10 million people. More than 80 per cent of Malawi’s population lives in rural areas and earns a living from subsistence farming. The southern region of Malawi is the most densely populated and faces complex social and environmental pressures such as deforestation, land shortage and HIV and AIDS. It is also prone to disasters such as floods and drought.

Oxfam GB has been working in Malawi since 1987 through a small capacity building programme in Mulanje and a partner support programme which was managed by the Zambia office. Oxfam GB officially opened offices in Malawi in 1994 giving birth to the Joint Oxfam Programme – a collaboration between Oxfam GB, Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Ireland and Oxfam Hong Kong. The programme has evolved from a capacity building programme, aimed at developing local organisations, to a direct community support programme that assists poor people earn a living. Oxfam's programme work in Malawi is delivered through four main programmes:

Shire Highlands Sustainable Livelihoods Programme

Our work in the Shire Highlands Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (SHSLP) supports the participation of poor citizens in state and other development agencies to enable them to improve their livelihoods.

The programme’s underlying principle is working through government and non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners to promote participatory development and governance. It assists households in about 200 villages in three districts of Mulanje, Phalombe and Thyolo in the southern part of the country to improve their lives by providing them with crop seeds, livestock and better access to clean safe water. It also capacitates them in various areas such as fish farming, soil conservation, literacy and HIV and AIDS. The programme also responds to humanitarian situations in the three districts by providing households with food and, at times, cash transfers.

Livelihoods Security through Partners Programme

The Livelihoods Security through Partners Programme (LISEP) supports local NGOs to empower people living in poverty by helping them acquire skills, knowledge and resources to increase their access to food and income; to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS; and, to increase their participation in governance.

The programme aims at building the capacity of communities in agricultural techniques that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. The activities supported under this programme include livestock production, low small-scale irrigation, winter cropping, seed multiplication, labour saving technologies and improved community nutrition.

Advocacy Programme

The Advocacy Programme is working with civil society to influence the government to enact a new land legislation that recognises the needs of poor people whose livelihoods are dependent on land. The programme is also lobbying the government and other donor agencies against the privatisation of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), a government institution responsible for agricultural marketing.

The Advocacy Programme is also campaigning for access to education by orphans and other vulnerable children; access to basic health care especially equitable access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV and AIDS; economic justice and good governance.

HIV and AIDS programme

Last year, Oxfam GB launched a scale up response in two districts of Chiradzulu and Blantyre Rural. The HIV and AIDS programme focuses on protecting and promoting the livelihoods of poor households with an emphasis on orphans, chronically sick people and female headed households. It also promotes access to medication and care, the development of orphan children and improving the welfare of those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

Oxfam GB in Malawi provides financial support to more than 25 partner organisations including government departments. These organisations work with communities to improve long-term food and income security; mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS; and, promote good governance, gender equality, women empowerment and capacity building for civil society organisations.

Last updated: Oct 06