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Malawi Diaspora volunteering initiative set for launch in UK

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Thom Chiumia 25 August, 2008 12:35:00
image Dr Mtumbuka: Doing work of great value in Malawi

Malawi High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr. Francis Moto will launch the Malawian Initiative for National Development (MIND) at a ceremony to be held in Aberdeen, Scotland on September 16. 

MIND Executive Director, Dr Mathews Mtumbuka said, Malawi UK envoy will be joined by special guest, Former First Minister of Scotland the Jack McConnell.  

McConnell was recently appointed by Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown as British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malawi, a post he will be taking on from next year.  

“The Rt. Hon McConnell will share with the audience his vision for Malawi, in light of his upcoming diplomatic role,” informed Mtumbuka.
   
MIND is inviting Diaspora Malawians living in Scotland and the rest of the UK, “as well as all those interested in the development of Malawi” to the launch. 

“Come and hear the vision of MIND which aims to streamline volunteering activities of Diaspora Malawians in the United Kingdom (with a pilot in Aberdeen before spreading to rest of Scotland and UK),” said Mtumbuka.  

MIND is a brainchild of the Malawians in Aberdeen Association (MIA) and has a partnership with the London-based VSO as one of the 14 organizations in an alliance on Diaspora volunteering.  

He explains that MIND will recruit Diaspora Malawians and send them to Malawi on short (3 wks to 6 months) volunteering assignments in the areas of Education, Health and Secure Livelihoods.
   
”Malawians in Aberdeen have worked hard for the last one year to bring MIND to shape and are now ready to launch what promises to be a big organization doing work of great value in Malawi, from abroad,” said Mtumbuka.   

Gertrude Chikwekwe, secretary of MIA said guests should resister to attend the event which will be held in the evening. She provided the following e-mail addresses for registering: matthews@mtumbuka.com , chikwekweg@yahoo.co.uk or secretary@ malawiansinaberdeen.co.uk

Comments (18 posted):

