They need help…….

My part time work as a volunteer placement coordinator for various organizations has enlightened me to many problems that Malawians are facing. Even though I grew up in a poor family, I dint know the extent of poverty in other people’s lives until recently…here is one case.

I was looking for an orphan care centre to place a volunteer when I came across Step Kids Awareness Centre (STEKA) at Nyambadwe in Blantyre. They take care of 20 street kids from around Blantyre and they chose to raise them in a family setup. Godknows Maseko and his wife, Helen resigned from their various workplaces with an idea of taking care of the kids.

Since they started in 2007 they have met a lot of problems but are still operating thanks to a South African missionary, Felix Starker who started helping them until recently. Apart from finding food to feed the 20 kids, Godknows and Helen pays fees for 18 kids who go to school, buy basic necessities for them and pays rent for the house.

Maseko refuses to call his centre an orphanage claiming it has a psychological effect on the kids as they live in seclusion. He prefers to call it STEKA HOUSE and all the kids address him as ‘dad’. A visit to the centre proved this as the way they are raised is very different from the orphanages I have visited so far.

But they have a big problem in finding money. Maseko and his wife are jobless and were surviving on funding from Starker who has since stopped. This has prompted Maseko to start looking for an income generating activity but enough capital is a problem. In a proposal sent to me, he wants to revive a tailoring shop he used to have before Starker came in, start rearing chicken and gardening some vegetables for sell in supermarkets.

STEKA is therefore calling on all well wishers to help them in any way. You can email me if you want the proposal sent to you or visit STEKA’s blog for more information. Any help that you can offer will go a long way in taking care of the 20 kids at STEKA and hopefully many more kids.

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We passed through the Blantyre Magistrate’s court.....

Suddenly the music got so loud that we managed to attract the attention of passersby. Everyone stopped. We danced to the various songs that emitted from the huge speakers while we sang along. Some youths broke into loud prayers whilst others had the courage to touch the walls of the courthouse.
That was how things were when we passed through the Blantyre Magistrates Court where the fate of two gays, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza will be decided Nyakwawa UsiwaUsiwa next week. Hundreds of Christian youths from various CCAP congregations in Blantyre City Presbytery marched around the city on Saturday, 27th March.
As believers, future leaders of both the state and the church, we made our position clear on various issues affecting the country and the world through songs, placards and messages. We centered on what the bible says on same sex marriages, immorality, justice, equal rights and many more.

The march was organized by the Youth Steering Committee of CCAP Blantyre City Presbytery and started at Mount Pleasant CCAP to Limbe CCAP through the Highway. The idea was to make noise for Christ, proclaim his greatness and pray for various things happening in the world.

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MALAWIAN MEDIA AND THE INTERNET – UPDATE

Several developments have happened since I wrote an article on Malawi media and the internet a few months ago. One notable thing is the improvement of the two popular media houses’ websites.
Zodiak Broadcasting Radio has improved their website and this year Malawians had a rare opportunity of finding the examination results on the internet. The country’s examining body, Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB), does not have a website (or is it that I don’t know about it?) so Zodiak published the results on their site. It was the same with the 2010 University of Malawi Entrance Exams.

The award winning publishing house, Blantyre Newspapers Limited, is now operating a new website which covers all of its publications, The Daily Times, Sunday Times and Malawi News. Even though at times it is updated a bit late; the BNL Times website is becoming popular among people who need to know what is happening in Malawi. The site is well designed and is interactive and easy to navigate.

Another Malawi online news site was launched recently. The Maravi Post is an improvement of blog called Malawi Politics. It now focuses on a broader picture of what is happening in Malawi than concentrating on politics alone. A seasoned journalist and blogger, Kondwani Bell Munthali is one of the people behind this site which promises to be a trusted source of Malawi News.

The popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Mocospace and other social networking sites among Malawians has contributed to the birth of a Malawian owned social site, ifeyo.com. The brain child of Justin Malewezi Jnr and Hetherwick Ntaba Jnr (sons of well known politicians), ifeyo.com is a platform for young Malawians to network, share pictures, videos and music. It also acts as a discussion forum for young people on various issues concerning them.

With the more and more sites turning to the mobile platform, Malawian developers are not to be left out. Two young Malawians recently launched a site to upload, download and promote music from the mobile phone. Mwtunes.com is giving chance to upcoming musicians to expose their music to the world.

Things are really moving in the Malawian cyberspace even though accessing the internet remains a challenge to an average Malawian. It is still very expensive for one to use the internet especially in the rural areas.

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