Promoting Jobs, Protecting People

ISSUE No. 2 of 2017

Malawi Commemorates the

World Day against Child Labour
>>>>Page 2
STED Project-Building Capacity
of Smallholder Women Farmers
at Bvumbwe >>>>page 3
ILO-IPEC, LUANAR in a Part-
nership on Incorporating Child
Labour into Universitys Curricu-
la >>>>page 4
Skill for Employability Sends
Delegation to Academy on Skills
Development in Italy >>>Page 5
ECAM Recognizes Employers at
WDACL>>>>page 7
Malawi Reviews Minimum Wage
>>>>page 7
Understanding Children's Work
Successfully Introduced to Mala-
wi >>>>Page-8

Contact Us: ILO Malawi Projects Office, Box 30135, Lilongwe, Malawi
 MALAWI COMMEMORATES WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
Mr Mwandidya presenting a certificate to one participant and (right) Nangwale making a speech
O n 24 June 2017, anti-Child Labour massages
decorated Chikwawa district as Malawians con-
verged at Belo ground, in the area of Traditional Au-
thority Mlilima to commemorate the 2017 World day
against Child Labour.
It was a ceremony that brought together participation
from school children, government officials, the private
sector, non-governmental organizations and local
leaders.
The annual event, which falls on 12 June, was this
year commemorated under the Theme In conflict
and disasters, protect children from child labour.
It was presided over by the newly appointed Secretary
for Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development
Mr. Joseph Mwandidya.
Among others, the commemorations were spiced up
by activities that included traditional dances, music
performances, theatre, poetry and presentation of cer-
tificates to partners and employers. There were also
speeches from a child representative, The Internation-
al Labour Organization, Employers Consultative Asso-
ciation (ECAM), The Malawi Congress of Trade Un-
ions (MCTU), the Traditional Authority, Ward Council-
lor and Officer in Charge for Chikwawa Police
In his speech, the Guest of Honour, Mr, Joseph Mwan-
didya, called upon other government entities, the pri-
vate sector, non-governmental organizations, faith
based organizations, political leaders, local leaders,
parents and guardians to hold hands and put the inter-
est of children first in times of conflicts and disasters.
Promoting Jobs. Protecting People
Concurring with Mwandiya, the ILO representative, Mr
Charles Nangwale stressed the need for treating child
labour as a priority within humanitarian responses, and
during reconstruction and recovery, as children are the
worst victims in times of conflicts and disasters.
To effectively combat child labour in Malawi, we all need
a transformation of the mind-set, societies and the un-
derlying economic and social conditions associated with
it. It is not possible to eliminate child labour without tack-
ling its root causes which include poverty, access to
quality education and training, economic growth that cre-
ates employment especially for young people, sustaina-
ble use of land and environmental management Said
Nangwale.
On his part, the childrens representative appealed to all
Malawians to protect children from all forms of abuse
that include child labour and other protection issues. He
stressed that the government, civil Society, local leaders
and companies should join hands in condemning child
labour and abuse practices by joining hands with those
already implementing child protection programmes so
that children should be accorded their right to education.
As children, we have the right to education. As such,
everyone has to come together to protect us from all the
abuse that restrict us from attaining that right He said
The resources towards the 2017 World Day Against
Child Labour in Malawi were drawn from the contribu-
tions of various stakeholders, including the International
Labour Organization Child Labour Programmes in Mala-
wi
2
 STED BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF WOMEN FARMERS AT BVUMBWE
The STED project team visiting one of the gardens and (Right) women showcasing their produce
Glad tidings are on the horizon for smallholder
women farmers who engage in open space vegetable
cultivation at Bvumbwe in Thyolo, as the Skills Trade
and Economic Diversification (STED) projects work
plan aims to enhance their capacity in productivity
improvement, disease control, as well as equiping
them with basic business principles and life skills.
As an initial activity on the work plan, the ILO STED
project organized an inception meeting for the capac-
ity building program at Bvumbwe from 27 to 29 June
2017. This meeting was organized with the objective
of introducing the key partners and service providers
in the support interventions, and to agree on the roll
out modalities of the programme. The ILO STED
Project team had an opportunity of visiting Bvumbwe
women farmers, Bvumbwe research station and
ILO Chief Technical Advisor for STED Naomy Lintini (Right)
in one of the discussions
Promoting Jobs. Protecting People
3
Roseberry Farms in Michiru Blantyre.
The first meeting, which took place in the afternoon of
27th June 2017, saw the team discuss with the anchor
farmers of Roseberry Farms and the Tradelines corpo-
ration, a service provider which has been contracted to
provide entrepreneurship, business development and
gender training.
The second meeting took place at Bvumbwe Research
Station in the morning of 28th June and brought togeth-
er the Bvumbwe Research Team, which has been
contracted to develop training materials for the women
farmers on crop management and pest and disease
control skills, and the Tradelines Corporation team.
The third meeting was conducted in the afternoon of
28th, and it involved the women leaders of Chinkwende
village. It was aimed at introducing to them the team of
trainers and also informing the chief of the area of the
upcoming training and projects that the ILO is engaging
in with the women farmers of the area. The meeting
also accorded an opportunity for the project team to
visit women gardens.
During these meetings, it was agreed that training
manuals should be shared with Roseberry farms to ap-
preciate the content that the women farmers are get-
ting. It was also agreed that the training for women
should commence during the third week of July 2017.
Apart from introducing the two service providers
(Bvumbwe Research and Tradeline Corporation) to the
anchor farmer and the women farmers, the meetings
also resulted in strengthened coordination mechanism
for smooth implementation of the program, as well as
setting timelines for the implementation of the pro-
gramme.
3
 JTIS GENEVA DIRECTORS VISIT CHIWOKO SERVICE OUTLET CENTRE

