Search: gender
Poor Women Representation in Development Structures Persists in Nkhotakota
<div style="text-align: left;"><p class="isselectedend">Nkhotakota District continues to face poor representation of women in various development structures, a development authorities say is undermining inclusive growth and development.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="isselectedend">The concerns em...
Umunthu FM engages traditional, religious leaders, and others to track progress on PAC advocacy
On Friday, 5 June 2026, Umunthu FM convened traditional and religious leaders, as well as governance structures at Village Development Committee (VDC) level from Traditional Authorities Kaomba, Mwase, and Kaluluma, under the *Community Voices for Legal Reform Project*. The meeting also brought...
From Stories to Change: SADC Journalists Close Gender Media Drive in Johannesburg
The Media Parity Project has concluded in Johannesburg with media practitioners from across the SADC region calling for stronger commitment to gender-sensitive reporting in newsrooms. The French Ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, David Martinon, said the project has helped widen h...
MHRC reaffirms commitment to women’s rights
The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and promoting women’s rights as fundamental human rights, free from discrimination, violence, and exclusion. The remarks come as the world commemorates International Women’s Day under the theme “Give to Gain,...
Stakeholders agree to enhance collaboration to address challenges facing women
Council officials and stakeholders in Nkhotakota district have agreed to improve coordination and information sharing to effectively address problems affecting women and girls in the district. Speaking on Tuesday after a dialogue between sector heads and Civil Society Organizations meant to di...
Women with disabilities demand equal access to SRHR services
Victoria Supuliyano, a teacher at Chilanga School for the Blind in the area of Senior Chief Kaomba, in Kasungu district recalls how negative attitudes from health workers affected her. During one antenatal visit in 2023 a nurse remarked, “even you got pregnant,” as if pregnancy were impossibl...
Invisible Labour, Visible Loss: How Economic Abuse Is Stripping Rural Women in Nkhotakota of Their Livelihoods
In the quiet rice fields of Nkhotakota, the day begins long before the sun fully rises. But for many women, including 38-year-old Esinart Mwale, dawn is not just the start of work, it is a reminder of what they have lost. After months of planting and weeding side by side with her partner, she wat...
Human-Wildlife Conflict Turning Women into Wildlife Defenders
The sun had begun dipping behind the trees in the midst of Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve at Chipungu village, 47 kilometers from Nkhotakota Boma as a 57 year old Christina Ngoleka offered her sharp welcome ready to share the experiences she has acquired in protecting her community and the wildlife....
Thirty Years After Beijing: Why Digital Spaces Remain Unsafe for Malawi’s Women and Girls
Nearly thirty years after the Beijing Declaration on gender equality, Malawi is facing a new wave of abuse against women and girls not on the streets or in workplaces, but online. As social media becomes deeply woven into daily life, women and girls are increasingly exposed to cyber bullying, bod...
No more under water deals: women challenging lake Malawi exploitation
The Sun had just begun to rise above Vinthenga Beach in Nkhotakota but the shoreline was already alive with the sharp smell of fresh fish and the hum of women calling out prices as the morning catch arrived. Among them stood Mariam, a widow and mother of three who agreed only for a written co...
Restoring dignity: Nkhotakota opens first fistula ward for women
Nkhotakota District Hospital, located at the Boma of Malawi’s lakeshore district of Nkhotakota, serves more than 20,000 people referred from government health centers and mission hospitals across the district. Inside the hospital, there is a special waiting area, locally known as “Kodikilira”,...
Turning Likes into Livelihoods: How Malawian Women Are Learning and Earning Online
When Eunice Kholowa logs onto Facebook or TikTok to share her short tutorials, hundreds of Malawian women follow her lessons on soap making, Malambe, a local drink made from baobab fruit and small business management, all designed to help women earn from home. “My goal has always been to assis...
Jolobala Becomes Second Deputy Speaker After Contenders Withdraw
In a rare show of support for women’s leadership, Members of Parliament on Wednesday elected Esther Jolobala as Second Deputy Speaker after her male contender, Owen Malijani, withdrew from the race to promote gender balance in the August House. The elections, held on Wednesday following the sw...
THE POWER OF FEW; WOMEN MPs UNITE TO AMPLIFY WOMEN’S VOICE IN PARLIAMENT
Despite representing on 21 percent of the incoming 2025 Parliament, Malawi’s female lawmakers have vowed to be visible through a unified and transformative voice. With renewed confidence and a shared purpose, they are determined to push for gender responsive laws and ensure women’s lived realitie...
Beyond the ballot
It was a hot afternoon in Nkhotakota Central Constituency at Chigumula Ground when Susan Namangale stood before a crowd of people, speaking with confidence and hope. As the founder of Dadaz Chess Academy and Former President of the Chess Association of Malawi, Namangale is known for promoting ...
Two Voices Rise: Women Break Political Barriers in Nkhotakota
When Dorothy Chikonje stood atop an open vehicle during former President Lazarus Chakwera’s whistle-stop tour at Dwambazi and Dwangwa markets, few believed Nkhotakota Dwangwa Constituency was ready to elect a woman to Parliament. But when official results were announced by the Malawi Electoral Co...
Making Malawi’s Music Scene Safe for Women
In Malawi’s music scene, women are creating beats, breaking records and inspiring audiences but online abuse threatens to silence their voices. From Cyberbullying and body shaming to threats and defamation, female artists face attacks that target their identity rather than their talent. Y...
WOMEN PIONEERING THE 2025 ELECTION
For decades, Malawian politics has remained a male-dominated field and according to the Malawi Electoral Commission, only three women have appeared on the presidential ballot in Malawi’s democratic history: Loveness Gondwe in 2009, Dr. Joyce Banda in 2014 and the late Abusa Helen Singh also in 20...
Against the Current: From 22.9% to 31.4% — Women Fight for Seats in Nkhotakota
“It has been 15 years since I contested in 2009 as a member of Parliament and actually, I lost with 8 votes only,” said Susan Mussa Kakota, the only woman vying for the parliamentary seat in Nkhotakota Central Constituency against eight men. Her determination reflects a broader shift in Nkhota...
Deep Diving into The Only Female Presidential Aspirant: Joyce Banda’s Bold Return
Malawi’s former President who is also the President for People's Party (PP), Dr. Joyce Banda became the second aspiring presidential candidate to launch her 2025 party’s manifesto under the theme: Restoring, Transforming, and Re-energizing Malawi, at the event held at Crossroads hotel in Lilongwe...