over 40,000 registered voters therefore 1,300 people cannot speak for the 40,000 people."
"I explained plans to develop Zomba City by continuing with the construction of new roads and building new schools, developing Gymkhana Club into an Olympics Centre and expanding Zomba City boundaries among others."
"We feel there is a conspiracy against things that have made Zomba a city. This conspiracy is through a systemic reversal of key social activities that we have been associated with."
"First, it was the removal of parliament, I therefore urge the President to spend some time in Zomba so that he can fully appreciate the social and economic dynamics in the city."
"This is a crisis that government needs to sort out immediately. Otherwise, the gains made in areas such as maternal health and HIV will be quickly eroded."
"Patients at Zomba Central Hospital are going without food."
"The ministry will work hand in hand with security agencies, City Councils and other child rights stakeholders to ensure total enforcement of the order."
"Parents who let children roam the streets contravene Section 81 of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act (2010) which attracts a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment with hard labour."
"We have been removing these street connected children to help them reconnect with their families but we noticed negligence from many parents and for that we will strictly crack a whip on them."
"We have had enough of their irresponsibility and this frustrates our efforts in ensuring that no child is left behind towards attainment of the right to education and health living."
"Malawi cannot achieve its respective developmental agenda including Malawi 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals if some people are purposely letting their children flood streets instead of sending them to school."
"We decided to make her example to other parents who have no regard for the welfare of their children."
"We commend the Police for moving in quickly to address the situation and I strongly advise all parents to take heed of this warning or else they will be locked up immediately."
"CCPF is crucial in addressing maternal and newborn health challenges since the initiative addresses issues of limited availability of timely and reliable health information, poor access to and use of health facilities and delays in care seeking which result in a burdened health system."
"Government was committed to utilising ICT in development as evidenced by the introduction of the initiative by Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Gender, Children and Social Welfare."
"With this initiative, one is able to get messages concerning agriculture, health and gender by dialing 321 on Airtel line. We are making progress in utilization of ICTs in development."
"Nowadays information and communication technologies (ICTs) are indispensable from health service delivery because they are vital in timely message dissemination."
"I'm hopeful that in future, Nkhotakota will benefit a lot from CCPF by addressing maternal and newborn health challenges and by encouraging women to be using various family planning methods."
"As Malawians let us love our country. There is development taking place at home; this also needs reporting so people are well informed."
"My topic today is Public Speaking. In my own understanding. We must first isolate the word “public ” for us to understand what we are dealing with. The fact that you can stand in your living room and order your siblings or your maid around does it mean you are a public speaker. So public in this case would entail people other than your family. Could be a church. A school. A workplace. A hall. Anywhere. And people must be there. The number of people must be significant to justify for it to be called “public ” and so for purposes of our discussion, let’s say, any crowd from 20 of people with whom you are NOT related can constitute a public."
"And so when you stand in their presence to speak, about anything, it matters less the reason for gathering, it could be a funeral, a party, a wedding, a meeting etc., your intention is for you to get your audience not only hear what you have to say, but that ultimately they understand, buy into and agree with you."
"The tricky part is speaking to a group of people who hold a different opinion to yourself. Consider going into a village who so much believes in marrying off young girls for money.And you as a new project officer for a local NGO has to go into the same to tell them that this is wrong and that it is more lucrative for the girls to remain in school."
"This is what I mean. So you are called upon to be poised. Confident. Resolue. Believe me when I say, this is easier said than done. You sweat from your back all the way down your spine. Your legs feel like they will fail you at times yet you must still deliver your pitch."
"At the end of your venture, you will win some of the people and lose some. As you speak, pay attention to the crowd.There will.be others who will constantly nod their heads in agreement. I like to pick up those and focus my eyes on them, it makes things a bit easier. Basically….this is the essence of public speaking…. I will pause there for now."
"It is wrong for Madonna to accuse the ministry of not welcoming her in the country."
"We didn’t know that she was coming. There is absolutely no communication in the ministry telling us that she was coming and that she would be visiting some schools. The protocol is wrong; otherwise we have no problem with Madonna."
"Who are we to refuse when somebody says ‘I want to help you.’ We have so many problems in the education ministry where we need support. It would be madness to refuse to get support. Next time they should communicate to us," said Kazembe."
"She promised an academy and we agreed on standards but she just changed her mind on the project without consulting us."
