MacBain Mkandawire

A Child Rights Expert, and youth rights advocates, Visionary and Strategic Leader and GBV Prevention and Preventikn Expert and Localisation Leaders

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

In the field of localisation, you will https://t.co/O4ZKc8NUVq traitors who will.stub you in the back heavily. People who have placed carrier growth in front of service. They need to be managed

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Localisation pushes you into spaces where power dynamics are real. It places you between development and politics of aid. However, put the people yourselves first and challenge the status quo. You must realise that shifting the power has sacrifices to be made

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

"You either make dinner or you become dinner" meaning "You either have an agenda or you become other people's agenda" Firoze Manji, Durban 2004

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Why is localisation becoming a nightmare? Its because its about power which no body wants to let go. However, the first critical step on localisation is having the voice of local actors on the table and meaningfully participate

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Transdiplinarybresearch and collaboration is critical for climate change and health. The big gaps are (a) research has been done separately for climate change and health and (b) funders or donors for the health and climate change are separate and different

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Dear Readers,
The themes for August 2025 were hard to come by, considering the surprises that occurred in the last ten
days of July 2025. The challenging aspects of selecting running mates for 16 September 2025, combined
with the hype generated by these surprises, created a significant obstacle that made writing quite
difficult. The hopefuls for the running mates appeared to be left in the cold, revealing a considerable
amount of advisory and independence within the key political parties. What is more encouraging is that
presidential aspirants have managed to keep the parties intact for now. We can make predictions about
what will happen as the campaign unfolds. A critical lesson learned by the majority of us is the affirmation
of the notion that “In politics, you don't have a permanent friend or a permanent enemy”. The agenda for
many political parties is to win the elections, and therefore they will try to bury their hatchets and focus on
winning. We can only wish good luck to all presidential candidates and their running mates.
While we recognize that the campaign has been launched and the battle for the State House has begun.
We know that we need to get to the state house. Our plea and prayer are that we campaign responsibly.
The use of derogatory words, abusive language, and violence is not permitted. We must focus on the real
issues and on how we can reduce poverty levels. We are among the poorest countries, competing with
war-torn nations and yet we have never been at war. Perhaps our battles lie in our own laziness and lack
of focus. Social media should not be a tool for harassment. Let us campaign in a responsible manner.
The last five years have also seen a civil society in the governance sector that has been dormant and
lacked focus as a watchdog for the systems. A few organisations tried but were unable to move with the
necessary desire. The glaring truth is that CSOs, led by NAP, asked the president to recall parliament on
Tuesday, 5 August 2025, to discuss and amend a recently passed law because it impinges on people’s
rights to vote, which calls into question our role as civil society. Civil society is the watchdog, and it does
seem that our role in overseeing the many governance issues in Malawi has slipped from our grasp. This is
just one example of many laws that we may not have given attention to, and we may wake up one day to
find those laws being used against us. It's not surprising that corruption continues to increase, with the
ACB being silent and inactive on many issues raised regarding corruption. We observe perpetrators of
violence being protected by the system, and we also see civil society being quietly used. There are also
individuals serving in the public sector, including CSOs, who are actively involved in partisan politics. This is
an issue that must be managed because we are creating history, and before we realise it, this will
become the modus operandi.
As civil society, we need to manage the mediocre, regardless of who is in power. We must seriously reflect
on our role as civil society actors. We represent the interests of the people, and no matter what happens,
we have a democracy to uphold. There are dictatorial elements emerging in the manifestos, and because
civil society organisations (CSOs) are divided, these will become embedded in policies and laws. We
envision a situation where NGOs in this country are not receiving foreign aid directly, leaving the
government in control of our finances. We have buried our heads in the sand, believing that this issue will
resolve itself. Mark this article and reference it after 16 September 2025.

We recently observed discussions and deliberation regarding the roles of CONGOMA and NGORA. As usual,
we have noted with concern the conflicting responsibilities. We have systematically worked to weaken
CONGOMA as a mouthpiece for NGOs and CSOs in Malawi.

https://t.co/TkOswfnaMJ

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Hosting the US Polical and Exonomic Advisor.from US Embassy in Malawi and engaging on youth, politics and challenging economic environment in Malawi. The 2015 General Elections and.jow to.minimise violence and building a peaceful Malawi.

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Solutions are in session at @ClintonGlobal and I'm joining #CGI2024 to take action on climate resilience, health equity, economic inclusion, women and girls’ equality, and humanitarian response. Join us: https://t.co/oJ5nX3EMCX

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Training of.SASA TOTs under the connect Malawi plus with support from ViiV. The TOTs will then train the community SASA Facilitators to respond to GBV and HIV in urban settings. @yoneco3 @yonecofm @YouthWaveMalawi @ViiVHC @TheAVFund @SegalFoundation @martin_segal

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

@MalawiUNICEF @yoneco3 We need serious collaborative efforts to end child marriages. @MalawiUNICEF @yoneco3 @UNFPAMalawi @SegalFoundation

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Ending Violence against children in a deep rooted cultural beliefs is complex. In Nsanje in Malawi, betrothing a girl costs as low as a bale of sugar, 8 metres of cloth and crate of soft drinks. So Sad. @MalawiUNICEF @ObamaFoundation @GirlsNotBrides @yoneco3

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Cyclone Freddy has made the situation worse with more girls dropping out of school. Just from 30 October to 3 November 2023, in Nsanje alone over 5 children were withdrawn from child.marriages with more to be withdrawn next week. @MalawiUNICEF @yoneco3

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Sitting with the Standard 3 pupils at Lusani Primary School in Rumphi in Malawi was an experience. Everything is set to toll out the Building Education Foundations through Innovations and Technology.

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Building Education Foundations through Innovations and Technology at Kapiri Primary School in Rumphi, Malawi. We were there to roll out the process. It was great to see how the children are progressing.

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Yesterday, September 1, 2023, we were in TA Mtumbwinda and TA Mlombwa in machinga district. Oriented 57 members from community structures (37M 20F) on protection in humanitarian work. @MalawiGovt @UNFPAMalawi @MalawiUNICEF @SegalFoundation @martin_segal @UKCF_tweets

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

In Chikwawa orientation staff on protection issues in humanitarian settings. Call 116 or 5600 to report any issue relating to malpractices in humanitarian activities and PSEA.

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

@RootChange Evan, Maggie and My son, it was great to have you around. Rich conversation around the shift we need in the development agenda. We need to reflect on whether our investments are real or not. We need to hear what our customers are saying

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

@acerwc @HabibaRezwana @UNFPAMalawi @MalawiUNICEF @yoneco3 @yonecofm Creating demand for SRH services as part of building peace in the communities. Reaching the hard to reach places in Mangochi requires that our officers has to walk with materials as vehicles cans reach the venue

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

Ending Sexual Exploitation for Children should be our collective responsibility. The child who have gone through defilement, online sexual abuse and child.marriages needs mental health support mechnims @acerwc @HabibaRezwana @FDHBankMalawi the need for private sector key

[MacBain Mkandawire @macbainmkanda]

@acerwc @ecpat,@MalawiUNICEF Acceptance by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecution that delays in justice for sexual offences like defilement needs people like us in children movement to step up our advocacy efforts. @HabibaRezwana @yonecofm