A consortium of non-governmental organizations namely; Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC), Gender Empowerment Network (GENET) and Human Rights for Women and Girls with Disabilities in Malawi (WAG-Disability Rights) have pledged to build bridges that would end Gender-based violence (GBV) and improve socio-economic development of women in the society.
The organisations said this during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting held in Balaka, where the consortium briefed DEC members of the ”Pamodzi Kuthetsa Nkhanza” project which they are set to roll-out.
Technical Lead for WOLREC, Meccah Kamanga Gausi said: ”The project intends to reduce the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV), against women and Girls which includes; sexual, physical, economic and psychological violence-targeting 700,000 beneficiaries in Balaka and Lilongwe districts.
She added: ”It is our intention to make IPV more visible through the use of different approaches such as “SASA”-a community mobilization approach which enables community members to identify issues fueling up cases of GBV in their areas, while giving them a platform to brainstorm and voice out ways of curbing the vice. We will also use ”Moyo olemekezeka” approach- which entails the development of socio-economic status of a community.”
Kamanga, who represented the consortium, added that Balaka District is one of the districts with high prevalence rate of IPV.
In Balaka, the project will be implemented in three Traditional Authorities of Kalembo, Chamthunya and Nsamala.
Ritta Sukasuka is the principal Gender Officer for Balaka District Council. She has commended the consortium for the project, saying the district will benefit a lot through the reduction of GBV cases.
Sukasuka has since offered her office’s unwavering support during the implementation of the project.
The Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of the United Kingdom Government is financing the project to the tune of 4 Million Pounds Sterling.
The ”Pamodzi Kuthetsa Nkhanza” project is under the FCDO’s flagship Programme called what works to prevent violence Against Women and Girls: Impact at Scale.
The project covers 4.5 years, spanning from 2023 to 2028.
