Thursday, January 06, 2011

Tsogolo la Mafoni am’manja m’Malawi

By Kumbu’ Kuntiya

Anthu ambiri lero kuMalawi ali ndi foni zam’manja ndipo ambiri mwa amenewa ndi makasitomala amakampani awiri a Airtel kapena TNM. Pakafukufuku waposachedwapa, zinaonetsa kuti ntchito zamtengamtenga ndi mtokoma zinathandiza kupititsa chuma chadziko laMalawi ndi 9 perecenti. Ndi kafukufuku yemweyinso anawonetsa kuti potha chaka cha 2010, anthu 27 aliwonse pa 100 adzakhala ndi mwayi wotimikilidwa ndi mafoni am’manjawa kuyelekezekela ndi anthu awiri okha omwe adzafikilidwe ndi mafoni ogwiritsa ntchito mawaya.

Powonotsetsa chitukuko chimenechi makamaka kubwera kwa matelefoni a m’manja amenewa ndi zabwino zake, aMalawi tili okonzeka bwanji kufuna kudyerera ubwino wake pogwiritsa ntchito mafoni amenewa? Ndikulunkhala mawu amenewa mopanda phyete podziwa kuti dziko la Malawi lidakali m’mbuyo kuyelekeza ndi mayiko ena pakagwiritsidwe ntchito kamafoni am’manjawa. Chomwe aMalawi ambiri timaziwa pogwiritsa ntchito mafoniwa ndikutumizila anzanthu mauthenga apafoni kapena kuti ma SMS kapena kucheza ndi okondewa athu kapena anzathu pankhani zopanda ndi mchere womwe. Zinthu zomwe sizili zaphindu konse pamoyo wathu walero. Chomwe tiyenera kudziwa aMalawi anzanga ndichoti pali zambiri zomwe mafoni am’manjawa angatumikile paumoyo wathu watsiku ndi tsiku kupyolera pa moni yekha. Fananizani mafoniwa ndi munda waukulu womwe mwangokwanitsa kuulima mbali imodzi yokha ndipo watsala mbali ina yaikulu yomwe inganthe kubweretsa zokolola zina zambiri. Ndichimodzimodzinso momwe tigugwiritsira ntchito mafoni amenewa lero kuMalawi. Pali ndime yayikulu yomwe tikuyenera kuyilima kuti tiwone phindu lake lenileni lamafoni amenewa.

Padzaka zoposa makumi anayi (40) zomwe aMalawi takhala paufulu wozilamulira patokha, ndikhulupilira kuti muvomerezana nane kuti tili ndi madela ena pakana lero omwe alibe chipatala, misewu yabwino, sukulu kapenanso magetsi ndi zina zambiri. Chodabwitsa ndichoti panthawi yomweyi, mudzaka khumi (10) chabe, madera omwewa pafupifupi munthu aliyense, wamkulu kapena mwana wakhala ndi mwayi wotumikilidwa ndi foni yam’manja.

Kubwera kwamafoni amenewa athandiza pazambiri monga kusaononga nthawi yathu poyenda mitunda italiitali kukasiya uthenga kapena kukafuna zina ndi zina tikafuna kugula kapena kugulitsa malonda athu. Tangoyelekezani m’chikumbe yemwe ali ku Kasungu ndipo akufuna kudziwa ngati fodya wake wagulidwa kumsika wa fodya (okoshoni) ku Lilongwe. Nthawi zambiri m’malo moyenda mtunda onse, ndi kwachidule kwaiye kuyimba foni ndikugwiritsa ntchito kandalama komwe akadakwelela basi kapena matola, ntchito zina zachitukuko pakhomo pake. Ndipo pogwiritsa ntchito ndalama zakezo poyimba telefoni kapena kutumiza uthenga wa SMS, zimenezi zimathandiza makampani ngati a TNM kapena Zain (Airtel) kupanga chitukuko m’madera athu. Posachedwapa a TNM ndi a Zain anathandizapo pantchito ngati zimenezi ku kuzipatala za Thyolo ndi Ntaja ndinso ku Blantyre pa Mjamba CDSS.

