Malawi should DNA-test every newborn to spare fathers ‘devastating’ shock, says campaigner

A leading Malawian campaigner has called on the government to consider making DNA tests compulsory for every newborn, saying men are being driven to despair when they discover, long after the fact, that they have raised other men’s children.

Pilira Ndaferankhande, head of the charity In the Shoes of Men, said some fathers have taken their own lives after learning the truth when a child reached 18 or 25.

She cited a recent study which, she said, found that eight in ten men who took DNA tests discovered the children they believed were theirs had been fathered by other men.

“Such testing could help ensure that all parents accept early that the child is theirs,” said Ndaferankhande, who also heads the Malawi Interfaith Association for Action.

“Testing years later is disruptive because the relationship is already established.”

She spoke on Saturday night at a fundraising dinner at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Blantyre, organised by Abambo Tibe Khonde. The money will help build a house to support men who are considering ending their lives.

Many men, she said, suffer in silence because of the belief that “a man does not cry”.

Jefferson Milanzie, who founded Abambo Tibe Khonde, said he started the group after reaching a point where he wanted to end his own life.

He described his daily torment, with calls from police, long hours sitting alone in his car after reaching home, and nights unable to sleep.

He said the organisation has reached 18,000 people, including some who were on the brink of suicide, and has taken its work to several districts.