‘Employing women can bring losses – Harvard’

Okay, the feminists are going to be pissed with this latest study from Harvard University that claims that good looking men are more likely to be successful when pitching to investors than unattractive men or women, even when delivering the same brief.

The study comes down hard on the myths of some managers who think that using pretty females can get investors salivating into investing, maybe that can work in areas such as air hostesses, but not serious business.

 The study was published in the journal called Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it also suggests there is a glass ceiling for women in the corporate world because backers prefer presentations from men.

"Attractive males are particularly persuasive whereas physical attractiveness does not matter among female entrepreneurs,” Dr Alison Brooks from Harvard Uni was quoted by The Telegraph.

Would it be surprising that in Britain just four FTSE 100 companies have women chief executives?

This speaks a lot of the society we live in, we speak women advancement but still inside we think women are less capable and we view them based on their sexual organs first than via their real potential.

Sad month for women.

11 villages share a borehole in Ntchisi, Malawi

Rare sight in Ntchisi, a borehole at Kanyenda Village

“I can even say that about 500 people share a borehole here,” said Group Village Headman Kanyenda of Kanyenda Village in the southern part of Ntchisi District. 

He was outlining some development hurdles people of his area are facing during a meeting with the area's Member of Parliament. Water scarcity was top of his list.

In a later interview, Kanyenda stood by his claims and said that he has thirteen chiefs under him, that is almost thirteen villages and yet, he said, they all share one bore hole.

“We have Kakumba River as the nearest water source but it only has water during the rainy season,” said Kanyenda.

Chilapondwa: Problem is indeed big

Asked if he is aware of the development, MP for the area who is also Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Ulemu Chilapondwa said he was aware of the problem and said he was trying to try to address the problem.

“Most of these boreholes were dug in 2007 under the Integrated Water Development Programme. Most of them are now defunct and most of them were shallow and thus dried up, I am looking at the issue to see what can be done,” said Chilapondwa.

GVH Kanyenda: We have a big water problem

Standing from Kanyenda School and looking eastward, it is easy to see the water problem as the nearest borehole is crammed with about thirty women fighting to fill a bucket. 

The narrow paths leading into villages are also lined with women carrying colourful buckets of water and wandering in different directions.

GEN takes activism to Dancehall level

"Dance for yours rights," is this year's 16 Days of Activism theme for the Girls Empowerment Network (GEN) and it is not just theory, as the organisation has engaged dancing groups to vigorously dance as the message is disseminated to the public; and it works.

The dance-based activism started in Blantyre a week ago and every district that is en-route to Mzuzu has experienced the dancing advocates. In Mzuzu, GEN engaged dancers from around the city and there was a dance clash at Katoto Freedom Park where secondary school students vigorously joined the jive while wielding placards bearing messages against gender violence.

"As you know we are in the 16 Days of Activism and our message is to bring in more action and not just words," said GEN's Project Officer, Yamikani Banda, "after we dance we stop to sensitise the masses against gender based violence."

The network has since slated a girl's conference for the 8^th of December in Mzuzu and another in Blantyre on the 10^th, to mark the end of the 16 days of activism.

ARV’s Disfiguring people, MHRC to investigate

One of Malawi's most outspoken HIV activists, Lillian Kumwenda has fired a distress signal saying that the current Anti Retro Viral (ARV) drugs being taken by HIV positive Malawians are having drastic side effects on them, a development she called a "human rights issue."

Kumwenda said this on Thursday in Mzuzu at a meeting organised by The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) aimed at strategising ahead on 10^th December which is World Human Rights Day.

"As much as we appreciate that we have free ARV's unlike other countries, the current drug is having serious side effects. The effects range from swollen chests and narrowing of the legs for example," said Kumwenda.

A nurse who did not want to be named corroborated Kumwenda's story and said that the development is leaving HIV positive people prone to discrimination.

"The side effects mean that those on ART are easily identified and that can be a basis for stigma against the people," said the nurse.

Human Rights Activist and former columnist, Emily Mkamanga said people need to know what the side effects of prescription drugs are before they are given the dosage. She compared Malawi and Western countries and said in The West, every medical procedure and dosage is well explained to the patient as per its implications.

"It's not right. This is life. What are they giving us, are they not drugs rejected somewhere?" wondered Mkamanga.

MHRC commissioner, Desmond Kaunda said that the HIV situation in Malawi is full of discrimination as what is perfectly a human rights issue [ART] is taken as charity.

"We need to advocate more against this subtle discrimination, there are other alternative drugs and government should do more," said Kaunda.

Meanwhile MHRC , through its Director of Research and Documentation, Wycliffe Masoo, said that Kumwenda's case will be prioritized in the study the commission is going to launch titled Human Rights and HIV in Malawi.

Kumwenda said that she has raised the issue with government but government has promised to help-next year.

The ARVs that are causing the alleged damage is called Trimune 30 and 40 and is a combination of Neverapine, Lamuvidine and Stavudine.

According to Wikipedia, AS OF 2009 the US recommends the combination Emtricitabine, Tenoforvir and Efavirenz as its ART dosage.