ILO Chief Technical Advisor for Child Labour Projects, Miss Wangui Irimu (right) sharing documents with
Elaine McKay and (right) the Directors discussing with the officials from Malawi
On 25th May 2017, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development,
directors from Geneva visited the ARISE projects in ILO-IPEC in Malawi, Winrock International, District Child
Malawi, with the aim of appreciating the sustainability Labour Committee and Centre for Youth Empowerment
of the work on the ground. and Civic Education (CYECE), visited Chiwoko Service
Outlet Centre in Lilongwe district.
The mission comprised of Social Programs Director,
Elaine McKay, Director for Community Investment Dr. During the visit, the team was briefed on the activities that
Stefan Rissi and Tatiana Varlamova, Director for the ILO and the implementing partners are undertaking to
Corporate Social Responsibility, responsible for Busi- achieve the objectives of the ARISE project.
ness Engagement. In her comment, Elaine McKay commended the works that
The team, accompanied by officials from the Ministry the International Labour Organization and all the imple-
menting partners are doing in the fight against child labour.

ILO, LUANAR, ENTER PARTNERSHIP ON INCOPORATING CHILD LABOUR ISSUES INTO CURRICULUM
The International Labour Organi-
zation (ILO), under the IPEC/Child
labour projects in Malawi, and the
Lilongwe University of Agriculture
and Natural Resources (LUANAR)
have entered into an action pro-
gramme agreement that will see
issues of child labour being main-
streamed into the universitys aca-
demic programs.
The action programme agreement,
which is titled Mainstreaming child
and forced labour in Lilongwe Uni-
versity of Agriculture and Natural
Resources (LUANAR) academic
programmes will run for a period
of 8 months from June 2017 to
March 2018.
The action programme will target
to achieve three objectives at the
end of the implementation period,
which are; mainstream issues of child
and forced labour in the Universitys
academic programmes through de-
velopment of supplementary mod-
ules, Undertaking and promoting re-
search on child and forced labour
through postgraduate studies and to
build faculty capacity on child labour
and forced labour issues.
In line with these objectives, the Uni-
versity earmarked four academic pro-
grammes as a starting point for main-
stream programme. The faculties are
Bachelor of Science in Gender and
Development, Diploma in Youth De-
velopment Work, Bachelor of Sci-
ence in Natural Resources Manage-
ment (Wildlife and Ecotourism) and
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural
Extension.
The modules will be mainstreamed
for students in years 2, 3 and 4 for
the last semester of 2016/17 and first
semester of 2017/2018 academic
years.
According to the programme docu-
ment, the Lilongwe University of Agri-
culture and Natural Resources
(LUANAR) was chosen because it is
one of the few agricultural higher-
learning institutions in Malawi that
produces a good number of agricul-
ture graduates every year.
The project document, further says
that the action programme has four
main target groups namely; students
enrolling into the university, the aca-
demic staff and their departments,
social partners such as , and mem-
bers of NGOs, civil society and tradi-
tional leaders. The collaborating in-
stitutions will be the government of
Malawi through the ministry of labour,
ministry of Education and ministry of
Agriculture.

