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State President Peter Mutharika has asked Malawians to dig deeper into their pockets in support of Malawi’s War Veterans during Poppy Appeal Week, which he inaugurated at his Page House in Mangochi Monday. Mutharika, who bought the first Poppy at K5 million, said he was saddened by the poor living conditions of war veterans and Malawi’s former soldiers. He said most war veterans had reached advanced age, such that they were no longer in a position to sustain their livelihoods, hence the need for the government and other stakeholders to step up their efforts in raising enough funds with which to support them. “These flowers carry profound meaning; they symbolize love, courage and peace. “For this reason, let us all be as generous as we can. Let’s go deep into our pockets to support these brave men and women,” Mutharika said. The President further said during his first tenure of office, he had established a committee to assess the general welfare of both active and former soldiers. Mutharika said he was willing to improve both the working and living conditions of Malawi’s men and women in uniform by constructing decent houses, hostels and offices in all the barracks across the country. On his part, Veterans and Ex-Service League of Malawi (VELOM) Chairperson, retired general Henry Odillo, said the organization wanted to raise about K300 million during this year’s Poppy Week. Odilo said they had planned to hold a golf tournament at Limbe Country Club in Blantyre as part of their fundraising activities. He said the purpose of the week was to honour Malawian veterans and ex-servicemen, especially those who served in the world wars under the British Colonial Auxiliary Forces and the King’s African Rifles.