Media should do even more on PMTCT-Experts

HIV experts on Friday challenged journalists to become more proactive in reporting and dealing with issues of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of the HIV virus.

The experts were speaking at a meet organised by Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter and Journalist’s Association against Aids (JournAids) at St. John of God in Mzuzu. The meet was aimed at enlightening journalists on the relationship of PMTCT and Human Rights.

“Journalists, with all your travel and skills, you should do more than just concentrate on writing the story, be real stakeholders in this issue and bring out powerful ideas,” said Alex Namakhuwa, Mzuzu City Assembly’s Environmental health Officer and cordniator of the meeting.

“People listen and read a lot from media reports but the media can do more by reporting on critical issues,” said Margaret Msukwa, HIV Advisor for the NGO Development Technical Assistance Services (DETAS).

MISA Malawi Director, Aubrey Chikungwa, highlighted the usefulness of the media in the HIV fight. He said the media has the potential to set the agenda, to report on critical issues and to connect people with services.

Chikungwa, however acknowledged the difficulties that editors and journalists face in reporting HIV issues such as where sources fear stigma and demand anonymity rendering stories powerless.

Some of Mzuzu-based jornalist captured at an earlier function, with me sitting down!

Some of the seated journalists also called on the Hospitals and HIV stakeholders not to rely on the media only but to develop their own information dissemination strategies.

The stakeholders were also asked to simplify the jargon that they use in their reports, which the journalists said was sometimes difficult to translate and simplify for mass dissemination.

St. Johns Hospital HIV coordinator, Ella Nyirenda, ignited debate in her presentation when she asked whether some rights ought to be limited to allow PMTCT to take its course.



She highlighted some clashes of rights such as the right of a pregnant woman not to get HIV testing against rights of the unborn baby i.e. right to medical care and protection against disease. The right of the father to know and that of the mother to maintain her confidentiality on her HIV status were also listed as incompatible.

PMTCT is a family centered prevention pack where the HIV positive mother brings her husband, other children for HIV test and possible treatment [Neverapine] and support. The program was launched in 2003 and by June 2008 coverage was at 83% in the 544 PMTCT centers in the country.

8% of Malawi’s HIV infections occur from mother to child, the mother can infect the baby during birth, breastfeeding and when the baby in still in the uterus. Some of the favourable conditions of such infections are listed as low CD 4 count, new infections during pregnancy and invasive delivery procedures.

The program seeks to have an HIV free generation in the future and there are success stories across the country with HIV positive couples giving birth to HIV negative babies, the program is however threatened by stigma, accessibility problems and lack of expertise.



The workshop was funded by National Aids Commission (NAC) and was one in a trilogy of similar workshops across the big cities of Malawi where experts are engaged to drill and grill scribes on HIV issues.

Teaching women how to win elections



The Women’s Forum on Wednesday equipped women candidates of the upcoming local government elections with various skills designed to give them an edge in the contest.

The 30 women, who were drawn from across the Northern Region, convened at Livingstonia Synods’ Conference Hall in Mzuzu.

Political Analyst and history lecture at Mzuzu University, Noel Mbowela, was the main speaker at the workshop. He stressed the need for the women to heed advice, respect chiefs and to avoid mudslinging in their campaign.



Mbowela (man) listens to a question from one of the ladies.





“Learn to point what is wrong and not who is wrong. If you are to win the election you should concentrate on critical issues like how you will bring electricity, water and fertilizer to the people. Also remember to separate politics from religion,” said Mbowela in summarising his lesson.

In a subsequent interview, Mbowela said the aim of the workshop was to equip the women with basic political skills with emphasis on contemporary issues such as the fertilizer subsidy program.

“We have taught them how to argue and answer tough questions that the public might ask during the campaign period,” he said.

One of the participants, Ethel Mwakalimi (Aford) from Yamba ward, Chitipa central constituency said she had gained a lot from the workshop.



Ethel Mwakalini(standing) makes her point



“I have learned that switching political allegiance anyhow brings dictatorship. I have also learned how to be a good leader. I am now confident to go and launch my campaign,” Mwakalimi said.

The workshop was funded by ActionAid through the Northern Region chapter of the Women Forum.

“This is just one of a series of sensitization workshops that we are involved in, we wanted to do the political workshops in each district but due to financial strains we decided just to invite some of the participating women,” said Lillian Kumwenda, Regional Administrative Secretary for Women’s Forum Northern Region Chapter.

Women’s Forum is an umbrella body for various girls and women organisation including HIV, farmers’, business and Political groupings.

Malawi awarded UNESCO prize for boosting Literacy

The Coalition of Women Farmers (COWFA) in Malawi was recently  awarded the 2010 Honourable Mention of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy for its Women Land Rights Project (WOLAR).

The coalition was honoured for empowering women with skills to challenge discriminatory policies which hamper them from owning land. It also provides a forum for the women to share knowledge.

“The association has taught us to be self-reliant,” Evelyn Mwafulriwa, a COWFA member is quoted on UNESCO’s website. “There’s no difference between the women who are on their own and women with husbands.”