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4
 Skills for Employability Project Sends Delegation to Academy in Italy
respond to the needs of the individual,
the economy and Malawi at large.

The five members of the delegation

came from the Ministry of Labour,
Youth, Sports and Manpower Develop-
ment (MoLYSMD), Technical, Entre-
preneurial and Vocational Education
and Training Authority (TEVETA) and
the Skills for Employability Project.

Specifically, the academy sought to

The delegation that went to ICT_ILO in Turin, Italy
The ILOs Skill for Employability Pro- The arrangement was aimed at
ject supported a delegation of 5 strengthening their capacities to im-
members to an academy in Turin, prove the relevance, effectiveness and
Italy, where they participated in skills efficiency of skills development sys-
th th
development training from 8 to 19 tems, to formulate respective policies
May 2017. and design related programmes that
strengthen participants capacities to
formulate comprehensive skills devel-
opment policies, analysing opportuni-
ties for improving skills development
and TVET systems and programmes,
and to identify new trends and good
practices in skills development from
different countries and institutions
around the world.

Child Labour Projects Support Study on Link Between Conflict and Disasters and Child Labour
A participant making a contribution during
the meeting
As part of ILOs contribution towards this years World
Day against Child Labour commemorations, the ARISE/
ECLT child labour projects supported a study to assess
and document the link that exists between child labour
and disasters and conflict in Malawi.
The study was conducted to ensure that the theme of this
years commemoration was contextualized, to enable
stakeholders to come up with messages that were specif-
ic to Malawian settings.
Upon completion of the study by the consultant, the ILO, in
collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and
Manpower Development organized a meeting to validate the
report of the study.
The meeting took place at Sagecoa Golden Peacock Hotel in
Lilongwe on 20th June, 2017.
Speaking as he officially opened the meeting, Deputy Labour
Commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and
Manpower Development, Mr. Wafwile Msukwa commended
ILO for supporting the study saying there was little infor-
mation on the link between disasters and conflicts and child
labour.
We do not make decisions out of the blues. We may seem
like we do not have conflicts and disasters now as a country
but we may have such eventualities in the future so this study
will prove important even in the future Said Msukwa.
In her remarks, ILO Chief Technical Advisor Ms. Wangui Iri-
mu said the study will be important to all the partners that go
into places of disasters and conflicts with humanitarian re-
sponse as they will consider issues of child labour.
the ILO does not go into times of calamity, but we assist in
improving livelihood in the aftermaths. However this study will
help both the humanitarian response and the recovery. Said
Irimu.

