Feature

By Frazer Potani, Lilongwe, Malawi


There is evidence that youths are getting stuck at cross roads instead of getting to their visionary destinations in this country.


Linda Edith Zapita is an example of just that. She had a dream to have her office in the airplane as an Air Hostess with the country’s flag career, the award winning Air Malawi Ltd.


“In fact I wanted even to be a pilot. My idle was Air Malawi ’s female pilot Felistas Matengo now Mrs. Mkandawire. To boost my ambitions I used to have a chat with her at her house,” says Zapita.


She failed to realize her dream and took a Secretarial course at Paem Business College in Mzuzu.


After passing with first class she worked for Mpukuto Building Contractors Ltd.


However Linda resigned from her job and went to Lilongwe in search for an excellent college for further studies.


She discovered all the qualities she was looking for at Don Bosco registered by TEVETA.


“I am currently pursuing a course in Hotel and Catering Management,” says the 25-year-old Zapita from T/A Kalolo in Lilongwe .


27-year-old Friday Machemba in Area 24 had an ambition of becoming an accountant but that dream is shattered.


He dropped out of school nine years ago in form three because there was nobody to pay school fees.


“My parents died after along illness 12 years ago,” said Machemba.


He said after his parents’ death went to live with his uncle in Area 49 Township in Lilongwe .


“He was taking care of me including paying my school fees. But later he chased me from his house because my auntie did not like me. She used to create false stories against me and my uncle believed her,” he said.


Machemba now married with two children earns his bread and butter by breaking stones at a hill near Kamuzu Institute for Youth in Lilongwe .


Christobell 24, a commercial sex worker near Bwandiro Bottle Store at Area 47 in Lilongwe had also her own sad story to tell.


She said soon after her parents died after a long illness her father’s relatives grabbed all the property.


“I was studying at Bunda College of Agriculture when my parents died. My father’s relatives grabbed all the property and sent us to the village in Dowa. I was left at the cross roads with my two young brothers,” she said.


Christobell said she could not cope up with village life let alone imagine being forced by the situation to drop out from college.


“I felt angry and frustrated therefore, decided to find my own means to leave the village to earn my own living by whatever means in the city,” she said.


National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) president Loveness Gondwe said one reason that had prompted her to run for the presidency during the May 19, 2009 general elections was to if elected president improve lives of youths in the country.


“Most youths in this country are living a frustrated life because there is no one to find something for them to do. More often political gurus claim that youths are future leaders yet do nothing to uplift their lives to the extent that some youths are suffering from abject poverty. Some are even ruining their lives by just smoking Indian hemp,” said Gondwe.


She said if she was elected Malawi ’s president would have implemented strategies like reviving Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP) bases to create employment for the jobless including the youth.


“If fully rehabilitated MYP bases can empower the youth with various skills and turn them into productive citizens who would contribute to the country’s social-economic development and help eradicate poverty,” said Gondwe.


Lilongwe District Youth Development Officer Allida Mazungwi said a research revealed that youths and women in productive age bracket between 18 and 35 in Malawi makes 80 percent of people attending political rallies during general elections.


She said even politicians target this same group during their campaigns to secure votes because they also majority of voters, however, after elections politicians do not deliver the promises they had made to this age group.


“In the case of youths who also make over 60 percent of the population, during general elections politicians even use youths as agents of terror against their opponents,” said Mazungwi.


“Taking advantage of youths stuck in poverty and who have nothing to do prominent during general elections politicians give youths some money including beer as baits for inciting violence against their political rivals,” said Mazungwi.


She said however, empowering youths at all levels could transform them into productive citizens who would contribute to the country’s social-economic development.


Young Politicians Union (YPU)’s national secretary Moir Walita Mkandawire admitted his organization’s research and documentation department has cases of violence involving youths sent by their political masters.


“The practice can be rooted out if among other things those in authority and other stakeholders empower the youths than leave them to remain idle,” said Mkandawire.


Appreciating that youths are indeed facing a lot of challenges such as unemployment in the country, President Bingu wa Mutharika announced during the May 19, 2009 general elections campaign that once re-elected into government he would establish a K3 billion Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF).


The President launched the fund last Saturday at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe City .


He said government is aware that many youths countrywide are suffering in many ways after dropping out of school due and failing to get jobs after completing their education.


‘Our People Our Pride’ Award winning Labour Minister Yunus Mussa disclosed that Malawi’s job market was small as only 500,000 (or about 4 per every 100) people are employed in the 13 million plus population.


National Youth Council (NYC) Chairperson Thembi Thadzi applauded government for coming up with the YEDF saying it will rescue the youth from poverty.


“We don’t take government’s decision to establish the fund for granted because many youths have no economic empowerment in the country due to among other things high rates of unemployment,” said Thadzi adding that it is her prayer that the fund will be disbursed in a prudent and transparent manner.


She said since Mutharika announced that once re-elected into government during the May 19, 2009 general elections campaign that he would establish the YEDF youths have been spending sleepless nights eagerly waiting to benefit from it.


“But if many youths are to benefit from the fund I urge fellow youths to pay back loans in time,” said Thadzi.


Youth Development and Sports Minister Lucius Kanyumba said the YEDF is investing in the youth hence investing the future.


“If we don’t invest in the youth where is our tomorrow?” queried Kanyumba quoting Cardinal Arinze from Nigeria .


Trade and Investment Minister Eunice Kazembe said there are more youths joining the job market than the jobs being created in the country.


Kazembe further said YEDF would expand Malawi ’s Business sector as it would create Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) to be set by beneficiaries.


“The SMEs will rescue youths who are struggling to secure jobs in the job market as they will be self employed,” said Kazembe.


Finance Minister Ken Kandodo said government will roll the fund through Malawi Development Fund (MARDEF) Secretariat.


“The launch of this fund speaks the volumes of government’s commitment to uplift the lives of youths in the country. This is an important fund because it will also contribute to the social economic development of the country,” said Kandodo.


Mutharika said he would like all beneficiaries of the YEDF succeed in their businesses.


He said latest statistics indicate that the youth also productive age bracket of 15-35 makes 35 percent of the population.


“The fund was created to empower the youth in this country to create businesses and self employment,” said Mutharika.


He said the fund was delayed because guidelines and procedures on how to disburse it had to be put in place first before implementing it.


The President said to be effective the fund would be equally distributed in all districts of the country to make sure that youths in every district benefit from it.


“This fund should also not be politicized,” said Mutharika adding that its disbursement should not be delayed after the launch.


He further said beneficiaries should not be discriminated based on whether political, religion or tribe.


Mutharika was however, quick to ask beneficiaries of the fund not to squander the money on alcohol and women after acquiring the soft Ioans from the fund.


“You can take money today and just go in the drain. I want you to succeed and not to fail,” he said.


Mutharika said if for instance 1,000 borrowed from YEDF and 900 succeeded in their businesses within a year he would be happy because it would have an impact on lives of beneficiaries.


He said it does not make sense borrowing money from elsewhere without sound business plan.


The President further accused some financial institutions including banks in the country of destroying indigenous business because their conditions attached to loans bar prospective borrowers including women from accessing loans.


Mutharika said he went through such unfair conditions when he had gone to an institution to apply for a loan for building his house in Area 47 in Lilongwe .


No wonder the President promised the YEDF, said it was not a political gimmick, launched it recently and promised that he will also source more money to increase the fund to empower more youths in the country.


“I do not promise what I do not deliver but I do deliver what I promise,” Mutharika has said on several occasions.