Case Study : Malawi : Projects and Good Practices

MALAWI SOCIAL MARKETING PROGRAM

Program Focus: AIDS prevention and reproductive health; maternal and child health.

Target Regions: Nationwide.

Target Population: Sexually active youth and adults; mothers with young children.

Products: Chitetezo insecticide treated mosquito nets were launched in October 1998. Thanzi oral rehydration salts were introduced nationwide in May 1999. Waterguard Safe Water Treatment will be launched in late Novemeber 2002 before the start of the rainy season. Chishango male condoms were launched nationwide in 1994. Youth Alert! youth program was launched in September 2001.

Current Donors: USAID, KfW (German development bank), UNICEF, Soul City, Corporate foundations.

Project Activities and Highlights

• PSI/Malawi has implemented a radio behavior change campaign that includes seven creative executions that address barriers to condom use and safe sexual behavior.

• PSI Malawi combines innovative communications strategies and private sector distribution methods to target the three biggest contributors to morbidity and mortality in Malawi: HIV/AIDS, malaria, and dehydration resulting from diarrheal disease. Incorporates as a non-profit Malawian trust, it is the primary organization disseminating AIDS-related messages and products in the private sector.

• It is estimated that 850,000 of a total of over 11.5 million Malawians are currently HIV positive. An estimated 15% of people age 15 to 49 are infected. To combat the crisis, PSI/Malawi introduced Chishango (meaning "Shield") brand condoms as part of an aggressive condom social marketing campaign in 1994. A 1999 survey found that Chishango condoms were available in more than half of all outlets nationwide. Recently PSI/Malawi updated its packaging of the Chishango condom as part of a concerted effort to reach its target group of young men, who most often make the decision to purchase a condom. The new packaging created a nationwide media stir, started dialogue about condom use and safe sexual practices, and significantly increased sales.

• The Chisango brand has nationwide appeal and reach. A survey of vendors carrying Chishango condoms reported that over 90% of customers ask for the condom by name. In a separate survey, 86% of current condom users identified Chishango as the brand they regularly used. Chishango is popular in rural areas wither a significant proportion (45%) of sales occur. Due to the extreme poverty in Malawi, the price per condom has remained low (approximately 2.2 US cents), making Chishango condoms affordable to many Malawians.

• PSI/Malawi promotes Chishango through mass media, including radio shows and advertising, print media, and outdoor advertising (e.g. billboards). In addition, PSI/Malawi utilizes nontraditional communication channels to reach those that have limited access to mass media. These channels include mobile video units, drama groups, peer educators and promoters, wall signs and bus advertising. Chishango is the most advertised brand on the radio in Malawi.

• Youth Alert! is an interpersonal communications initiative promoting HIV prevention among in-school age adolescents, particularly young girls. The initiative includes school visits, mass media campaigns, and special events. Six peer education teams will visit over 900 secondary schools and tertiary education centers in Malawi with an interactive slide show, drama, and educational talk on HIV/AIDS, STIs and early pregnancies.

• Waterguard, a treatment kit to chlorinate water in the home making it safe to consume, will be launched in November 2002. In the first year of the project, it is estimated that 200,000 bottles will be sold.

• PSI/Malawi works to prevent malaria by increasing the public's adoption and appropriate use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs). In an effort to target those most at risk for malaria, PSI/Malawi has expanded delivery of ITNs through the commercial sector and increased distribution of more heavily subsidized ITNs through the public sector antenatal and under five clinics.

PSI/Malawi
P.O. Box 529
16 Leslie Road
Blantyre, Malawi
Phone: 011-265-1-677-345
Fax: 011-265-1-674-138
E-mail: chavasse@malawi.net

WORLD VISION MALAWI

National Director: Dickens Thunde [dickens_thunde@wvi.org]
FY03 Budget: $7,966,015
ADPs: 27, one CDP and two non-ADP projects (see below)
HIV/AIDS Manager: Ethel Kapyepye
Communications Manager: Sam Chunga

World Vision Activities In Malawi

World Vision's first project in Malawi, when it began work in the country in 1975, was providing support medical treatment and the care of 40 children in a residential school. Now World Vision runs about 40 area development programs, which benefit over half a million people.

The head office in Blantyre opened in 1981. Child sponsorship grew enormously over the next few years, with a total of 4,056 sponsored children by 1985. Development work in the country occurred through Development Assisting Centres, which usually operated at the village level. The development workers lived and worked closely with the villagers, delivering technical and management training to the village people.

Providing food security for the population is a major priority. WV Malawi has a number of projects working to improve the economic security of what is a largely rural agrarian population. These include soil and water conservation, crop diversification, seed multiplication, organic agriculture, irrigation development, agroforestry and afforestation, and livestock production.

World Vision Malawi runs AIDS education programs, incorporating STD education, among various targeted groups around the country. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of deaths among 15-49 year olds in Malawi. The AIDS Cycle Relay also runs through Malawi, and works to raise awareness about the pandemic among the population. World Vision is also looking after around 1,600 children who have been orphaned by AIDS.

Other health programs include nutrition, water and sanitation, family planning and maternal health, as well as immunization programs.

There have been a number of relief programs operating in Malawi over the years. Through the 1980s, World Vision Malawi assisted Mozambican refugees that had fled across the border.

In 1991, World Vision provided assistance to some 21,000 people affected by mudslides in the district of Mulanje. Food rations were handed out to those affected by the droughts in 1994, so they could survive until the next fruitful harvest.

At the moment (June 2002) World Vision is working to ease the burden of the current food crisis, distributing around 5000 tonnes of food for the World Food Program.

Christwick Office,
Old Info'n Building
P.O. Box 2050
Chipembere Masauko Highway
Blantyre
Malawi
Tel: +265 670 311, 670504, 670760, 671249, 670734
Fax: +265 672 030, 677083

Source: http://wvioaptus.wvi.org