Some of the new MUSEAA members
MUSEAA Welcomes New Members, bids farewell to Canavan
By Chifundo Limani
The United States Embassy Charge` d’ affaires Lisa Vickers has applauded the Malawi-U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (MUSEAA) for its commitment to building Malawi’s future through distinct outreach projects like HIV/AIDS prevention, youth development, food security, and trafficking in persons among others.
Vickers was speaking in Lilongwe when MUSEAA welcomed 24 new members to add to the association which boosts Malawians from various fields including law, medicine, business, journalism, academics and other professionals.
“I also take great pride in the diversity of expertise found in MUSEAA’s membership. It is encouraging to note how lawyers, judges, medical professionals, development experts, business executives, policy makers, journalists, academics and others can join hands and work together through MUSEAA for the betterment of Malawi,” Vickers said.
At the same function the association bid farewell to Benjamin Canavan the Public Affairs Officer who has left for Washington after serving in Malawi for two years. Canavan was presented with a State Department Superior Honor Award for “public diplomacy leadership, vision and superb program planning”. Vickers observed that Canavan worked hard to find meaningful ways to promote press freedom, freedom of expression and provide training to many sectors of Malawian civil society on good governance and constructive dissent.
There are more than 1 million alumni of U.S State Department-sponsored exchanges around the world among them over 50 Nobel Prize winners and 340 heads of government including Malawi resident Joyce Banda.