Jesuits Refugee Service Malawi “scams” Dzaleka Camp teachers
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Jesuits Refugee Service (JRS), an international refugee entity of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), that is facilitating the provision of formal education to refugees in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi is suspected of having misused millions of kwachas of teachers fund, it has been learnt.
According to teachers who spoke to this publication, the fraud was discovered after the institution, JRS announced the contract termination with its employees particularly in the education sector, in September.
One of the affected teachers under the primary school, Moses Chimkonde disclosed that the alleged misused funds including the 2022 pension and health insurance money.
JRS contracted Old Mutual to handle the pension scheme.
“After being told of our contract termination, almost all teachers thought of following up on our pension issues with Old Mutual. Unfortunately, we were shocked to learn that our 9 months cash was not wired,” he explained.
While concurring with Chimkonde, almost all teachers who managed to talk to this publication said they managed to involve JRS in the issue for several attempts but to no avail.
“Our bosses are taking us for granted. Maybe because our contract ends next month, December. Or because we don’t have vast knowledge on such issues. But we will keep on fighting,” they disclosed.
They revealed that they have penned the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) on the same.
On health insurance funds, teachers from both, primary and secondary claimed that they discovered that there were several “ghost beneficiaries.
For instance, a teacher who got medical services within the country is recorded to have been referred to India and spent millions of kwachas.
“Apart from that, some male teachers were recorded as if they were receiving maternity services. The whole move according to teachers was to scam their health insurance money. Up to now, our bosses have yet to address us. That’s when we thought of engaging the media,” they narrated.
But JRS country director, Caroline Kayira Kulemeka said in 2022 there was a funding gap hence the anomalies.
“Funding to cover this gap has since been identified and JRS is working with Old Mutual to resolve the problem,” she said.
However, teachers wondered how the same organization was able to give them part of the salary for the whole year without explanation.
They also question the organization’s failure to explain the development the same year or during the time they were informing them about their contract termination saying “That is not applicable”.
On health insurance fund, Kulemeka vehemently denied issuing a comment saying the matter is still under investigation.
Social commentators while describing the development as sad and unacceptable, ask stakeholders in the education sector to immediately intervene on the matter.
According to them, the development will affect classes for learners.
