Mission

CCDO Exists to promote interventions that build the wellbeing of underprivileged women, children and youth through capacity development, advocacy and impact mitigation .

Category

Children and Youth

Additional Information

GENERAL CAPACITY STATEMENT CCDO Malawi is a locally registered non-governmental organization that has worked in Malawi since 2005. In its vision CCDO Malawi envision a transformed community with educated youth and women in sustainable economy. CCDO mission is to promote interventions that build the well-being of rural women and youth through capacity development and advocacy and impact mitigation. CCDO objectives are to ; Create a better condition for young people to make informed decisions about their health, sexuality and reproduction; Alleviate the impact of chronic illnesses including HIV and AIDS through provision of evidence-based interventions among the targeted; Empower the rural/vulnerable women and the youth to be self-reliant economically; Develop to full capacity the Malawian child in order for them to contribute effectively towards national development; Design and implement interventions that shall significantly improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi; Promote community development through innovative approaches deployed in various targeted communities for the benefit of the marginalized child; Advance the rights and freedoms of vulnerable groups through advocacy, lobbying and impact mitigation. Building Malawi’s Development Capacity Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO) is a locally registered non-governmental organization and has since 2007 been implementing development programs in Malawi’s rural and peri-urban areas while working closely with local authorities, national government and a range of local and international partners. CCDO Malawi has more than 15 staff and more than 500 people benefit annually from the implementation of the six development models that span all regions of the nation. Community Development through Youth Organizing has been a long-standing priority of CCDO Malawi. The organization utilizes the “Youth Organizing” integrated model which has been developed by the CCDO management team. Youth organizing capacity in communities to reduce poverty and give families, and Youth the best conditions in which to raise their children. In explicitly acknowledging the marginal social and political status of teens and young adults, and by providing young people with the tools necessary for them to challenge systems and institutions on their own, youth organizing pushes the adult-determined boundaries of traditional youth work. CCDOhas reached over 50,000 Youth through Youth Organizing over the years. Recently, the organization implemented water and sanitation focused Youth Organizing project reaching out to at least 33,000 households in six villages in Mpwepwe area in Thyolo district. Youth organizing is a youth development and social justice strategy that trains young people in community organizing and advocacy, and assists them in employing these skills to alter power relations and create meaningful institutional change in their communities. Youth organizing relies on the power and leadership of youth acting on issues affecting young people and their communities. CCDO’S Role in HIV/AIDS prevention in Malawi CCDO Malawi is seeking to play a larger role in HIV/AIDS epidemic control in Malawi. We believe our key strengths – implementation of projects at-scale, with measurable outcomes, through predominantly local structures – can help Malawi achieve even better results in HIV/AIDS work in the country. CCDO recognizes that the Government of Malawi, working with key technical agencies and donors such as UNAIDS, WHO, PEPFAR, Global Fund and others, has already laid out much of what is needed in terms of HIV/AIDS programming for the coming period, as outlined in existing strategic and national plans on HIV/AIDS. While much progress has already been made – including promising outcomes such as declining HIV prevalence and incidence among certain groups – we know that much remains to be done to scale up and sustain the delivery of proven interventions in high priority regions of Malawi. Having examined these gaps, and based on its deep experience in HIV/AIDS work in the past, the CCDO Malawi team believes we can add even more value to any Organization on HIV/AIDS and SRHR work in the country, by further mobilizing our significant capacities across the country, particularly in the HIV high burden districts. The CCDO Capacity in HIV Prevention and SRHR Program for Adolescent Girls and Young Women and ABYM (AGYW) CCDO has more than 10 years of experience in successfully implementing public health projects, including in the area of HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive health (SRH) and including projects that measurably improved behaviors, increased access to quality health products and services, and demonstrably improved societal attitudes on sensitive health topics. Some prominent examples of this work include the Services for Adolescents Project promoting SRH and rights of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and the holistic approach, which has been successful in many areas including the area of HIV testing and Counselling and linking to ART. Below, we briefly outline our capacity and experience on HIV/AIDS and with AGYW / ABYM as well as areas where we are seeking strong partnerships. CCDO Malawi’s Experience Working the AGYW with Support from