The debate on re-opening schools amidst COVID-19

Henry Kachaje wrote

I know others feel we shouldn't open schools yet. Here are some questions to think about:

1) Since April, while the kids are not in school, how are they being protected? Have we locked them up in our houses? Is there strict social distancing being practiced in our communities? 

(Please, don't think about ana akumpanda ku Namiwawa, Nyambadwe, Area 10, 43, (well to do residential areas) think about ana aku Mbayani, Chilomoni, Mtandire, Nchesi, (low income and crowded areas). Are these kids practicing Social distancing in these locations?

2) If we have not locked them up while they are not in school, how have they survived this far? What is it that they are doing that is keeping them safe?

3) What protective measures can we employ in the schools? 

To be honest, very little can effectively be done especially in crowded government schools. But we can continue with regular washing of hands, etc.

Let us move on with life. Let's open schools. We are creating far worse challenges by keeping schools closed indefinitely. 

Ma vaccine anayimatu, teenage pregnancies are on the rise, early child marriages, alcohol abuse, HIV aids spread... Unfortunately, we are not tracking these challenges but just focusing on the new disease,  Covid-19.

Then there are complex socioeconomic issues: Teachers starving, failing to pay rentals, private school owners failing to pay teachers, failing to service bank loans, businesses that service the education sector collapsying, etc.

Covid-19 is a complex problem but let us learn how to live with the virus. It has come to stay unfortunately, and life must go on.

Ndakatulo (Ndichani?)

 

Poem (What is this?)

 

A covid-19 pandemic "coincides?" with a teen pregnancy-demic.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases since schools closed stands at 3 665 as of Sunday (at 26.7.20) and in two districts alone (Mulanje and Mangochi) there are nearly 15, 000 teenage pregnancies that have been accounted for in the last few months. In Mangochi alone, at least 40 young girls are falling pregnant every day. 

Primary school learners under Senior Chief Dambe in Mchinji have petitioned traditional leaders demanding immediate action following rising cases of child marriages and teenage pregnancies in the area.

Through the petition presented to Senior Chief Dambe, the learners among other things are demanding quick review of by-laws and formulation of a special task force to deal with issues of child marriages and teenage pregnancies.

Meanwhile, the latest survey conducted early last month by education authorities in 13 primary school zones in the district revealed that about 80 girls became pregnant, while about 130 young boys and girls entered into marriage since the closure of schools in March this year due to Covid-19.

COVID-19 Prevention measures should seriously consider protecting the youth, Let's protect our young ones before they  become a demographic burden. They are a majority by the way.

Who is taking care of ARTISTS????

While footballers are being taken care of, whats there for artists that earn a living mostly through live shows?

COVID Stories Gallery

In the past four weeks COVID-19 infections and deaths have increased in Malawi. This has led to enforcement of preventive measures such as mandatory use of face masks, increased emphasis on minimizing movement and reducing carrying capacity in public transport vehicles. The media has been flooded with COVID stories, opinions, suggestions and questions 

Should we open Schools?

Are these COVID deaths?

No escaping

  

The Social Cost for Managing COVID-19

Analysing the COVID-19 crisis in developing countries like Malawi, it is apparent that managing the spread of the pandemic comes at a cost. This article aims at highlighting some of the social costs that as a society we are paying in order to manage COVID-19. There are so many social costs that we are paying as individuals and communities. This article will not highlight all the issues; rather it intends to bring awareness on some of the issues that may be overlooked due to the overwhelming nature of corona virus disease.

Psychosocial Trauma for Health Workers

Along with its high infectivity and fatality rates, the 2019 Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has

caused universal psychosocial impact by causing mass hysteria, economic burden and financial losses. Of specific interest in Malawi are the Health care workers. In addition to minimal wages, lack of equipment and inadequate training, health workers risk their lives every day taking care of infected patients, witnessing higher rates of death and experiencing breakdowns of protocol and support. These acute stresses could lead to mental health issues, yet therapeutic support is also not sufficient. We hope that our government will recognize these sacrifices and put in place measures that will support the mental wellbeing of health workers.

Blame Game between Urban and Rural Settlers

The origin and the spread pattern of COVID-19 in Malawi have the background related to foreign travel usually by the population in urban communities. This has created a notion where by rural settlers shifting the blame to the urban community. One interviewee bluntly said ‘the people that travel in and out of the country are responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in the country’. This line of thinking has seen some communities refusing to welcome their relatives from Republic of South Africa due to the fears that there are more COVID-19 cases where they are coming from. This comes barely weeks after 400 returnees escaped the quarantine centre creating fears of an outbreak within the urban community. Some of the returnees complained that the stadium (quarantine centre) had no water, no toilets and the government was not providing them with food https://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-at-risk-400-returnees-escape-from-covid-19-test-centre-in-blantyre/

Now that the campaign period is over, new government has been sworn in, hopes are high that the new government will prioritize public safety and welfare. Hopes are high that COVID-19 management will be more effective.

Increased Cases of Teenage Pregnancies

Managing the spread of COVID-19 in Malawi comes at a high social cost especially for adolescent girls. Schools are still closed since 23^rd March, 2020. This new normal has definitely added the burden on parents. For most parents, sending kids to school is one way of making sure that their children are occupied with productive learning tasks. Having schools closed means that children stay at home most of the times, if they are not home parents get more worried.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the number of women unable to access family planning, facing unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence and other harmful practices could skyrocket by millions of cases in the months ahead https://malawi.unfpa.org/en/news/new-unfpa-projections-predict-calamitous-impact-womens-health-covid-19-pandemic-continues-12

COVID-19 will disrupt efforts to end child marriage. Adolescence is a time of transitions that foster both challenges and opportunities. Indeed, choices made during adolescence not only have immediate consequences but also greatly influence the economic opportunities, health outcomes, and skill sets attained later in life, and yet it is the same period when social norms create pathways largely defined by gender. COVID-19 is creating loopholes for high rates of teenage pregnancies.