ADRA Malawi regards advocacy as an ongoing participatory process aimed at changing attitudes, practices, policies and laws for the improvement of people’s lives. Advocacy has based on need based to rights-based approach through ‘Communication for Social Change’ approach which empowers various civil society actors to advocate for themselves and/on behalf of other vulnerable groups. Advocates and policy makers dialogue and debate issues of community and national importance. ADRA advocacy strategy thrives on networks and partnerships.
Emergency management is one of the main ADRA programmatic areas and its aim is to manage available resources to deal with emergencies effectively, thereby saving lives, avoiding injury, and minimizing economic loss regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, economic political, or religious differences. This protection process involves mitigation, planning, response and recovery. As a member of Joint Emergency Food Aid Program (JEFAP) consortium of international and local NGOs, ADRA Malawi has been in partnership with WFP for more than 20 years.
ADRA Malawi promotes livelihood initiatives through gender empowerment and community resilience by supporting beneficiaries in Income Generating Activities and Village Savings and Loans Associations. Training in group dynamics, business management, financial and market access ensures successful group initiatives and sustainable business ventures. ADRA Malawi empowers civil society through capacity building in literacy, human rights and gender issues. These activities have contributed to improved livelihoods.
ADRA Malawi believes food security exists when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. ADRA strives to increase food security at community level through capacity building in relevant technical areas, agribusiness, facilitating formation of farmer organizations, collaboration with key food security players, as well as developing value chains. ADRA has been assisting in enhancing the lives of vulnerable people against hocks and stresses such as floods and/or droughts and economic instability for more than 20 years.
ADRA Malawi has implemented several programs in the health sector, primarily focussing on women and men of reproductive age, youth and under 5 children. The technical focus areas include nutrition, family planning, reproductive health, and HIV and AIDS. To facilitate access to health facilities, ADRA Malawi provides bicycle ambulances to communities. Approaches used include Communication for Social Change, Positive Deviance Hearth model, advocacy, media, and capacity building for volunteers.
ADRA Malawi has been implementing projects focussed on HIV and AIDS since 1991. ADRA’s initiatives aim at increasing individual and societal awareness about HIV transmission, promoting individual risk reduction, care and support for PLWHIV. Approaches include Communication for Social Change, Volunteer Capacity Building, and Training of Trainers (TOT) to provide counselling and support services. ADRA Malawi also uses mass media such as radio and television as advocacy and education platforms.
ADRA Malawi has for the past 20 years been delivering Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programs to different needy communities in Southern and Central districts of Malawi (Mulanje, Machinga and Salima in particular) by providing access to drinking water, awareness on clean environments and hygiene. The projects have focussed on drilling and maintaining boreholes, maintaining shallow wells and providing chlorine and educating communities in water management, sanitation and hygiene environment.