Promoting Jobs. Protecting People 5

 Government, ILO, Finalizing the Development an Advocacy and
Communication Strategy on the Elimination of Child Labour
A cross-section of the stakeholders at the strategy development
workshop at Linde Hotel in Mponela
In a bid to create and raise aware-
ness, knowledge and understand-
ing of child labour issues in Mala-
wi, the Government, through the
ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports
and Manpower Development has
developed an Advocacy and
Communication Strategy.
The strategy, which has been pro-
duced with financial and technical
assistance from the International
Labour Organization will be final-
ized by the end of July.
The strategy defines the roles of
ILO-Fundamentals, government,
social partners, civil society and
other key stakeholders in advo-
ILO CONDUCTS CAPACITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR COOPERATIVES
The ILO Child Labour Programme in
Malawi engaged a consultant to
conduct a capacity needs assess-
ment of cooperatives with regards
their potential to addressing issues
of child labour.
The study is part of the project that
the ILO is implementing with support
from the ECLT Foundation. Which
is titled Strengthening Social Dia-
logue to combat hazardous child
fight are using the same message.
Once finalized, the strategy will en-
sure that there are coordinated and
harmonized messages in the fight
against child labour. And this will en-
sure that all the stakeholders are us-
ing the same message Said Nyangu-
lu.
He further said that the strategy will
also ensure that all the stakeholders
in the fight against child labour have
clear roles and responsibilities for ef-
fective elimination of the malpractice.
And one of the participants at one of
the two meetings, commended the
ILO for supporting the development of
the strategy, saying it will provide
government with a concise blueprint
cating for the elimination of child la-
for effective coordination of child la-
bour and guide the implementation of
bour interventions.
advocacy activities at both local and
national levels. The fight against child labour in-
volves various sectors such as the
The process of developing the strate-
government, NGOs, the private sec-
gy saw the Ministry of Labour, Youth,
tor, workers and employers unions.
Sports and Manpower Development,
As a government document, this
and the International Labour Organi-
strategy will ensure that the ministry
zation, organizing two workshops in
of labour, Youth, Sports and Man-
Mponela and Lilongwe on May 17 and
power Development is able to coordi-
July 7th respectively, where stakehold-
nate the efforts of all these players.
ers gave their inputs.
She said.
Speaking in an interview, the Labour
The advocacy and communication
Commissioner Mr. Hlalerwayo Nyan-
strategy has been developed by the
gulu said the strategy will come handy
Brim consultants, with the input of
in the fight against child labour, as it
stakeholders that attended the two
will ensure all the stakeholders in the
meetings.
labour Miss Wangui Irimu said the study
aimed at assessing how the ILO can
The findings of the study were vali-
work with the cooperatives to combat
dated at a meeting that took place at
child labour.
CrossRoads Hotel in Lilongwe on 27
July. Participants at the workshop Agriculture is considered by the ILO
were drawn from cooperatives and as a major sector for occupation inju-
farmers unions, employers and work- ries. It is also the major employer in
ers unions and the government. the country so the study will help us
know what can be done before we
Speaking at the opening of the meet-
can say we can work with them in
ing, ILO Chief Technical Advisor
fighting child labour she said
6
 ECAM AWARDS EMPLOYERS AT THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
The Guest of Honour presenting a certificate to a
representative of Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company
Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM)
awarded certificates of recognition to 12 employers at
this years World Day against Child Labour commemo-
rations in Chikwawa, as one way of encouraging em-
ployers to continue tackling child labour.
Malawi commemorated this years event on 24th June
under the theme In Conflict and Disasters, protect chil-
dren from Child Labour.
Speaking during the event, ECAM Vice President Mr.
Mwawi Longwe said the association recognizes the
crucial role its members play in the fight against child
labour.
Employers help children in conflicts and disaster by
providing school feeding programs, learning and teach-
ing materials, providing sponsorship to students and
encouraging child labourers to go back to school.
ECAM continues to advocate for child labour free
MALAWI REVIEWS MINIMUM WAGE
The Government of Malawi has, effective 1st July,
2017 adjusted upwards the daily minimum wage, from
787.70 kwacha to 962 kwacha.
This has come after the Government, through the Min-
istry of Labour, Youth , Sports and manpower Devel-
opment consulted with its social partners; Employers
Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) and the
Malawi Congress of Trade of Unions (MCTU).
This was revealed in a statement that the ministry re-
leased earlier in July. The statement says that the mini-
mum wage serves the purpose of protecting the lowest
paid workers from having their services exploited .
Promoting Jobs. Protecting People
workplaces because as the world becomes globalized,
more and more buyers of products prefer child labour
free supply chains Said Longwe.
In his speech, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of La-