Owerenga anzanga, tsiku ngati lalero tivutikilanji kuyang’anira odwalira kumudzi pofuna kuti nthawi iliyonse yomwe tafuna chithandizo kuchipatala, tiyende mtunda wautali? Ndipo nthawi zina tsiku lonse limatha tili pamsewu kuyenda kukafuna chithandizo ngati chimenechi. Nthawi imeneyi ndiyoyenera kungoyimba telefoni kwa achipatala kapena mavolontiya ndipo azatha kutithandiza. Nthawi zina, timafuna ambulasi, ndipo timayenda mtunda womwewu wautali pomwe chili chapafupi kungoyimba telefoni ndipo achipatala azatithandiza. Zimenezi kuno ku Malawi zikuchitika monga ku Namitete, Ntaja, Balaka, Malindi ndinso Neno komwenso achipatala amatha kukumbutsa otengela mankhwala kunyumba monga a TB kapena ma ARV. Izi sizisowa achipatala kusiya ntchito zawo kutsatila odwalawo kunyumba kwao.

Ndipo mumadziwanso kuti matelefoni omwewa mutha kulipilira madzi kapena magetsi kwaiwo omwe muli ndi mwayi wokhala ndi madzi kapena magetsi olipira mizinda yathu ya Mzuzu, Lilongwe kapena Blantyre?

Omwenso tili ndi mwayi osunga ndalama zathu kumabanki, tilinso ndi mwayi wogula zinthu kumasitolo ambiri m’Malawi muno pogwiritsa ntchito matelefoniwa.

Pofunanso kupatsa mwayi anthu ambiri omwe alibe mwayi wosungitsa ndalama zawo kumabanki, mulinso ndi mwayi wotumiza kapena kulandila ndalama kupyolera muukadaulo wamafoni amenewa. Ndikhulupira munamvapo za khusa m’manja kapena kuti Zap ndinso Fast Account, njira zamakono zomwe sizifuna kuti muyende ndi ndalama mthumba pamene mufuna kukagula chinthu kapena kulipilira ntchito zina kuopesa akuba achuluka masiku anowa.

Kupyolera njira ngati izi mutha kukhala ndi mwayi wotumiza ndalama kumudzi kapena kutawuni kupyolera patelefoni yanu m’malo motuma munthu ndikuwononga ndalama zina zankhaninkhani. Njira yomweyi muthanso kumutumizila mwana wasukulu ndalama kusukulu komweko posafunika kuti inuyo mupite komko.

Kupyolera apa, ngati muli ndimaganizo oyamba geni m’chaka chanyuwanichi, muli makobili ambiri mubizinezi yoyimbitsa foni kapena kugulitsa maunitsi.

Izi ndizabwino pang’ono zomwe telefoni zam’manja zabwera nazo. Nanga ndichifukwa ninji aMalawi ambiri sakugwiritsa ntchito zinthu zabwino ndizamakono ngati zimenezi? Pakhoza kukhala zifukwa zoletsa zingapo.

Kukhoza kutheka kuti mwina aMalawi ambiri simumadziwa kapena mulibe nazo chidwi zinthu zabwino ngati izi kuyesa kuti ndiza anthu akutawuni okha. Zikhoza kuthekanso kuti eni mamkapani okonza zanthchitozi sanathe kufikira ena mwainu ndimauthenga amomwe mungathe kugwiritsira nthito zinthu ngati Zap kapena Khusa M’manja.

Chinanso chomwe ndidaona kuti mwina chimakhumudwitsa aMalawi ambiri kuyesera zabwino ngati zamafoni am’manjazi ndikukayikira makampani afoni zam’manjawa. Izi potengela kuti pamakhala matatalazi nthawi zina kuti munthu uthe kuyimba foni kapena kutumiza kapena kulandila uthenga wapafoni zam’manjazi. Nthawi zambiri timamva zamavuto a netiweki ndi zina zovuta.

Chinanso chomwe ndidawona ndipo mukudziwa ndi kukwera mtengo wogulira ndi wokhala ndi foni zam’manja. Monga tonse tidziwa, foni yam’manja ili ngati galimoto. Imafuna ndalama yogulira ndiyodyetsera kudzera kugula maunitsi kapena kutchajitsa. Ndipo maunitsiwonso, anthu akayika, akuti sachedwa kuwulukamo. Kungolankhula pang’ono, atha. M’madera omwe kulibe magetsi, ichinso chimakhala chiphinjo kapena chiletso china kuti munthu athe kugwiritsa bwino foni yake yam’manja chifukwa choti kutchajitsa foniyo kumakhala kokwera mtengo zedi.

Tili pankhani yokwera mtengo yomweyi, ndichosadabwitsa masiku ano kuwona kuti maunitsi ndi okwera mtengo kwambiri m’madera akumudzi kuposa kutawuni. Chosencho opikulitsa maunitiswo amapita nawo kumudzi komko.

