Gender Equality in Malawi Lake Basin Programme

Highlights

Malawi Lake Basin Programme (MLBP)

Implemented as Consortium of five partners:• We Effect• Farmers Union of Malawi• NASFAM• MUSCCO• Vi Agroforestry

MLBP Objectives

1. Increased community adaptation to impacts of climate change

2. Increased agricultural productivity and diversification3.Strengthened farmer organisation and entrepreneurship4. Improved policy, advocacy and enabling environment5. Increased empowerment of women, youth and

vulnerable groups6.Strengthened local partners

Field work primarily in two Districts: Salima and Mangochi

MUSCCO also work in other districts such as Kasungu, Ntcheu, Mzimba

Nationally on policy lobby and advocacy

Impact areas

GenSmallholder

farmers

Organisational development

FUM

Business development

NASFAM

Financial services

MUSCCO

Climate Smart Agricultural practicesWe Effect

Natural Resource

ManagementWe Effect

Adult literacy, youth and Hiv/AIDS

FUM

360 degree around the smallholder farmersGender main streaming

Study Circles

Particular gender mainstreaming efforts

• Women empowerment across the activities• Adult literacy• Gender sensitization through Gender Action

Learning System (GALS)- Training of field officers- Training and appointing Gender Champions

• Training of local leaders• Training of sector and district coordinators in gender

mainstreaming• Action plan for gender mainstreaming throughout the

programme

Results so far

• Great outreach to women• Overall – huge majority of

women participants in all the different activities

• Increasing number of women in leadership

Challenges

• We are not very sure of the factors behind the majority of participants being women• Fishing community• Work migration• etc

• Illiteracy• Leadership by women is still a challenge• While women benefit through the participation,

access and control of the gained resources are still posing challenges

Lessons learnedMajor lesson learned is that much more work needs to be done in terms of empowerment of women to gain equal access to and control over resources

Way forwardWe have therefore developed and action plan for mainstreaming gender equality into all the sectors

• Engendering Programme document (logframe)• Gender analyses for all sectors• Gender planning in all sectors• FRAS implementation • Improving documentation on women empowerment • Try to establish a work relation ship with WOLREC

with focus on human rights

For consideration• More use of household approach for improving gender

relationships?

• How to define a household?

• Participation of other partners and approaches?

• Availability of good policies and tools?

Thank you!