Malawi

We work to engage young people in sexual and reproductive health issues, encouraging them to access services and empowering them to realise their rights. We work to strengthen the capacity of youth clubs and networks, and encourage young people to become involved in decision-making processes, holding those in authority to account.

Prison health

We work to improve access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in prisons, supporting young inmates to make informed decisions about their health, and building their resilience for life post-release. By training fellow prisoners as volunteer counsellors, we help to develop peer support networks which raise awareness of health issues, provide cell-based care, offer psychosocial support, and give advice on living with HIV and AIDS.  

This support model has led to increased demand for SRH services, with almost 99% of young prisoners engaged in our projects voluntarily seeking testing and counselling. After release, 80% of those who took part in counselling in prison were successfully reintegrated into their community.

Our Unlocking Talent project uses award-winning innovative technology, created by our partner onebillion, to help learners overcome some of the challenges that can hold them back – including classroom overcrowding, limited resources, and a lack of trained teachers.

We provide schools with solar-powered tablet technology, pre-programmed with bespoke education apps that support students to develop essential literacy and numeracy skills. We train teachers to use this technology in their classes, supporting them to deliver engaging and effective lessons, whilst also providing them with an invaluable tool to monitor their pupils’ progress.

So far we’ve established 110 learning centres across 15 districts, reaching over 150,000 learners and bringing about huge gains in learning outcomes: reading scores in participating schools have doubled and girls are no longer falling behind boys in their learning.

Using innovative technology to improve learning outcomes

In the Lilongwe and Salima districts, our rural energy projects are increasing access to sustainable sources of power, reducing deforestation, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, and supporting more children to access education by improving school facilities.

We’ve trained previously-underemployed women as ‘solar mamas’, equipping them with the technical skills and confidence to become engineers, installing and maintaining solar lighting and generators in their communities. As well as bringing low-cost, sustainable power to their villages, the solar mamas are benefiting from a reliable extra source of income, plus increased self-esteem – and the new-found respect of their community.

We’re also building biogas chambers in five schools, which will transform both human and cow waste into methane for use in cooking school meals – in turn, improving both the health and educational attainment of schoolchildren. Alongside reducing the use of wood for fuel and producing compost for school gardens, the biogas generators are also providing a new source of income for the local artisans trained in their construction. 

Empowering women and powering communities