Gibsone Emmanuel on 25 August, 2008 01:17:25
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* respect three Malawians in Europe who have helped lots in development work in Malawi, these seem to be all from St Patricks Seminary. Dr Matthews Mtumbuka, Fr Mark Mkandawire and Vincent Matupi. U all are working very hard for our country and salute you all ur for that. Friends of Malawi from USA and Canada give you due respect. Long live Malawi. Gibsone Emmanuel, Washington, USA
on 25 August, 2008 03:37:03
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Nice Idea, worthy appreciating BUT
Recruitment should be from both sides - "to Malawi" and "from Malawi". "Kachipande ka Therere kakoma nkuyenderana"
COURTEX SAMBAJUMI NZIMA on 25 August, 2008 03:46:25
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Malawians living in the UK, welcome idea and that is one way of thinking in a foreign land. What the country is that whatever you admire there, should be also here at home. Goodthings out there be transformed to a reality here at home, OSANGOTI MIMBA PHWII NDI KUDYA ZACHILENDO, KUMUDZI KUNO DEYA, AAAA AWA KUDYA.
Let me encourage my fellow Malawians to congratulate you guys out to show maturity in whatever you do to promote your country, and forget about your political affilliation, religion and colour, but think of how Malawi can become anopther big African country in everything.
* would like you big boy Francis Kachinda Moto to tell your comrades because of your eperience in investments that home is best when you care for it and you do not chear someone'* home when yours is in dark.
OH OH Big boy * forgot one very important point which * think friends might contribute, Malawi sports is a big problem, Can you hire one of the Coaches there to assist our politicians how to behave in parliament and even out side? AAH AAH, is this the way of leaving in politics?
our athletes in Beijin have brought home prons from there because they have not seen the fish with more than ten noses, what a shame.
mbanga on 25 August, 2008 05:11:19
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a white elephant
mabvuto akula on 25 August, 2008 05:25:20
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Malawians in the diaspora to come to their own mother land as volunteers for three weeks to *** months? What an insult. It is true that our economy can not provide the comforts and salaries these people earn in UK and the rest. However; Malawi will not be developed by people who feel more comfortable in a foreign land than in their own. Those of us who are here and working under difficult economic situation are the ones to develop this country not those who are not ready to stay in Malawi. Launch your organization (MIND) with glitter and pomp, consume as much wine and whiskey as you can, but but leave us alone with Mose wa lero to develop our beautiful Malawi. A big thank you!
CHIIPILA ACHAJE on 25 August, 2008 06:51:01
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Kumeneku ndiye kufika. Ma Ambassador onse akanakhala chonchi kuli bwino kunja kuno. This ambassador brought a plane full of investors this summer to Malawi, he had a big trade conference at Mt Soche hotel to introduce them to local business partners. To other ambassadors Malawi is a poor country, we can hardly afford to maintain those who are not bringing anything home. Litsen and learn. You go Asambizi!
on 25 August, 2008 06:54:30
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Kumeneku ndiye kufika. Ma Ambassador onse akanakhala chonchi kuli bwino kunja kuno. This ambassador brought a plane full of investors this summer to Malawi, he had a big trade conference at Mt Soche hotel to introduce them to local business partners. To other ambassadors Malawi is a poor country, we can hardly afford to maintain those who are not bringing anything home. Litsen and learn. You go Asambizi!
mbobo on 25 August, 2008 11:48:00
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this is just another white elephant to milk others of resources for self-enrichment. kuli mavutotu ku Malawi and when you plan ma project anuwo have someone on the ground osati kumangoyankhula from air-conditioned apartments muli MIND...
vincent kaunda on 26 August, 2008 09:31:53
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This is a good initiative and is very welcome. however, it has become a tendency for planners to come up with good strategies that are just sound on paper but are too much of a dream to implement. there is need to look at both sides of the malawi story, the planning side, the implementation and the monitoring and evaluation side. Let a participatory approach be adopted if anything is to come out from this initiative. after all, it is the malawians living in malawi that know best the problems we face. this means that local malawian citizens should be incorporated into this initiative to provide up to date advice. its quite commendable that malawians in diaspora have an intent to volunteer to come to Malawi, but at the same time one can argue to say why should people claiming to be malawians volunteer to work in their own country instead of just coming back home? MIND can also try to encourage malawians in diaspora to come back home and develop malawi. this is all debetable.
It is pleasing to note that Dr. Mtumbuka is leading this initiative, being a dynamic, hardworking and dedicated person himself, we should expect tangible results.
Kaulanda on 26 August, 2008 10:39:56
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Agree with Mabvuto Akula. Its indeed an
insult for Malawians to volunteer in their own country. Many of these in Diaspora are still owing UNIMA study loans. This MIND thing thinks is doing Malawi a favour, NO it is not. Whatever good will come from it - it is what you diaspora are supposed to do for Malawi after all you owe Malawi so much! Look at your former primary, secondary schools even UNIMA, they are all in delapidated state. * salute you all who are keeping home fires burning under extremely difficult conditions, you are really true Malawians not "the voluteer diaspora so called Malawians"
MIND, best wishes!
John Mbewe on 26 August, 2008 11:23:17
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Mabvuto Akula, Kaulanda and others. We need to salute these Malawians for wanting to do something for their own country. One of the retarding forces against development in our country is the 'pull him down syndrome'. If this initiative was being championed by azungu, noone would be opposing. But since ndi akuda anzathu, a Malawi anzathu basi nsanje! Let us unite and be one a Malawi chonde! Guilty guilty ya chani? Come out of stoneage and welcome to the digital world of one Global village where the world has become one small place. Distance means nothing. Let'* support these fellow Malawians. Drop nsanje and be united. Change mindset abale! For once let'* support those doing good.
mark on 26 August, 2008 11:24:02
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you guys in diaspora you need to think strategically. One day you will wake up and find that Malawi is somewhere not easy to catch up. You need to live investment life in your home country. With globalisation men here are doing what it takes to build europe in malawi. Think always what you could start home 'fruits are reeped where the tree grows'.Dont live blindly in foreign countries it does not benefit. Always desire to take whatever interests you see in the collidors, streets to malawi. One wonders why there is so much flock of indians, chinese, arabs to malawi. What have they seen? Opportunities are better taken on where the land is not saturated. How competitive can you be if you start businesses in UK or USA? Not even an inch becoz the economonies there are saturated with stiff rilvary competition. Take advantage of undeveloped malawi to create first-movers-advantages. Please * need to come and give my keynote address at the MIND launch.Begin something that will generate sustained bayback. You will not keep on living in diaspora where countries are experiencing fast changes becoz of technology and other factors which is lendering people economically crippled. Now see that there is credit cratch, mortigage downturns, big companies are collapsing. What do you think this is all about?
Agie Gadama on 26 August, 2008 12:32:23
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what about you kaulanda, did you pay your dues to wherever whoever put you wherever you are? by the way, * seem not to see the correlation, what about you, can you see it? * feel sorry for your teachers, didnt they teach you about ' broad view'
Phofo on 26 August, 2008 02:41:27
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Why launch it in Scotland and not somewhere in central UK so that more people could participate? * hope this initiative is not just an attempt to popularise oneself. * agree with the rest who say 'The best contribution is the contribution one makes by working in his own country (not for 3 weeks) no matter how hard life is'. UK was made by patrioitic hardworking people of UK. It is unfortunate that the so called intelectually gifted Malawians damp their country and exhaust their energy and pay tax in foreign countries. When they are old, they then come home and become politicians in offices built by taxes and energy of the less paid citizens who hanged around the country for the rest of their lives.

