Dedza

Objective: The overall aim of the Rural Women Entrepreneurs – Malawi (RWE-Malawi) project is to empower rural female entrepreneurs using the Women Business Centres (WBCs) approach to reach the most vulnerable members of their communities with an array of opensource digital tools that support their health and wellbeing, while also aiding in economic recovery.  

The Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa project, implemented in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, combines the lessons learned in Bangladesh from the women-led social enterprise model and the collaborative development practices honed through the GIZ-funded Mobilizing Rural Women Entrepreneurs for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Rural Bangladesh project. In Malawi, the RWE project builds on 5 existing co-operatives and 20 productive groups established through the ongoing work of SHA/UP in Dedza. Existing women’s enterprise groups will undertake contextually tailored market assessments intended to identify key opportunities for enterprise skill development around health & wellbeing. In response to the findings, digital tools for skill development and social marketing will be introduced for rural women entrepreneurs alongside public and private digital health services like telemedicine and smart register platforms. More than just businesses, WBCs will play an integral role in reducing social barriers to accessing primary and preventative healthcare for women and vulnerable members of their communities alongside agroecological extension services and other wellbeing promotion activities that intersect through their social marketing approach. The proposed pilot will explore the relevance and efficacy of this “Women Business Centre” model as an approach to increase food and income security through provision of financial literacy and business skills training while also facilitating health promotion and to test how digital tools can support this. 

• 34,000 individuals, at least 40% of whom are women, accessing information and resources through the project 

Dedza

Objective: Increase food and income security for those most vulnerable to climate change  

The SPEAR project will benefit 19,878 households with improved food and nutrition security. The project will focus on crops/technologies with the highest adoption rates, most sustained success and highest market demand - especially high-value, nutrition dense and nontraditional crops such as Nua beans. The programme has been designed based on the outcomes, results and learnings from the ASPIRE, ACCESS and SUN projects implemented since 2017 by United Purpose in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Malawi. Year one of the programme is specifically designed as a bridging year as UP’s partnership with Ireland transitions from the Embassy in Malawi to Dublin. The new programme takes an ambitious path to consolidate the previously separate energy and resilience programmes and integrate them in a multi-sectoral approach, recognising that communities’ needs require a holistic response to achieve their aims. The programme will move beyond food security and subsistence farming, lifting peoples’ sights to growth and scale at cooperative level. To this end, UP will bring in the strengths and experience of partner organisations CUMO microfinance and Kadale Consultants to address the challenges faced by small businesses and cooperatives to scale their endeavours. 

• 19,878 households

Dedza and Balaka 

Objective: Improve the nutritional status and resilience to food crises of people in Dedza district who are vulnerable to nutrition insecurity, specifically 18,277 children under-two and 11,770 pregnant and lactating women. 

 The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement was adopted in Malawi in recognition of the negative impacts of malnutrition, in particular stunting, on human growth, development and national economic growth. SUN is a global movement aimed at repositioning nutrition at the centre of national development efforts and accelerating the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goal number two on zero hunger which aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. 

This project builds on eight years of implementation of activities under the Malawi SUN implementation plan in Dedza/Balaka respectively. United Purpose has been implementing the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) programme since 2012 in Dedza with support from Irish Aid. In addition, since 2015 UP implemented activities under the SUN framework in Chauma, Dedza, through funding from GIZ/FNSP to improve the nutritional situation of women of reproductive age and children under-two. 

Zomba and Machinga

The project combines the cookstove project with integrated WASH programming, targeting some of the poorest rural and peri-urban communities in the southern region. As well as realising over 1 million carbon credits, the project will also have a number of other social, economic and environmental impacts, such as reduction in fuel collection time, income generating opportunities for production groups and agents, reductions in forest degradation, as we as improved access to safe water, resulting in lower incidences of waterborne diseases. This effort is spearheaded by the National Cookstove Steering Committee, which is chaired by the Department of Energy Affairs, with United Purpose acting as the Secretariat.  

Dedza and and Balaka Districts 

Objective: Increased access to sustainable energy enables economic development and improved livelihoods for rural communities in Malawi. 

EASE is a Scottish Government funded partnership project between the University of 
Strathclyde, United Purpose Malawi, Community Energy Malawi and WASHTED. The 
project works to address energy poverty in marginalised communities in Dedza and Balaka districts through the deployment of appropriate renewable energy infrastructure and service provision, developing sustainable business models and supporting the delivery of national policy regarding energy access and decentralisation. Specifically, the EASE project aims to support SDG7 and SE4All targets by deploying solar PV microgrids and energy hubs, and by placing Malawi’s first District Energy officers in Dedza and Balaka to undertake a range  of capacity building activities. 

The EASE project works with local and national structures to address energy poverty in marginalised rural communities in Dedza and Balaka Districts through the deployment of appropriate renewable energy infrastructure and service provision, under sustainable social business models and decentralised energy strategy. 

• 10,000  households

Southern Malawi

Objective: The project aims to strengthen and liberalise the chitetezo mbaula (an improved firewood cookstove) market system and supply chain. 

Contribute towards the National Cookstove Steering Committee target of 2 million stoves by 2020 through the creation of a vibrant cookstove sector. The EnDev Commercial project has been working to move the rural cookstove market from the pre-commercial to the pioneering phase of market development. Focusing on three main areas (1) Increased supply of quality stoves (2) establishment of regional warehousing structures and (3) increased awareness through marketing campaigns, the project supported the production, distribution and sale. The project is now supporting the rural market to transition from the Pioneering to the Expansion phase.  

•  120,000 stoves sold