Project profile — Building Sustainable Livelihoods in Malawi

• Malawi (100.00%)

• Education, Level Unspecified: Education facilities and training (11120) (10.07%)
• Secondary Education: Vocational training (11330) (47.00%)
• Basic Health: Health education (12261) (26.43%)
• Conflict Prevention And Resolution, Peace And Security: Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution (15220) (6.73%)
• Agriculture: Livestock (31163) (9.77%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (significant objective)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to raise the economic potential of poor and marginalized people in Malawi through integrated activities that create sustainable bases for increased income at the household level. The core of the project mainly targets women and provides both women and men with skills to increase their productivity either through vocational training leading to employment, micro-enterprise development, or increased agricultural production. In order to maximise its results, the project also invests in education to help children have the necessary foundation for further training in the future, and in basic health to help reduce the incidence of health related issues that affect productivity, especially for women.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved economic status through access to work opportunities and financial skills for women, men, girls and boys living in poverty in targeted communities in Northern and Southern Malawi; (i2) improved educational achievement in primary, secondary, and third level schools for girls and boys; (3) improved productivity (ability of households to perform day-to-day activities) due to fewer health-related issues for women, men, girls, boys; and (4) enhanced equality between women and men, boys and girls, in communities and programs for beneficiaries and local partners.

Results achieved as of July 2016 include: (1) 2,125 (1,795 women, 392 girls, 24 boys) have taken out loans mainly used for business investments, and have repaid them; (2) 1,557 (1,189 women, 371 girls, 23 boys) developed business plans for their income-generating activities; (3) 522 vulnerable households (including 334 female-headed households, and 8 child-headed households) were trained in food security and nutrition and provided with legume seeds, sweet potato and cassava cuttings, and fruit trees; (4) in the last year, an average of 51% of pregnant women, compared to 40% at the beginning of the project, received pre-natal care, and about 35,000 children received medical attention in mobile clinics; (5) 4,461 (3,697 women and 764 girls) were trained in decision making and practical empowerment skills, and vocational and employment skills; and (6) the percentage of women participating in political processes at community level increased from 19% at the beginning of the project, to 36.4%. These results have contributed to improving the economic status of people (especially women) living in communities in Northern Malawi.

• Proactive disclosure