Hivos, and, Rise Up donor aid ViiV Health Care. CCDO implemented the project in partnership with Umodzi Youth Organization (U.Y.O) and Ative Aid Africa (A.A.A) and it was funded by IPas ( Health, Access, Rights). The overal project goal was to equip 3000 adolescent girls and 500 boys to have the capacity to demand comprehensive SRH services, make informed choices and access to comprehensive SRH services, in Thyolo District by November, 2019. In order to achieve the goal of the project CCDO carried out some of the following activities: trained 40 peer educators for four days; this enabled the peers to engage the policy makers and articulate the issues around comperhensive SRH services and TOP bill and to involve and motivate fellow young people into advocacy. In addition, CCDO engaged those trained peers in two debates/dialogue sessions on termination of pregnancy bill and comprehensive SRH services with two community health workers and policy makers. Upon the completion of the project revealed that almost 2500 adolescent girls and 600 boys were capable to demand comprehensive SRH services, make informed choices and access to comprehensive SRH services, in Thyolo District by November, 2019. On the project, CCDO Malawi also trains community leaders and Parents and Teachers’ Associations (PTAs) to improve their understanding on SRHR and so AGYW can champion the modification of harmful cultural practices such as early marriage and sexual cleansing rituals. SRHR radio programs were also used to provide opportunities for AGYW to discuss SRHR issues. AGYW were trained as peer educators and club matrons were trained to provide counseling to AGYW, to encourage them to test for HIV, to ensure they have access to testing and counselling services, and to support adherence to treatment for those found to have HIV. Peer educators training on SRHR advocacy The overall goal of the project is to provide information about all aspects of sexual, reproductive health and rights of adolescents in rural community of Thyolo district in Malawi, so that they are aware of the changes they go through and how they should protect themselves against sexual abuse, STIs and HIV/AIDS. To overcome the problem, so far we have conducted some of the following activities: orientation meeting with school teachers and Village Development Committee (VDC) members (based on gender ratio) in order to lobby for support of the project and promote girls’ rights to sexuality education; workshop on basic human rights and on how to advocate for SRHR services which involved young women and adolescent girls who are now community SRH champions.Though the project has not yet been completed but the advocacy on SRHR as of now with the help of SRHR Champions proves to be beneficial to the fellow youths, young women and the whole community at large; for instance, the youths are able to have open discussions with their parents and fellow peers on SRHR issues, also they are able to access SRHR services. By the end of the project as CCDO we expect that the advocacy on SRHR will equip the youths and young women of Bvumbwe (THYOLO) with enough information about all aspects of sexual, reproductive health and rights, also there will be better conditions for young people to make informed decisions about their health, sexuality and reproduction and reduced number of new HIV infections by the end of year 2021. Enhancing Protection of 1500 Girls Against Early Marriages and SGBV in T/A Nkanda in Mulanje District with support from Hivos International CCDO in January 2020 implemented a project which aimed at compelling and sensitizing the local structures of Mulanje district in formation, restructuring and enforcement of inclusive and comprehensive child marriage bylaws in accordance to the recently formulated National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage in Malawi- 2018-2023. To overcome the problem, we conducted the following activities: Orientation meeting to lobby for support of the project and promote girl’s rights to education which involved school teachers and Village Development Committee (VDC) members etc. We conducted workshops with local leaders, awareness campaigns on formation and restructuring of bylaws, we held a debate on restructuring of bylaws and quarterly review meetings. Due to lack of comprehensive bylaws in Mulanje district contributed to increased cases of early marriages which further increased girls’ vulnerability to Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Hence CCDO in January 2020 implemented a project which aimed at compelling and sensitizing the local structures of Mulanje district in formation, restructuring and enforcement of inclusive and comprehensive child marriage bylaws in accordance to the recently formulated National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage in Malawi- 2018-2023. After the project Mulanje district has comprehensive and inclusive bylaws that promote and protect all married adolescent girls and young women from SGBV and delaying some adolescents to enter into early marriages and in so doing they are able to continue with their education and prevent harmful cultural practices that encourage the spread of HIV. It is expected that these bylaws will continue to reduce early marriages and SGBV in Mulanje and even in the nearest areas. Accelerating Children’s Hiv/Aids Treatment Initiative (ACT) Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO) carried out a project on “Accelerating Children’s HIV/AIDS Treatment Initiative (ACT) Project” which