Norwegian Church Aid Malawi

This week, we had the privilege of hosting a delegation from the Government of Flanders, who visited our Private Sector partners involved in the Enhanced Market Access for Increased Income and Resilience among Smallholders project. The delegation, led by Head of International Cooperation Mr. Wouter Nactergaele, toured Thanthwe Farms and Kwithu Kitchen as part of their ongoing efforts to engage implementing partners and key stakeholders. Over the past three years, the project has successfully improved production and linked farmers to reliable markets for the High Value Crops including sorghum and hibiscus, honey, and other horticultural value chains. To date, the project has facilitated sales of over 5000 kgs of honey to Kwithu Kitchen, generating over MK 15,000,000 for beekeeping farmers. Additionally, Thanthwe Farms has purchased over 27,000 kgs of high-value crops, generating over MK 34,000,000 for the smallholder farmers. The project had other interventions including Micro-investment drip irrigation and aquaculture production in order to further diversify farmers’ income. Norwegian Church Aid and Danchurchaid, with funding from the Government of Flanders has reached out to 5460 farmers in Chamama, Kasungu and Euthini, Mzimba with different interventions through this project. Flanders in Southern Africa

We are seeking consultants to support our advocacy and coordination services for the Transform Programme. The Transform Programme is a Sustainable Food Systems initiative aimed at transforming and enhancing resilience in rural agriculture. Its goals are to strengthen local food systems and sustainably improve food and nutrition security, income, and climate change resilience over a period of 3 years and 6 months (2021-2025). Additionally, we are focusing on improving research, policy frameworks, and the regulatory environment for agricultural transformation and climate resilience. In this context, we invite applications for consultancy services. We are looking for consultants with professional experience in research and policy analysis related to agricultural production, market access, climate resilience, food security, and rural livelihoods. The successful candidate will enhance the advocacy efforts of the programme by designing and implementing advocacy campaigns that influence policies on agriculture, climate resilience, and market access. Interested consultants who meet the specified requirements should submit an expression of interest to receive the complete Request for Proposal. Please use the subject line “TRANSFORM Advocacy and Stakeholder Coordination Services” and send your submission to the following email: [email protected] by 12:00hrs, 13 December 2024. Late proposals will not be accepted. The Transform programme is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Royal Norwegian Embassy. It targets 150,000 agriculture-dependent rural households across 22 EPAs in the districts of Dowa, Mchinji, Kasungu, Mzimba, and Rumphi in Malawi.

Ending Gender-Based Violence starts with us! As we begin our commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, we want to hear from you, our followers. What actions have you taken in your communities to help end GBV? At Norwegian Church Aid Malawi, we stand in solidarity with survivors and work tirelessly to prevent GBV in our communities. Please share your contributions to ending GBV in the comment section, along with a picture. The person with the most comments will have a chance to win a themed diary and a bottle. So, why not tell someone to tell someone else about the opportunity to win a bottle or diary by sharing positive contributions they've made to support women? #EndGBVMalawi #16DaysOfActivism #NorwegianChurchAid

Yesterday, NCA/DCA joined the nation in launching the 2024 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Phalombe, under the theme “Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Malawi: Towards Beijing +30.” The event was graced by Her Excellency, the First Lady Madam Monica Chakwera, along with officials from the Malawi Government and various Civil Society Organizations. During the launch, we participated in a solidarity march from Mwenye Village to the Mpasa Community Day Secondary School grounds, alongside our partners, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and Blantyre Synod Health and Development Commission (BSHDC). We also showcased our efforts to combat gender-based violence in Malawi. In the past years we have provided psychosocial support for girls and women, assisted in the rehabilitation of a one-stop center in Dowa, and offered vocational skills training to some of the girls. Our collaboration with faith leaders, traditional leaders, and community activists focuses on raising awareness and transforming social and cultural norms to prevent violence against women and girls. The NCA/DCA Joint Country Program reaffirms its commitment to supporting our partners and the government in the fight against gender-based violence, aiming for a just Malawian society. We hope that the launch of the 16 Days of Activism serves as a powerful reminder to break the silence surrounding gender-based violence. The 16 Days of Activism is an annual campaign that runs from November 25th to December 10th, aiming to raise awareness and mobilize action to end violence. Let us join the cause to stop gender-based violence against women and girls in Malawi! #EndGBV #16DaysofActivism2024

Ending GBV starts with me. It starts with you! “When I think about GBV, I'm reminded of its profound impact on individuals and society. GBV represents a gross violation of human rights, causing irreparable physical, emotional, and psychological harm – disproportionately affecting women and girls. It's a pressing societal concern that erodes equality, safety, and dignity. Urgent action is necessary to safeguard and empower survivors.” What an encouraging statement from one of the employees, Vitumbiko Banda, who works with our partner organization at Malawi Economic Justice Network. At MEJN she and the rest of the staff members are committed to addressing GBV through the projects they are implementing on gender-based violence and sexual reproductive health rights. #EndGBV #16DaysofActivism2024

Today, we are celebrating a remarkable global achievement! We have joined the Malawi Government and the Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare in commemorating 30 years of efforts to end violence against women and girls. What a journey it has been! This year, the 16 Days of Activism are observed under the theme “Towards Beijing +30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls.” We are proud to have implemented programs that combat gender-based violence in Malawi. Together with our partners, we remain committed to empowering women and girls and contributing to making our country safer for them. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, let us prepare to do even more to support women and girls in our communities. In all our interactions with women and girls, let us show them respect and protect their rights. #EndGBV #16DaysofActivism2024