Chinanso chakula paMalawi pano makamaka amuna, ndikudelera kapena nsanje kwa aMayi okhala ndi foni yam’manja. Pakafukufuku wanga wina, m’mayi wokhala ndi foni amuna ambiri amudelera kwambiri kapena amamuona ngati wachimasomaso ndipo izi zimagwetsa mphwayi amayi ambiri kuti akhale ndi foni yawo kuti iwatumikile pazachitukuko mofanana ndi abambo.

Pomalidza kuwona mavutowa, tiyeni tiwonepo vuto lanetiweki. Pafupifupi mudzi uliwonse m’Malawi muno anthu ambiri ali ndi mafoni kuyambila kaMose mpaka mafoni ena okwera mtengo zedi. Ambiri mwamafoniwa m’midzimu ndimaluwa chabe poti netiweki kulibe kapena imathawathawa. Akati ayimba foni ndiyekuti apite ku thiredin’gi senta kapena akwera mumtengo nthawi zina paphiri.

Tsogolo lake

Izi ndalembazi ndizoti zikhoza kuthetsedwa kuti aMalawi ambiri akhale ndi mwayi wopindula ndi foni zam’manja.

Poyamba, Boma litengepo gawo lalikulu monga kutsitsabe kapena kuchotselatu msonkho pamafoni ndi maunitsi kuti mwina angatsike mtengo.

Makampani amafoni zam’manja alinso ndigawo lawo powonjezela netiweki m’madera ambiri ndikuwonetsetsa kuti makina awo sakuthimathima pogwiritsa ntchito mphamvu yadzuwa kapena mphepo.

Kumaliza

Ndinkhani ndakambazi, ndikhulupilira mwavomeleza kuti pali zambiri zomwe aMalawi angapindule nazo popyolera kugwiritsa ntchito foni zam’manja. Choncho tiyeni tonse tigwirane manja polima munda umenewu kuti zokolola zathu zichuluke kuti tsogolo kamafoni am’manja likhale lowala.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

M4D: THE CASE FOR MALAWI

Abstract
Malawi has a population of about 14 million and currently has 5 telecommunication players and actively being serviced by two mobile network operators, namely TNM and Zain. G-Mobile is yet to roll out its services by January 2011. The country has 2.9 million mobile subscribers, 100,000 people have access to fixed lines and close to 1% of the population has access to Internet backed by 2 fiber optic backbones [1]. In 2009, the telecommunications industry contributed 7% to the country’s GDP. By end of 2010, penetration rates will be at 27% for mobile, fixed at 2.4% and Internet will be at 4.4% [2]. The paper highlights some major strides and other work in progress that the country has embarked upon in its quest towards Mobile for Development initiatives and areas that need to be looked at to meet the estimates as well as the three targets under MDG 8.
THE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY FOR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY IN MALAWI

Abstract
Healthcare delivery service in Malawi is being hampered by acute shortage of skilled health workers. This then limits the quality of care given to the patients in terms of obtaining health care advice from upper cadres, communicating vital information to headquarters or even timely request for emergency services like ambulances [1, 2].
In reaction to this in Malawi, UNICEF, Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) and FrontlineSMS Medic established mobile technology projects around 2008 as one way of providing communication link between patients at community level and the health facilities. To date, no collective studies have been done to assess their effectiveness and there is no literature that could be used to scale up or replicate these projects.
This study therefore aims at evaluating mobile technology use in these projects as one way of determining if technology implementation in these projects could be utilized as a solution towards low staff levels health facilities are facing as well as its impact towards improvements in data collection and transmission as a way of furthering health service delivery.

Friday, August 06, 2010

check me on www.mobilesmangochi.blogspot.com for what am to - am doing a study on "Impact of Mobile Technology .....

Friday, April 16, 2010

Was kind of busy and away the past few months but am around - more updates very soon

Monday, January 11, 2010

Its Africa Cup of Nations 2010 - Angola gave away a comfortable 4-0 lead to Mali in Group A opening match played on Sunday. Full time score 4-4. Malawi plays today, Monday 11 January 2010 against Algeria.
Zain goes ZAP

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Zain donates 50 Nokia 1208 to Ntaja Health Centre in Machinga district as part of a FrontlineSms communications initiative at the hospital which links HSAs and CHWs towards its work on HIV/AIDS program.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Mzati is busy re-reading the article he did some years ago - Mandela: greatest man now living