aimed at Identifying HIV infected children and linking them to care and treatment at facilities in Malawi, Thyolo district. The project was implemented in starting from 2016 to 2018 June. The project was sponsored by ViiV Health Care through Positive Action for Children Fund (PACF). The goal of the project was to reduce mortality among HIV-infected infants by as much as 75% upon ART initiation. The project was directly working with 20 community based organizations (CBOs Volunteers) and 10 Health facilities in Traditional Authorities (T/As) Mchiramwela and Khwethemule in Thyolo district. The project introduced income generating activities through installation of solar energy Borehole for irrigation farming and poultry production for parents whose children are tested positive. This was to improve their health status through provision of nutritious diet. Other activities conducted were; Orientation meetings with Community Health Workers /Volunteers, community awareness on PMTCT and Paediatric HIV healthcare and defaulter tracing, Formation of Community committee on land identification for solar Irrigation farming and Radio Talk Shows on Paediatric HIV/AIDS The project promoted identification of and continued care of infants and young children of HIV positive parents, it also reduced the number of infants who go undiagnosed or those who are diagnosed too late for successful care and treatment. The project reduced the level of mortality among HIV infected infants in Thyolo district upon ART initiation. Strengthening Household Economy of 300 Women and 200 Youth Through Incubator Machines Pass On Loan Grant’ In T/A Changata While Enhancing Prevention Hiv Infection (Thyolo District) The basic research that was conducted in T/A Changata revealed that 60% of the women and youths in the community had no reliable sources of income, 40% of these women were single mothers. Among those women 20% were HIV positive. Hence CCDO thought it was wiser to implement the project of providing incubator machines and pass on loan grants which will help these women to have their own small businesses. The project was sponsored by American Embassy in Malawi. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen Household Economy of 300 women and 200 youth by 35% While Preventing HIV Infection by 50% through Incubator Machines pass on loan grant in Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo district, Southern region of Malawi from 20th November, 2017 to 19th October, 2018. The project provided locally produced Incubators for pass on loan grant to 300 women and 200 youth who are at the forefront of fighting against HIV and AIDS in the community.The project imparted poultry production skills, production and maintenance of Incubator Machines skills, Eggs hatchery skills to 300 women and 200 youths. Therefore, the 500 direct beneficiaries (300 women and 200 youth) were trained on how to manufacture, maintain and how to install the incubators; installation of solar panel for poultry production, Management of hatchery, making poultry feeds, poultry and business management. These incubators were also sold to other communities as source of diversified income for youth and women. In turn, these women and youth mobilized fellow 50,000 community members in HIV Testing, HIV and AIDS Treatment, Care and support services. They also worked hand in hand with health personnel in the area in raising awareness campaign, counseling, conducting door to door visits and discuss at both household and individual levels with family members.Henceforth, by the completion of the project, CCDO managed to reduce the HIV and AIDS risk vulnerability which was caused by poverty, by 50% among 300 women and 200 youths in Traditional Authority Changata through addressing economic and social obstacles by October, 2018. Although it was found that more people who were in need of incubators. However, they were assured to have access to the equipment in the future and help the groups which were using the equipment with managerial support so that they pay the loan in advance. Women Empowerment in T/A Changata Through Distribution of Incubators and Pass On Loan Grant The needs assessment that was conducted in T/A Changata revealed that 60% of the women and youths in the community had no reliable sources of income, 40% of these women were single mothers. Among those women 20% were HIV positive. Hence CCDO thought it was wiser to implement the project of providing incubator machines and pass on loan grants which will help these women to have their own small businesses. The project was sponsored by American Embassy in Malawi. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen Household Economy of 300 women and 200 youth by 35% While Preventing HIV Infection by 50% through Incubator Machines pass on loan grant in Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo district, Southern region of Malawi from 20th November, 2017 to 19th October, 2018. The project provided locally produced Incubators for pass on loan grant to 300 women and 200 youth who are at the forefront of fighting against HIV and AIDS in the community. The project imparted poultry production skills, production and maintenance of Incubator Machines skills, Eggs hatchery skills to 300 women and 200 youths. Therefore, the 500 direct beneficiaries (300 women and 200 youth) were trained on how to manufacture, maintain and how to install the incubators; installation of solar panel for poultry production, Management of hatchery, making poultry feeds, poultry and