Malawi

Transforming education, transforming lives in Southern Africa with Oxfam Australia

Supporting girls to stay in school is essential in the fight against child marriage and pregnancy, gender-based violence, and economic inequity.

Our partnership with Oxfam Australia is investing in girls’ education in Malawi and Zimbabwe to create safe and inclusive learning environments for adolescent girls, young women, and children in vulnerable situations. Working alongside governments and local communities, Oxfam is rolling out essential learning resources, improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, installing girl-friendly toilets, and establishing social support networks for mothers and girls.

Oxfam’s approach challenges and changes the conditions that limit girls’ educational opportunities, working towards a more equitable world where every child has the chance to learn, grow and thrive. Learn more about Oxfam in Malawi and Zimbabwe at their website.

Save the Children Australia’s teacher-led malaria defence in Malawi

In Malawi, ranked among the top 20 countries for the highest rates of malaria, around 2 million school children experience this disease every year, endangering their health and disrupting their education. Save the Children Australia is working with the Malawi Government and local educators to introduce healthcare into classrooms, focusing on the management of uncomplicated malaria cases and other basic health concerns during school hours.

Concentrating on schools in vulnerable areas in Zomba and Machinga districts, our partnership will equip an additional 600 teachers to diagnose and treat malaria using Learner Treatment Kits, safeguarding 220,000 students across 150 schools. By striving for a 30% reduction in malaria-related illnesses, we’re integrating health services with education and mobilising community and government support. This initiative is a critical step towards reducing malaria’s impact on children’s health and education in Malawi, ensuring they have the opportunity to attend school and thrive.

Every mother has the right to safe childbirth in a clean, well-lit facility. In Malawi, unreliable electricity in rural health centres compromises this every day. We Care Solar’s ‘Light Every Birth’ initiative is designed to meet the critical needs of maternal health workers in remote facilities, ensuring that every delivery room is well-lit, safeguarding the lives of mothers and their health providers.

In collaboration with Malawi’s Ministry of Health, We Care Solar is lighting up maternity wards across Malawi, installing ‘Solar Suitcases’, training women technicians to lead solar installations, and engaging midwives for optimal use of the technology.

Light Every Birth is set to transform healthcare for mothers and newborns across Malawi, granting health workers the ability to perform safely and confidently in well-lit facilities. We are proud to partner with We Care Solar to light a path to a safer, healthier future for mothers and their children in Malawi. Learn more about We Care Solar’s Light Every Birth initiative at their website.

Photo credit: We Care Solar.