"We'd like them to work with us so that they can be absorbed into the strategy of Malawi's education and that goes not just for Madonna—any group that comes to Malawi to assist us in education."
"They have said they have built 10 schools in Malawi and on our side, what we know is that she [Madonna] has built classrooms. These are not schools from our side and really that's the essence of the difference between her side and the Malawi government."
"The only way of avoiding such cases was through strengthening the primary health care."
"Organizing refresher courses for health surveillance assistants to disseminate and engage communities, pregnant women especially in early health seeking behaviours."
"By strengthening the primary health care and sensitizing the communities on family planning and identifying danger signs soon, the government would be saving a lot of money in the already bad economy."
"I in not concerned with remarks made by ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) top officials on Thursday in Bolero, Rumphi during a presidential rally."
"DPP gurus took turns at the rally addressed by President Peter Mutharika to brand Kouwenhoven a "foreigner" and that people in the area should vote another legislator in next year's elections."
"It is incredibly important that children get structure in their lives and that they get off the streets."
"With secondary education, girls marry later and have fewer children. That is already a huge step forward. In addition, young people learn to use computers and become more aware of modern developments. In this way, they can later help the entire community move forward."
"Obviously yes, as you are aware that in the history of Malawi, I was the only person who repeated the occupation of the office of the First Deputy Speaker, which I would say, I served for ten years."
"As an experienced politician, I am passionate to save the people of my constituency including the nation of Malawi as a whole, and give the people all the attention, so that they get all the development and needs that they deserve."
"I know for sure, as an experienced politician that was actually mentored by a veteran politician in Malawi that I am definitely going to bring a huge value to the Malawi Congress Party and its leadership, to help change the face of the Shire Valley, in its developmental projects and other needs. Hence, I will tirelessly continue to fight for the comeback of Dr. Chakwera and the MCP as a party, in order for the Shire Valley and Malawi as a whole, to enjoy the developmental activities and sound leadership that is being demonstrated by the State President’s governance."
"People must realize that Nsanje North constituency is currently facing numerous challenges such as poor road network, floods, poor infrastructure; just to mention but a few. I would therefore want to work with the government, to bring sound development that the people of the constituency deserve."
"Not necessarily ditch DPP, but the issue is that I have gone back home, as in the Malawian adage: “Mbalame ibwerera ku chisa.” People who follow politics in Malawi may recall that I came into politics in 2004, through the influence of the veteran politician, the late Hon Dr. Gwanda Chakuamba [MHSRIP]. He is the person who mentored me into politics, to take over his mantle as a Member of Parliament, in our Nsanje North Constituency. I can, without reservation, say that he intensively mentored me, and it must be understood that during the time of his mentorship, the late Chakuamba by was a dedicated member of the Malawi Congress Party [MCP], and also its Vice President, before he formed his ” Republican Party [RP]”. Therefore, I have just gone back home, where I belong."
"Yes, it is true I am going to contest, and I have accepted what the members have been asking me."
"Party leaders had approached me multiple times, urging me to throw her hat into the ring."
"I am honoured and deeply humbled by the trust and confidence the appointing authority has placed in her."
"The appointment as the 2nd Deputy President of MCP reasserts the party’s unwavering commitment to the principles of Inclusive leadership regardless of gender."
"As I step into this role, I continue to reaffirm my unwavering and unending loyalty and dedication to our President, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, and our party. Our collective mission remains clear: to work tirelessly and with unity of purpose in assisting our President to renew his Presidential mandate in the coming year."
"I pleaded with the UN and the US government for more help as the country is trying to recover after being hit hard by the ravaging Cyclone Freddy which has left hundreds of people dead and thousands more displaced due heavy rains and landslides."
"The money that the NGO sector gets from the donors and other development partners is meant to benefit the Malawians, hence it is your duty, as a regulatory body, to ensure that these resources trickle down to ordinary Malawians."
"Households which were ultra-poor are now able to do small scale businesses, send their children to school, own livestock and construct houses using proceeds from the programme."
"So, this session seeks to address critical issues like: What does it mean to ‘crack the code’ to gender equality? What will it take to close the digital gender gap? How do we leverage inclusive technologies to combat generational and systemic gender-based discrimination?"
"It is a great milestone for Malawi to be part of this auspicious session. I am leading a Malawi delegation to the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, USA."