business management. These incubators were also sold to other communities as source of diversified income for youth and women. In turn, these women and youth mobilized fellow 50,000 community members in HIV Testing, HIV and AIDS Treatment, Care and support services. They also worked hand in hand with health personnel in the area in raising awareness campaign, counseling, conducting door to door visits and discuss at both household and individual levels with family members. Henceforth, by the completion of the project, CCDO managed to reduce the HIV and AIDS risk vulnerability which was caused by poverty, by 50% among 300 women and 200 youths in Traditional Authority Changata through addressing economic and social obstacles by October, 2018. Although it was found that more people who were in need of incubators. However, they were assured to have access to the equipment in the future and help the groups which were using the equipment with managerial support so that they pay the loan in advance. Assisting The Elderly and Other Vulnerable Groups in Poverty Stricken Areas (T/A Nkhaka, Thyolo District) An initial assessment that was conducted by CCDO noted that most of the dwelling places in T/A Nkhaka were insecure; their houses were leaking and they could be easily blown away by wind. Approximately, 13,600 of the people were elderly and over 15,500 were orphans who lived under such poor conditions. As such, it was hard for them to buy material things such as clothes and shoes rather they concentrate on basic needs. Almost majority of the population lacked shoes and a lot of children were moving half naked due to lack of clothes. In addition, the community had difficulties in accessing IT materials like computers and printers which mainly affected the youth’s education studies as the distance to get a national library is over 37km. The portraits of such livelihood reveal the poverty condition of the community. Hence, the project goal was to improve the livelihood of the people in the community. The project was funded by crossroads, this shipment significantly improved the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in T/A Nkhaka in Thyolo district in such a way that they have good clothes to cover up their bodies and blankets to keep themselves warm especially during winter seasons. Furthermore, the donation of books helped in widening knowledge of primary pupils and secondary students in their education studies which also reduced illiteracy rate in the community. While clothing increased enrollment in schools as the issues of absenteeism due to nakedness were minimized; this again reduced the rate of school dropouts among pupils. Again, the learning materials, school furniture and clothing have improved the learning environment for pupils and students in the community. Before the shipment, some patients at Khonjeni health Centre were sleeping on the floor due to shortage of mattresses and beds. However, this shipment has curbed such challenges with the donation of 30 mattresses at the hospital.The shipment targeted each age group and sex without leaving anyone behind. As such, it is a clear signal of a changed livelihood of people in Thyolo district. Enhancing protection of 1500 girls against Early Marriages and SGBV in T/A Nkanda in Mulanje district As they fight for a better tomorrow As Malawi continues to have the 11th highest rate of child marriage in the world, with nearly half of all girls marrying before the age of 18, despite the fact that Malawi’s government has recently made dramatic strides in setting laws to end child marriage at a national level. In a National Youth Council of Malawi 2009 report profiling early marriages in Malawi, it was found that in Southern Malawi 12.1% of girls were married before the age of 15 and 52.7% are married before the age of 18. 34% of women have experienced physical violence since age 15, and 20% have experienced sexual violence. The project was funded by Hivos (people unlimited). Due to lack of comprehensive bylaws in Mulanje district contributed to increased cases of early marriages which further increased girls’ vulnerability to Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Hence CCDO in January 2020 implemented a project which aimed at compelling and sensitizing the local structures of Mulanje district in formation, restructuring and enforcement of inclusive and comprehensive child marriage bylaws in accordance to the recently formulated National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage in Malawi- 2018-2023. To overcome the problem, we conducted the following activities: Orientation meeting to lobby for support of the project and promote girl’s rights to education which involved school teachers and Village Development Committee (VDC) members etc. We conducted workshops with local leaders, awareness campaigns on formation and restructuring of bylaws, we held a debate on restructuring of bylaws and quarterly review meetings. After the project Mulanje district has comprehensive and inclusive bylaws that promote and protect all married adolescent girls and young women from SGBV and delaying some adolescents to enter into early marriages and in so doing they are able to continue with their education and prevent harmful cultural practices that encourage the spread of HIV. It is expected that these bylaws will continue to reduce early marriages and SGBV in Mulanje and even in the nearest areas. SRHR Advocacy for Rural Adolescents in Thyolo District As Bvumbwe (Thyolo) peer educators train for SRHR advocacy