• Malawi is experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections as new cases have kept rising sharply, with 12,883 new cases registered in July alone so far, compared to 1,788 and 248 cases registered in June and May 2021, respectively.

• 952 new COVID-19 cases were registered on 22 July, the highest number of new cases in a day since the start of the pandemic in Malawi in April last year.

• The current surge in COVID-19 cases is largely fuelled by local transmission due to general public relaxation on preventive measures.

• Malawi Government activated COVID-19 Level 3 control measures effective 9 July, restricting travel and public gatherings to reduce the spread of the virus.

• Malawi received 192,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines (AstraZeneca) from French Government via COVAX on 24th July 2021.

• COVID-19 vaccinations resumed on 26th July across Malawi after they were paused on 26 June due to shortage of the vaccine.

• 428,407 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Malawi before the resumption of the vaccinations, with 385,242 and 43,165 people receiving their first and second doses, respectively.

  (Source: United Nations Malawi)

We took a leading role in the COVID-19 WASH Response:

• In 2020, with funding from UNICEF, we ensured that the COVID-19 Emergency Treatment Units (ETUs) in 11 districts had adequate WASH services. Furthermore, UP has been supporting those returning to Malawi from South Africa by ensuring access to WASH facilities at screening venues.

• With funding from ECHO in August 2020, UP joined nine of Malawi’s leading INGOs (Save the Children, GOAL, CARE, Trócaire, COOPI, CRS, Concern Worldwide and Oxfam) across two consortia (South and Central / North regions) in a COVID-19 response programme. Targeting seven high risk districts the programme takes a health systems strengthening and integrated WASH approach working with 48 targeted primary and secondary health facilities and their surrounding communities.

• Our Scottish Government/University of Strathclyde project mWater developed digital surveys to support remote monitoring during COVID-19 restrictions.

• In 2020, with funding from the One Foundation, UP worked with the District Council to ensure that three Health Care Facilities serving a population of 66,165 people in Thyolo had adequate WASH services. In February 2021, again with support from The One Foundation, UP started providing preventive and response WASH services and activities in two other Health Care Facilities in Thyolo district serving a population of 90,055 people.

  We adopted an inclusive and gender-sensitive response to COVID-19:

• With support from UNICEF, UP developed three inclusive Ministry of Health approved posters on COVID-19 prevention designed to reach illiterate communities.

• Through support from Charity:water and in partnership with the Campaign for Health Education, Sanitation and Hygiene in Malawi (CAHESH) and Malawi Union for the Blind, we developed and distributed braille materials with COVID-19 messages to people with visual impairment.

• With funding from UNICEF, UP partnered with FUKO newspaper (a newspaper in Chichewa distributed in rural areas for free) to disseminate COVID-19 preventive messages.

• Through support from UNICEF, UP supported prisons with hand washing promotions and delivery of WASH supplies.

• UP partnered with AFRIpads and distributed AFRIpads menstrual health kits at border posts, prisons and schools.

• With funding from UNICEF, UP installed gender responsive emergency prefabricated latrines at border posts.

We mainstreamed COVID-19 awareness raising in all our programmes:

• Building upon the trusted reputation United Purpose has developed with communities and our long-standing experience in community mobilisation, we have a crucial role to play in raising awareness about COVID-19 prevention and ensuring proper information reaches communities in remote and hard-to-reach areas. This has included:

• Combining national and community radio, posters, mobile van PA systems and SMS, over 16,000 million people have been reached with COVID-19 prevention messages.

In 2021 we are Supporting the rollout of Malawi’s COVID-19 national vaccination campaign:

• UP Malawi is one of the 9 INGOs together with Save the Children, GOAL, CARE, Trócaire, COOPI, CRS, Concern Worldwide and Oxfam implementing the ECHO -funded “NGO Coalition - Supporting the rollout of Malawi’s COVID-19 national vaccination campaign” project.

• This one-year (June 2021 to May 2022) project aims to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 in Malawi by enhancing access to the COVID-19 vaccine, in line with the National COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan and the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

• To achieve this objective, the project is working with national, district and community authorities to improve their capacity to effectively communicate, dispel misinformation, and build trust of communities towards COVID-19 Vaccination and its importance.

• UP Malawi is leading the implementation of the project in Dedza district and is also member of the National Vaccine Taskforce.

Want to find out more about the latest response activities in Malawi? Read our COVID-19 Situation Reports here:

Read our 2020 Newsletter - A year in review - HERE