Analyst cautions First Lady over Beautify Malawi donations
A political analyst and social commentator from University of Malawi’s (Unima) Chancellor College has advised First Lady Gertrude Mutharika to make needs assessment before her organization, Beautify Malawi (Beam) Trust makes donations to avoid embarrassment.
The advice follows an embarrassment situation on Saturday at Providence Girls Secondary School where her offer to renovate and rehabilitate a girls hostel gutted by fire in 2017 was turned down by Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa.
Msusa, the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), a grouping of Catholic bishops in the country, told the First Lady that some donors have already been identified who would carry out the renovation exercise.
Mutharika had already brought with her 40 bags of cement and said a contractor would be on the site by the next day, Sunday.
“As Beautify Malawi, one of our focus area is construction of girls’ hostels. However, since we have been that there are already some donors who are to renovate the hostel, we will just leave the cement here for other projects,” said Mutharika.
However, political scientist Ernest Thindwa said Beautify Malawi should have done a needs assessment to find out whether the school needed the offer of renovation of the hostel before bringing the cement and hiring a contractor.
“This is the problem we have in Malawi. We just go to places of disasters without making needs assessment and we end up giving wrong things to people,” he said.
However, Beam Trust chairperson Dingiswayo Jere said the Catholic bishop did not turn down the offer by the First Lady to renovate the hostel, saying he only said what the Diocese would do on the hostel.
“We were there as the advance team of the First Lady, before the First Lady arrived and we were discussing with the school management what we could do to help renovate the hostel,” he said.
The First Lady donated 40 mattresses, among other things but Msusa said another set of 40 mattresses would be donated by other well wishers on Tuesday.
Beautify Malawi also donated 40 double deck beds, 40 school bags, plastic cups, soap, 40 suitcases among others.
The First Lady was accompanied at the school by Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Bright Msaka, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Minister of Culture, Civic Education and Community Development, Cecilia Chazama, Home Affairs and Internal Security, Grace Chiumia and DPP General Secretary Grelzeder Jeffrey.
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“And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. But He did not respect Cain and his offering.” Genesis 4:4-5. ODIOUS OFFERING THE LORD DETESTS
One of the hostels at Police secondary school was gutted by fire a few months ago, please madam first lady, you should have sent your donation there first. Thumbs up Bishop
I respect the Archbishop but I feel his actions were a bit misplaced. A person of his position ought to have a global picture of the entire Roman Catholic Community in the country, which it appears the Archbishop forgot at this material time.
Recently the Catholics held a fundraising dinner and dance to raise funds for the running of Kachebere. If the Archbishop has such number of unlimited donors, why did he not direct some to Kachebere? Who was he trying to please? Is it because the First Lady is not a Catholic?
Amayi, ngati sakufuna thandizo lanu anthu amenewa, titumeni ife tikatenga tipite nazo Ku Mulanje Mission Nursing School. There is an acute need for hostels there.
We cherish the good work that you do in Malawi to promote girls education. Makolofe tikuyamikira ntchito zanu chifukwa mumatithandiza ife malo moti tidzisonkha. Ngati Pali ena omwe asankha kusakumvetsani, awo ndi Mavuto awo.
for your own information what kind of donation comes in a surprise,,you are easily carried and you do not know how politics works boy
IT WAS A POLITICAL RALLY NOT TO DONATE ITEMS. THAT IA THE PROBLEM IN MALAWI OF POLITICISING EVERYTHING.
Mr Thindwa this is well said. However, you should just mention that that’s the problem of politics in Malawi. This was more of a campaign visit rather than a philanthropic cause. You need to know that we have so many foundations by First Ladies in Malawi all of which we did not know how they raised their funds. They were the sore beneficiaries of many donors from the public and private sector and usually political parties do so. There are issue of integrity, transparency and fearing God in what the man of God has done in rejecting this help. It’s high time we changed out way of doing business as a nation because to be honest we not changed since the day we got our independence in 1964. What has changed so far is the people in power, but the same old tradition of using power to expect people clapping hands for you wherever you go.
All these ministers accompanying the first lady, why? I can understand the presence of Bright Msaka as Minister of Education and Kondwanii Nankhumwa as MP for the area but for the other ministers wasting tax payers money is heartless. It just shows these ministers have nothing to do other than pleasing their masters and Malawi as a country does not need as many ministers as it currently have.
Ooooh my goodness.Why the waste of resources Madam First Lady why? Do you know how many patients are sleeping on the floor in almost all Central hospitals? What is beautify Malawi if your own people are suffering and getting other infections in the hospital for lack of support and yet you go all the way to donate materials that will not be required at school which enjoys support already from Donors?
Why for Christ sake are you interested in donations/handouts?Why can you for example introduce other initiatives like girls Quiz competition and family support?I understand this is done but on little scale.With this poverty where for one to find money as a woman,you have to go to the streets and sell your body (I know others would say this is not the solution out of pretence,too much accusations and condemnation in our country) but the reality is that life is very tough in our Country.Jobs are nowhere close and businesses are not working as the buying power is greatly compromised. Atsikana ali ma Degree koma opanda ntchito ndiye what should we exepct of them?Some of you might think am against the first Lady because i am not close to her,noo! Dingiswayo Jere,a Pastor of Calvary Church, learn to tell the First Lady the truth about our Country and the reality on the ground now.Dont be driven by greedy and self aggrandisements. God doesn not condone this behaviour. Assist prostitutes,the widows,prisoners,HIV/Aids people,Epileptic girls,Girls who dropped from school due to very hard problems.Your reward in Heaven.
BEAM should go to Mzuzu City Council and assist them with their new Landfill site (Ntaya). Kuli mavuto ambiri and it is in line with the objectives of their organisation. Osamangolowa paliponse be focused.