bour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development, Jo-
seph Mwandidya, said his Ministry is enforcing laws
against child labour and that it plans to tour the employ-
ers from Chitipa to Nsanje to monitor how companies
are employing people.
The Ministry has an initiative to inspect companies
countrywide to make sure they are not employing peo-
ple below the age of 18 because it is against the laws.
The children are the future hence the need to protect
them from child labour, so the ministry will not allow any
child to be given work beyond their age, Mwandidya
said.
ILO National Programmes Coordinator, Mr. Charles
Nangwale, said cases of child labour are a serious prob-
lem in the country due to cultural beliefs and poverty.
We are talking of 38 percent of children having been
involved in child labour in Malawi. Child labour deprives
these children their right to education and their right to a
dignified future. It does not look that serious when it is
happening but in the long run, it has an impact because
we cannot develop as a nation, Nangwale said.
The recognized employers included; Japan Tobacco
International Limited, Chibuku Products Limited, Tea
Association of Malawi, Illovo Sugar Malawi Limited, To-
bacco Control Commission, Eastern Produce Limited,
Limbe Leaf Tobacco, Alliance One Tobacco, Tobacco
Association of Malawi, Petroleum Importers Limited,
Premium Tama, and British American Tobacco.
It further says that it is against the law for an employer
to pay employees below the minimum wage and that any
employers not respecting the revised minimum wage
shall be liable to prosecution in line with section 55 of
the Employment Act.
In May, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning
first announced that the minimum wage will be revised
upwards as he presented the national budget for the fiscal
year 2017-2017.
The presentation also saw government revising upwards
the tax-free salary band to 30 thousand Malawi kwacha.
7
 Understanding Childrens Work Initiative Introduced to Malawi
A cross-sections of participants at the meeting
Understanding Childrens Work and Youth Employ-
ment, an inter-agency research cooperation initiative
involving the International Labour Organization,
UNICEF and the World Bank, which aims at support-
ing efforts against child labour and promoting youth
employment, was successfully introduced to Malawi
in July 2017
A mission of 2 people; Lorenzo Guarcello and Furio
Rosati jetted into the country on 17 July, to introduce
the research cooperation to the country.
On 18th July, two had a meeting with stakeholders
at UNICEF House in Lilongwe, where they explained
the initiative, and shared the terms of reference for
the cooperation. This was after the two had a debrief
with ILO Child Labour Projects staff.
The meeting was attended by participants from the
government of Malawi, Employers Consultative Asso-
ciation of Malawi (ECAM), Malawi Congress of Trade
Unions (MCTU), UNICEF, The World Bank, Plan In-
ternational, Oxfam, Youth Net and Counselling
(YONECO), UNFPA and Teachers Union of Malawi,
among others.
Speaking as he officially opened the meeting, Labour
Commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Youth,
Sports and Manpower Development, Mr. Hlalerwayo
Nyangulu said the initiative is a welcome develop-
ment to Malawi as it will inform the interventions to-
wards child labour and youth empowerment in the
country.
Promoting Jobs. Protecting People
This initiative is very important and welcome as it will
strengthen our information base for our interventions
said Nyangulu.
In his presentation, Rosati said the initiative, which will
result in the production of an inter-agency report that
the three agencies will present to government with
recommendations, aims at enhancing the information
base for purposes of policy formulation and adoption.
The country-level research cooperation in Malawi will
have two overall goals which are, to improve the infor-
mation base on child labour and youth employment in
order to contribute to programme design and identify
effective policy interventions, and to promote policy
dialogue in child labour and youth employment out-
comes, and mainstream these in the broader govern-
ment development agenda Said Rosati.
He further said that the study will use the already
available body of research on issues of child labour
and youth employment.
During the discussion, participants at the meeting
hailed the initiative saying it will assist a lot in the fight
against child labour and effort to curb the rampant un-
employment levels. Nonetheless, participants raised
concerns on the countrys poor record of implementing
policies.
The presentation did not come clear on the gaps be-
tween policy and practice, especially on issues of un-
employment. Again, there is need for the (inter-
agency) report to redefine employment based on Ma-
lawis economy Said Mr. McBain Mkandawire of
Yoneco.
In closing, ILOs Chief Technical Advisor for the child
Labour projects, Miss Wangui Irimu urged all the or-
ganizations represented at the meeting to share with
the team any research findings that may be significant
to the UCW study on child labour and youth employ-
ment outcomes.
In the evening of the same day, the UCW team met
with the delegation of the National Statistical Office, to
also brief them on the initiative.
Understanding childrens work and Youth employment
initiative was launched in 2000, and forms part of the
Research and Evaluation Unit of ILO Fundamentals
Branch. It is financed by contributions from the donor
countries and the core agency resources.
8