The Hunger Project-Malawi worked tirelessly with communities to scale up nutrition programs and launch new initiatives.
2014 Accomplishments Include:
Training on Use of Moringa for People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV). Community members living with HIV/AIDS were trained on uses of Moringa leaves. The leaves from Moringa trees are powerhouses of nutritional value—they contain four times the calcium in milk and seven times the vitamin C in oranges and are found locally and they can also boost immunity. Participants were trained on how to prepare various foods and meals from Moringa leaves. The training provided knowledge and skills to participants regarding cost-effective ways of improving immunity and enhancing their nutritional well-being.
Scaling Up Nutrition. To further its commitment to improving child health, The Hunger Project-Malawi participated in a Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) training at Ligowe and Kachindamoto Epicenters. By virtue of participating in these trainings, The Hunger Project Epicenter Project Officers are recognized trainers of SUN activities in their districts, with The Hunger Project serving as a member of the district network. This provides The Hunger Project-Malawi access to certain government resources such as training manuals.
Launch of the Malaria Project. The Hunger Project-Malawi participated in the inauguration of a five-year Malaria Project. The project is funded by the Dutch institution the Liberty Foundation and implemented by Wagenigen University and the University of Malawi-College of Medicine. The Hunger Project-Malawi will be one of the implementing partners and will be responsible for community mobilization.
Food Banks. As part of their Food Security program, The Hunger Project-Malawi facilitated the restocking of food banks with maize grain from epicenter gardens, using farm input loan repayments from partners who benefited from the 2013/14 growing season. Many of the food banks are fully stocked with overflow reserved in epicenter halls.
Female Condom Education Project. The Hunger Project-Malawi teamed up with the Youth Network and Counseling Organization (YONECO), the Livingstonia Synod Church and Society Program, and the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) to implement the Female Condom Education Project, which will be carried out in the four districts of Nkhatabay, Lilongwe, Balaka and Chikwawa, covering Nchalo and Majete Epicenters. With funding from the Female Health Company (FHC), a total of 48 female condom Champions were trained as TOTs (Training of Trainers); these empowered individuals are now educating communities on the importance and benefits of using female condoms as well as distributing female condoms.