It has been revealed after basic survey that information on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is not readily available among the adolescent youth in most rural settings in Thyolo district due to deep rooted customs and traditional cultures. For instance, the rate of unsafe abortion is 36 per 1,000 women aged 15–49 years and is the second leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in Malawi, accounting for 6-18% of all maternal deaths and is the leading cause of obstetric complications (24–30%). Malawi Demographic & Health Survey (MDHS 2004) indicates that Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. There is a one in 29 chances that a 15-year-old girl in Malawi will eventually die from a pregnancy-related condition. MDHS also shows that lack of knowledge and capacity to demand their health rights exposes 37% of adolescents to greater risk of unsafe sex leading to cases of unsafe abortion. The project is being funded by Hivos (people unlimited). The overall goal of the project is to provide information about all aspects of sexual, reproductive health and rights of adolescents in rural community of Thyolo district in Malawi, so that they are aware of the changes they go through and how they should protect themselves against sexual abuse, STIs and HIV/AIDS. To overcome the problem, so far we have conducted some of the following activities: orientation meeting with school teachers and Village Development Committee (VDC) members (based on gender ratio) in order to lobby for support of the project and promote girls’ rights to sexuality education; workshop on basic human rights and on how to advocate for SRHR services which involved young women and adolescent girls who are now community SRH champions. Though the project has not yet been completed but the advocacy on SRHR as of now with the help of SRHR Champions proves to be beneficial to the fellow youths, young women and the whole community at large; for instance, the youths are able to have open discussions with their parents and fellow peers on SRHR issues, also they are able to access SRHR services. By the end of the project as CCDO we expect that the advocacy on SRHR will equip the youths and young women of Bvumbwe (THYOLO) with enough information about all aspects of sexual, reproductive health and rights, also there will be better conditions for young people to make informed decisions about their health, sexuality and reproduction and reduced number of new HIV infections by the end of year2021. Management of Donor Funds CCDO Malawi has a long track record in managing donor funds and implement unique programs benefitting thousands of Malawians within education, health and nutrition; community development hereunder water & sanitation; and agriculture, food security & the environment. During the 10-year history of CCDO’s development work in Malawi, the organization has received funding from various both local and international donors. CCDO has managed grants ranging from $5,000 USD to more than $ 300,000 USD. List of Donors and Project we have implemented year donor project name Amount Project location period of implementation 2016 children’s investment fund foundation (uk through msh) accelerating children’s treatment initiative (act) usd 12,000 T/A’S changata and Mbawera 6 months 2017 American embassy women empowerment in t/a changata through distribution of incubators and pass on loan grants usd 5000 t/a changata 1year 2018 ViiV health care scaling up of children’s treatment uk $30,000 khwethemule and Chiramwela 2 years 2018 world connect provision of safe and clean water in Pwemphwe community, (Thyolo district) usd 6,000 Pwemphwe 1 year 2019 Rise up enabling girls to advance gender equity usd 18,000 T/A changata 1 year 2020 Hivos enhancing the protection of 1500 girls from early marriages and SGBV usd 25000 T/A Nkanda 1 year 2020 Crossroads foundation provision of school materials in nursery and primary schools school materials such as notebooks, computers, chairs, desks, clothe as well as mattresses GVHNkhaka, Thyolo district 1 year 2020 Hivos enhancing youth access to SRH services usd 25,000 T/A Bvumbwe 1 year 2020 Aids Alliance covid-19 response usd 12,000 STAMaggie 3 months 2021 Hivos extension of SRH services access project usd 12,500 T/A Bvumbwe 6 months The organization’s current activities CCDO works with rural Malawians and empower individuals and families to make informed choices about their lives and take an active role in society to reduce poverty, particularly in rural areas. Current activities include the following; 1) Organizing small scale farmers to join forces in advancing agricultural productivity and community mobilization as well as civil society strengthening; 2) Promoting climate smart agriculture methods; 3) Value addition to increase economic value; 4) Skills training for youth to start up small scale business or secure an employment; 5) Creating conducive learning environments for standard one and two learners; 6) Fighting the spread of tuberculosis (TB) ad HIV by integrating HIV/TB activities to empower communities for early HIV/TB detection and treatment; 7) Community sensitization for TB screening and treatment in the mining sector; 8) Promotion of good nutrition and health practices among families especially for under 5 children; 9) Working with communities to have improved sanitation and hygiene facilities; Working with communities in rural areas to create conducive environments for children to grow up healthy and reach their full potential