Today, we concluded a two-day Annual Partners Workshop in Lilongwe, marking the end of 2020 to 2024 Country Strategy. This year's meeting focused on the theme "United for Impact, Powered for Holistic Change." It was inspired by the transition that NCA DCA is undergoing as we prepare to implement a new country strategy starting in 2025. We believe that by harnessing our collective efforts with our partners, we can achieve greater outcomes. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Thomas Munthali, the Director General of the National Planning Commission, challenged Malawi JCP and its partners to ensure that projects are delivered with sustainable impact. He advised the need to consider key project focus areas on Children, Sports, Education, Employment, Gender-Based Violence, and Food Insecurity). The current strategy is responding to and contributing towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malawi Vision 2063. In his closing remarks, the Country Director expressed gratitude to the partners for their dedicated efforts, which have significantly contributed to the successes achieved during the implementation of the 2020-2024 Country Strategy. The Country Director emphasized several key priorities moving forward, urging partners to focus on innovation. He stressed the importance of eliminating the culture of allowances, where a large portion of funds is budgeted for this purpose rather than directly benefiting the intended beneficiaries. #SustainableDevelopment #MalawiVision2063 #InnovateForImpact #EndGBV #FoodInsecurity #CSEE #PartnersForChange #2025Strategy

Last week, we trained 80 caregivers, 20 from Rumphi and 60 from Mchinji, working in 42 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, including 10 in Rumphi and 32 in Mchinji, as part of the TRANSFORM program. The ECD caregivers received training in all six developmental domains for children: physical, spiritual, emotional, social, cognitive, and language development. The guest of honor at the event was Martin Pindakono, the Director of Economic Planning and Development. In his remarks, he praised NCA/DCA for their commitment to ensuring that children are well cared for through the development of ECD center. "We appreciate NCA/DCA's commitment to supporting ECDs, which are critical for laying a solid foundation for a child’s education," said Pindakono. Speaking on behalf of the other caregivers, Rahaby Kenedy expressed her gratitude for the training. The caregivers have been teaching children and engaging with their communities since the program's inception, and this extensive training will empower them to provide higher-quality educational sessions with a fresh approach. During the training, Rahaby and the other caregivers learned how to teach children through eight play areas: the outdoor play area, library or reading area, nature area, building and block area, imaginative area, manipulative area, creative arts area, and musical area. At NCA/DCA, we value children's rights, and this training will introduce innovative teaching methodologies for the caregivers. TRANSFORM is a five-year program coordinated by Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid (NCA/DCA) in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), with financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy. #RNE #ECD #Nutrition #ChildCare #Education

Earlier this week, we hosted representatives of parliamentarians from the German Government and delegated KfW who visited our sexual reproductive health program in Lilongwe at Mtiliza Ground. The groups of visitors expressed appreciation for some of the implementations of the Nzatonse project. Through our partners, Dedza Community Health Center and the Muslim Association of Malawi, we showcased the role of religious leaders in providing platforms for youth to access sexual reproductive health and rights openly, as well as the income-generating activities that youths are engaged in at the youth clubs established under the project. The two groups have the understanding to open up to accommodate the youths in their club discussion as well as providing counsel to parents and youth on their sexuality. We are proud of the improved collaboration that has been established between the youth and the religious leaders with whom we work. The Nzatonse Project Phase V is a reproductive health program funded by the German government through the German Development Bank (KfW). The project is implemented using a consortium approach led by Population Services International (PSI), ACT Alliance (comprised of DanChurchAid and Norwegian Church Aid), the Ministry of Health, and the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM). DanChurchAid (DCA) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) serve as the ACT Alliance lead organizations and implement Nzatonse through local partners, including the Blantyre Synod Health and Development Commission (BSHDC), Catholic Health Commission (CHC), Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM), and the Livingstonia Synod Health Department (LSHD). #Kfw #SRHR #youths #HealthPartners #YouthEmpowerment #ReligiousLeaders #Malawi

Yesterday, our partner, Luntha Television, in collaboration with the NCA-DCA Malawi Joint Country Programme and partners Total Land Care (TLC) and Assemblies of God Care (AG Care), organized a National Conference focused on combating Gender-Based Violence, addressing inequalities, and promoting Climate Smart Economic Empowerment programs. The guest of honor at the event was the Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, Hon. Jean N. Sendeza MP. The conference occurred at Dimba Stadium in GVH Panye, under T/A Dambe in Mchinji District, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. During the event, the Minister condoned the high rate of child abuse in the area and encouraged the public to stop gender-based violence. She later encouraged young women to stay focused on their goals and education and shun away from premarital sex. It was inspiring to see Luntha TV, and our implementing partners share some of the successes achieved through the NCA-DCA-funded projects over the past five years. With financial support from Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, we have helped Malawi communities access food, clean water, Gender-Based Violence support other psychosocial services. This event was organized in partnership with the Malawi Girl Guides Association (MAGGA), the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC), and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). These partners have been working diligently in various districts of Malawi for the past five years, with support from NORAD, to bring about the desired change. #NOARD #NationalConference #LunthaTV