WUSC - Malawi

22/09/2026

WUSC Malawi is honoured to receive the Longstanding Partnership Award from our IGNI+E partner Timveni Child & Youth Media Organisation during their 15th Anniversary and 2026–2030 Strategic Plan Launch today at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe!

For 15 years, Timveni has been at the forefront of amplifying the rights, agency, and voices of children and young people across Malawi. We are deeply grateful for this long-standing collaboration and proud of everything we have built together to create meaningful opportunities for youth.

Congratulations to Timveni on reaching this remarkable milestone and launching an inspiring new strategic framework for the next five years! Here’s to many more years of driving powerful impact together.

21/09/2026

Learning in Action: Partner Learning Visits with WUSC IGNI+E Malawi, Dowa, Malawi

Back in July, WUSC together with our IGNI+E partner Emerge Livelihoods travelled to Wandikweza Health Centre in Dowa to learn firsthand how a Malawian organisation is quietly transforming last-mile maternal and child health, and what that has to do with youth economic empowerment.

Wandikweza's Proactive Doorstep Care model reaches families at the household level, from before a first pregnancy through a child's fifth birthday. But what stood out most was how they build everything: not with pre-designed programmes, but by listening to communities first. The ultrasound service, the dental programme, the nutrition initiative, all of these came from community members, not from Wandikweza's own planning.

We also visited the Tipangani Youth Club, a group of young people who meet twice a week to learn about economic empowerment (through the group vegetable garden) and sexual and reproductive health. Health and economic empowerment, side by side.

The lesson that stayed with us: when communities co-create solutions, those solutions last.

This visit is part of WUSC IGNI+E Malawi's learning series, gathering insights to strengthen youth and women's economic opportunities across the country.

18/09/2026

NGO Gender Coordination Network - Malawi recently completed a hands-on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Staff Training, moving beyond theory to embed equity and inclusion into their work!

Led and organized by WUSC Volunteer Nelsie Addoh (GESI Advisor) and supported by other WUSC volunteers Alupo Esther Lucy and Ibrahim Ashalva, the sessions provided practical tools to mainstream GESI across all their operations and programming.

From policy and program design to M&E and workplace culture, the team explored how to apply a GESI lens so that their work responds to the needs of women, men, youth, and people with diverse abilities.

👏 A massive thank you to our WUSC volunteers and the entire NGO-GCN team for their active participation and commitment!

GESI isn’t a one-off task, it’s our daily responsibility. Together, we’re building a more inclusive and transformative future. 🤝💜

08/09/2026

Learning in Action: Partner Learning Visits with WUSC IGNI+E Malawi, Mzuzu, Northern Malawi

Twenty women. One ward. One kitchen. And a vision that changed everything.

In 2004, 20 women in Luwinga Ward, Mzuzu came together to support vulnerable children in their community. They started a feeding programme. They preserved tomatoes to stop food going to waste. And over time, they built something none of them might have imagined: Kwithu Kitchen, the largest honey supplier in Malawi.

We visited Kwithu Kitchen together with our IGNI+E partner Kawjo Foundation and came back with more than facts. We came back with a philosophy.

We toured the tomato processing facility, from the sorting station through washing, cutting, cooking, blending, filling, and packaging. We learned about the honey operation, sourcing from beekeepers in the Nyika Highlands and Nkhata Bay forests. And we had an honest conversation about what it means to grow a business when your community is your reason for existing.

When we asked why Kwithu Kitchen had not expanded to other districts, Programme Director Wezzie said something that stopped us: "It is more important for us to go deeper than wider so that we have lasting impact within our community."

That is not a small idea. That is a whole different way of thinking about development.

This visit is part of WUSC IGNI+E Malawi's learning series, gathering insights to strengthen youth and women's economic opportunities across the country.

08/09/2026

07/09/2026

03/09/2026

Staff Spotlight: Meet Wanangwa! 💙

Ever wondered who keeps our numbers in check and operations running smoothly behind the scenes? Meet Wanangwa, our Financial Assistant!

Wanangwa first joined the WUSC family in 2024 as an intern. Thanks to dedication, sharp attention to detail, and a real passion for our mission, Wanangwa quickly became an indispensable part of our team officially transitioning into the role of Financial Assistant!

From balancing budgets to supporting our daily operations, Wanangwa ensures our programs have the strong foundation needed to create lasting impact.

Please join us in thanking Wanangwa for all the hard work and energy brought to WUSC every day!

02/09/2026

Childcare workers are the backbone of our communities, yet many face rights abuses every day—whether in centers or private homes:

🏢 In Childcare Centers: Unpaid overtime, severe understaffing without breaks, and constantly delayed wages.
🏡 In Private Homes: Wages far below minimum wage, endless "work creep" (unpaid household chores), and zero contract protections.

Through the Action for Paid Childcare Sector Transformation (ACT) project funded by Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada , WUSC in partnership with WOLREC are taking action. Through targeted awareness campaigns and advocacy, the ACT project is pushing for decent work, timely compensation, and strong legal protections for all caregivers.

Fair pay and safe working conditions are basic human rights. Let’s protect those who protect our children!

01/09/2026

Learning in Action: Partner Learning Visits with WUSC IGNI+E Malawi, Viphya Forest Reserve, Mzimba | 17 August 2026

What does a forest have to do with women's economic empowerment? Everything, as it turns out.

This August, IGNI+E partners WESM Lilongwe and Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust visited Plantation in the Viphya Forest Reserve—Southern Africa's largest essential oil plantation of its kind. As part of WUSC IGNI+E Malawi’s ongoing learning series, the visit focused on exchanging key insights to drive sustainable economic growth for youth and women across the country.

Kawandama Hills produces lemon eucalyptus oil, legally licensed sustainable charcoal, natural mosquito repellents, and hand sanitisers. And here is the remarkable part: all of their conservation and reforestation work is funded by commercial revenue, not donor grants.

We toured the distillation facility, the sustainable charcoal station, the Virisafe product labelling area, and met the community of over 200 workers, most of them from surrounding villages. We learned about their smallholder outgrower programme, which gives local farmers seeds, fertiliser, and a guaranteed market. We also had a candid conversation about the cultural barriers that still make it harder for women to take up employment even when the employer is actively trying to hire them.

The takeaway: conservation and commercial enterprise do not have to be in conflict. Done right, they fund each other.

25/08/2026

Did You Know? Real gender equality in childcare requires men to step up as allies.

Under the ACT Project, our partner Women's Legal Resources Centre - WOLREC trained 38 influential male leaders, including traditional chiefs, religious figures, and nursery owners in Blantyre and Lilongwe to champion women’s labour rights, tackle Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and redefine caregiving.

Why male engagement matters:

🤝 Shared Caregiving: Shifting unpaid domestic work from women to shared household duties boosts women’s economic independence.

📣 Cascading Impact: These champions are taking messages of positive masculinity directly into local markets, places of worship, and community meetings.

🛡️ Stronger Protection: Engaging male leaders creates a permanent safety network for women working in the paid childcare sector.

Lasting social norm change starts when men stand up for women's rights!