Malawi

Facts

Population: 18.14m (UN, 2018)
Life expectancy: 61 years (men), 67 years (women). (UN, 2018)
Human Development Index: 172 / 189

United Purpose has been operating in Malawi since 1988, initially to support refugees from the Mozambican civil war and their hosts in the Dedza area. Today, we are one of Malawi’s largest NGOs, working in partnership with local government and communities across fourteen districts mainly in central and southern Malawi. During this time, we have developed a trusted reputation with most of the established institutional and non-institutional donors and organisations in the country.

We have a very hands-on, vibrant and skilled team of over 360 employees. We work in partnership with others to implement development interventions that improve lives through a range of projects including water, sanitation and hygiene, microfinance and income generation, livelihoods, food security and sustainable energy.

Over the last 30 years in Malawi, we have gained significant experience in sustainable agriculture and food security; climate change and disaster risk management; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); nutrition; malaria prevention and control; community mobilisation and capacity building; sustainable energy; microfinance; and emergency response work. We also wholly own CUMO Microfinance bank, the largest provider of rural finance in the country – providing savings and loans, entrepreneurship and financial literacy support to over 84,000 clients, 82% of whom are women.

In recent years, we have responded to the severe floods brought about by Cyclone Idai by providing emergency supplies to those affected by the disaster. This helped people such as Bernadette Dinimu get their lives back on track. You can read more about her story here. In 2019, we implemented the Girls Inspired project, which has so far empowered 480 girls aged between 10 and 18 through playing netball. Through taking part in the netball training and empowerment programme, the girls have required a stronger level of self worth and value. If you would like to find out more about this project, you can do so here.

Click here to read more about UP Malawi's plans for the next 5 years

Read the latest from our work in Malawi

The key to nutrition security and good hygiene in Malawi = entrepreneurship

Meet the women farmers diversifying their income and breaking the cycle of poverty

INSPIRED THROUGH SPORT IN MALAWI

Livelihoods and food security

Securing access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round for everyone is a prerequisite to achieving sustainable livelihoods and breaking the cycle of poverty. Read more >

WASH and healthier lives

UP adopts an integrated approach to tackling underlying drivers of ill health, primarily focussing our attention on WASH, malaria, nutrition, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) including HIV/AIDS, which are integrated into our other programme interventions. Read more >

Sustainable Energy

Access to basic, clean and modern energy is critical to sustainable, equitable development. Therefore, under our 2017-20 strategy, United Purpose will work to; increase access to modern energy services, enhance markets for sustainable energy, and develop innovative carbon finance models. Download our Capability Statement here or read more this way >

Gender equality

We believe that gender equality is an integral part of sustainable, inclusive development and therefore an important aim in itself. An equal society where men, women, girls and boys live freely and are able to fulfil their potential is a critical part of our vision for Malawi. Read more >

Humanitarian Response

Since 2012, we have distributed emergency food and cash assistance to 583,934 people making us one of the key emergency response players in the country. This includes reaching over 200,000 people after the devastating 2015 floods with immediate supplies, coordinating WASH in 10 evacuation camps, and recovery support across five districts. Read more >