Christian Aid partner organisations in Malawi work in four main areas: ensuring people have enough to eat, responding to the HIV crisis, campaigning for fairer trade rules and providing sustainable energy.
HIV
Almost a million Malawians are HIV positive. As parents and breadwinners fall ill and die from the virus, there are more and more orphans and sick people to care for, but fewer and fewer healthy adults to work the fields or earn a living.
In a vicious cycle, food shortages make the situation worse, as desperate people migrate to find work, and some turn to sex work to survive
Our Theatre for Change project is just one example of how Christian Aid is working on HIV in Malawi. The Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi also has an HIV programme, providing voluntary counselling and testing to young people and members of their congregations.
Christian Aid also trains faith leaders in using our SAVE methodology to fight stigma and discrimination.
This approach was developed by our African partner organisation ANERELA+ - as a way of working more effectively to prevent HIV infection.
SAVE provides a holistic way of preventing HIV by incorporating the principles of the ABC approach (Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom use) as well as providing information about HIV transmission and prevention.
They provide support and care for those already infected and actively challenging the denial, stigma and discrimination so commonly associated with HIV.
Christian Aid is also piloting conservation agriculture with farmers in congregations in Malawi as a form of economic empowerment for those infected by, affected by or vulnerable to HIV and to support nutrition for people living with HIV and AIDS.
New technologies
Christian Aid is promoting adoption of new or existing technologies in response to climate change too. For example, Christian Aid partner The Baptist Clinic is coordinating an irrigation project in central Malawi which is allowing the most vulnerable people in the region to grow their own food. To view a video about this click here.
Access to markets
Christian Aid believes that people living in Malawi should have access to markets to sell their produce. We will be piloting a new programme supporting farmer associations and cooperatives to add value to their production and negotiate for fair prices within the market
Why not read more about our work with the Scottish Government?
Why not have a read about the origins of the Scotland Malawi Partnership?
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