However, go ahead. We will value the 3 week voluntary work in Malawi. But all the way from UK to do a 3 week voluntary work? Is this real?
Phofo on 26 August, 2008 02:44:16
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Why launch it in Scotland and not somewhere in central UK so that more people could participate? * hope this initiative is not just an attempt to popularise oneself. * agree with the rest who say 'The best contribution is the contribution one makes by working in his own country (not for 3 weeks) no matter how hard life is'. UK was made by patrioitic hardworking people of UK. It is unfortunate that the so called intelectually gifted Malawians damp their country and exhaust their energy and pay tax in foreign countries. When they are old, they then come home and become politicians in offices built by taxes and energy of the less paid citizens who hanged around the country for the rest of their lives.

However, go ahead. We will value the 3 week voluntary work in Malawi. But all the way from UK to do a 3 week voluntary work? Is this real?
Phofo on 26 August, 2008 03:28:22
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The best contribution is the contribution one makes in his own country. People who work abroad forsake their own country in a way. They are like fortune seekers who run away when poverty strikes and return when others have fought against it. Malawians in diaspora, come back and pay tax in your country! and do not wait until you are too old. Malawi needs your energy and ideas not on voluntary basis.
caddon mapwiya on 26 August, 2008 05:06:24
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this is a brilliant initiative. and have all the confidence MATHEWS will realise this vision. however, we want genuine diaspora..oti akafika kumudziko azikawawuza anthu za nzeru..like MATHEWS on top of the volunteering he is also a role model to the youth back home. OSATI ukukolopa kunja kuno ndiye uzikaphoza ku Malawi ngati zonse zili bwino kunja kuno...anthu okolopa inu you are the people who give bad impression to our citizens about the UK...you always think in terms of hours and ******...* attended one meeting with scotland partnership and was shocked to see one malawian arguing.."ifenso timafuna tizikawonekera kwathu"..* dont think thats the essence of volunteer diaspora...as for mathews you have my support...* will introduce myself when we meet this weekend at the SCOTTISH Partnership Meeting in EDINBURGH over the weekend..
Kaycee on 26 August, 2008 09:31:04
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Caddon Mapwiya, thanks for mentioning people who want others back home to believe that UK is all milk and honey. People hustle to get food for the day. Its high time people started doing something to pay back whatever Malawi has done for them.We owe our country a lot but many do not seem to realize that. Good luck Mathews. * should make it to the meeting on Saturday and get more light on the project.
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