* In most cases, women do not tell their husbands about their shares and loans that they get from Bank-Nkhonde, which later becomes a burden to their husbands
* Wives should always engage their husbands when joining and obtaining loans from Bank-Nkhonde
By Andrew Mkonda, MANA & Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
The mostly unregistered Bank-Nkhonde cooperatives, groupings of women who mobilise shares and provide loans amongst themselves, are some of the factors that are fueling suicide cases among married men.
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This was said by Lumbadzi Police Station Officer In-charge, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP), Micklina Medi, yesterday at Chinkhuti CCAP under Nkhoma Synod in Dowa during the zonal Women’s World Day of prayers.
She said in most cases, women do not tell their husbands about their shares and loans that they get from Bank-Nkhonde, which later becomes a burden to their husbands.
In most instances, women engage in these community cooperatives without the knowledge of their husbands and they are never registered with the financial services regulator, the Reserve Bank of Malawi as per the law.
When it comes to taking loans, the wives bet, as collateral, some household items such as TV plasmas, refrigerators, home theatres, their husbands vehicles among other matrimonial valuables — without consulting their husbands.
When the wives fail to repay the loans — after even not notifying their husbands that they took such loans — the Bank-Nkhonde managers come and confiscate the valuables that were used as collateral.
The husband is forced to dash around looking to raise the money needed to repay the loans and in several incidences, when they fail to raise funds as they are mostly huge loans, they become mentally disturbed and resort to suicide.
Thus Medi advised the women present — and those across the country — “to always engage their husbands when joining and obtaining loans from Bank-Nkhonde”.
She further said it was worrisome that some women are involved in mob justice and gender-based violence, saying the behavior is counterproductive.
“Other evils which are very common among women these days are extra marital affairs, jealousy and gossiping which should not be condoned in our families,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Health, Halima Daud who was the guest of honour during the event read the book of Ephesians 4:1-7:
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
As cases of suicide kept rising, reportedly due to financial failures, the Malawi Police Service had been advising the public to desist from suicide whenever they face challenges, saying they should seek counseling or share problems with colleagues.
By the end of 2022, statistics from the National Police Headquarters revealed an alarming increase of suicide cases in the country, which stood at 168 people committing suicide from January to October last year and 58 cases were registered in the month of October alone.
January 2023 s the country is registering an increase in suicides incidences associated with various economic and social issues, Malawi Healthcare Support UK (MAHECAS) intends to focus more on mental health as its main theme for 2023.
This prompted many concerned NGOs and religious leaders to raise awareness of this problem associated with social issues due to lack of guidance.
Even the clergy followed suit in examining mental health as last year, Blantyre City Presbytery of the CCAP joined efforts for swift action to address the alarming increase of the suicide cases by engaging its spiritual Ministers to a special training on mental health to incorporate the alarming subject in their sermons.
Presbytery Clerk, Rev Bruno Chipewa told the media ahead of the seminar that incorporating the mental health subject in their sermons, the Church will help to “increase public awareness and to promote mental health through positive religious coping, community support and positive beliefs and awareness through our structures”.
He had said: “We believe that well managed religion and spirituality can result into good mental health by means of positive religious coping, mutual understanding, good communication and positive beliefs towards building a better nation.
“Of the many problems citizens may be going through, we believe there is something positive that can be worked on,” Reverend Chipewa had said of the campaign under the theme: ‘Spiritual resilience is a powerful tool in maintaining good mental health’.
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