Thabo Chidimba, who is also part of the COWFA, adds “What I like most about this group is that we can share our technical knowledge. We support one another and, most importantly, grow enough food to eat.”

According to the submission form and the case studies sourced from ActionAid, a key partner in the project the project aimed at assisting 4,500 women in four districts of Malawi to gain ownership of land, increase their access to resources and services and government training courses, promote awareness of women’s rights and influence agricultural policies and legal frameworks in favour of women.

The project has seen 1125 women start reading and writing, increased awareness of women’s rights , influenced stakeholders to start granting support and grant them loans and seen women attending decision meetings at village, are and district level.

The project, which cost US $400,696, also boasts that even when it phases out, there will be sustainability since the women are from the same area and are determined and capacitated this not counting assurance from stakeholders and partners to continue supporting the women.

It has not been all rosy for the project as Kwanza and Marching were plagued by dry spells retarding its goals. The other challenge is lack of openness among members to share experiences a development blamed on illiteracy.

Testimonies from two women who managed to acquire farming land spiced up the application. The project is being run in Mzimba, Dowa, Machinga and Mwanza

According to UNESCO, despite 7 out of 10 farmers being women, the number of women with full access to land is insignificant. UNESCO said since women are the most hit by famine and Malawi being a country just recovering from a food crisis, it is very important to empower women.

“Investing in women’s literacy carries very high returns: it improves livelihoods, leads to better child and maternal health, and favours girl access to education. In short newly literate women have positive ripple effects on all development indicators.” UNESCO’s Director General, Irina Bokova said.

Meet the Maize women

(I have known the women in this article for four years, their husbands are unemployed but through the business of selling green maize, they are well off that the average Malawian lady.)

They sit on wooden stumps placed 2 meters from the busy tarmac; their bare feet dipped in maize husks. Before them a wire mesh rests on a rusty car ream filled with charcoal. Aboard the mesh lies tantalisingly roasted maize that many a passer-by fail resist.

Kondwani has lived in Mzuzu for 10 years and the women are almost a statue to him. He was in primary school when he first saw them now employed as a salesman he still passes them daily; to him they are just two women on the road side.

For Eunice Songa, 40, mother of 6 and Ellen Mkandawire, 35, mother of 4, the roadside is their office...their very existence depends on the spot under the big Mubanga tree just outside the main gate of the ailing Mzuzu Stadium.

Eunice and Ellen have been roasting maize outside Mzuzu Stadium since 1998 and theirs has not been a rosy ride. They have sailed through ridicule and have been chased by authorities; their overall story, however, is an inspiring tale of a communitarian and Africanized approach to tackling poverty.

“I will never get a loan, over my dead body. How do I pay it back and still enjoy my profits? I cannot afford to pay for somebody’s life and in turn be pressured to pay in the toughest of conditions,” says Ellen.

The fear of loans has made small scale business women in the Mzuzu’s locations form groups of eight each with a treasurer who collects a small amount from each members daily sales, the weekly amount realized by a group is paid to one member. The weekly process then rotates among the members.

Ellen who proved loquacious of the two, confessed that she gives K250.00 daily and when her turn comes she gets K12,500 that is apart from an average of K2000 that she makes daily on the roadside.

“I have managed to educate my children from this green maize, I feed, clothe my family with this business. It’s very profitable and I don’t have to go beg or do prostitution,”

So at K2000 per day and with the K4000 or so over the football days, the women make about K60000 a month that is more than an average college graduate earns in Malawi and what if we add the K12500 that was banked? Surely these are not average women.

The amount goes down when they explain what they use it for; rent, school fees, food and transport to and from Nkhata-bay where they get their green maize.

These are not their only problems. Whenever green maize matures, the Mzuzu City Council bans the sale of the maize with the aim of curbing theft that soars with the high demand of the crop as a breakfast delicacy. The women have to engage in hide and seek games with the authorities.

Eunice wonders why the authorities do not licence them or make them produce documents of where they get their maize.

“we get the maize from Nkhata-Bay where the staple crop is cassava if they ban the sale of maize they are not only hurting our families but also those growers in Nkhata-bay, why don’t they ban the sale of cars when car theft increases...is it because we are poor?” asked Eunice.

Malawi is a conservative country and many men would be irked or even be angered into battery with the two’s action why did they break the taboo of waiting from a man and brave the business world themselves?

Ellen admits that it was not easy to convince people that it was not prostitution they were looking for. The husband however had to give in after being convinced that raising the kids was superior to an oppressive cultural notion that is perpetuating poverty among many rural housewives.

The two have not been past Standard 7 and although Eunice comes from Salima and Ellen from Rumphi they both left school due to the fees.
Asked what can be done to them to make them leave the maize roasting business, the women all agree that only old age can suffice.

“Of course if government gives us interest free loans we can move from the roadside to something bigger after all we are getting old and the Nkhata-bay hills that we dare to get this maize are fast becoming mountains to us,” said Songa.