NDI - Malawi

Malawi Scorecard: Responsiveness to Women in Development Planning and Financing at the District Council Level

jfrant — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 15:03:02 +0000

Published Date:

11/16/2016

In an effort to ensure gender equality in development and that women's and girls needs are mainstreamed and deliberately focused on by local governments, NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGOGCN) developed a scorecard to determine whether select district councils respond to needs of women and girls in their District Development Plans, budgets and in Area Development Committee (ADC) structures. Through the project supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) through the National Democratic Institute (NDI), NGOGCN is advocating for gender needs to be addressed in development projects administered by district councils. NGOGCN network members engage with local government officials, policymakers and CSOs to promote gender responsiveness in development planning, budgeting and implementation. The project targets nine district councils: Chiradzulu, Dedza, Karonga, Luchenza, Mzimba, Mzuzu, Neno, Lilongwe and Thyolo. The scorecard is rapid assessment on the progress of these district councils and provides several recommendations for ministries and local governments in Malawi.

English

Attachment	Size
Download the scorecard	288.73 KB

Malawi Electoral and Decentralization Activity (MEDA)

smajestic — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 21:03:53 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2015

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Malawi May-August 2015 Newsletter	658.61 KB

NGO-GCN MEDA Bulletin: Volume 1, Issue 1

smajestic — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 20:52:41 +0000

Author:

NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) and National Democratic Institute (NDI)

Published Date:

12/01/2015

Resource Type:

Bulletin

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
NGO-GCN MEDA Bulletin	4.15 MB

From Exclusion to Inclusion: Volume 2 Monthly Bulletin for FEDOMA-NDI Project: July-August 2015

smajestic — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 20:46:52 +0000

Author:

Federation of Disability Organizations of Malawi (FEDOMA) and National Democratic Institute (NDI)

Published Date:

12/01/2015

Resource Type:

Bulletin

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
FEDOMA-NDI Bulletin	4.6 MB

Power to the People: A Guide for Public Expenditure Tracking

smajestic — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 22:06:25 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Resource Type:

Guide

Language:

Chichewa, English

English

Attachment	Size
Power to the People: Guide for Civil Society Organizations	879.81 KB
Power to the People: Guide for Local Governments (Chichewa)	494.74 KB
Power to the People: Guide for Local Governments (English)	576.72 KB

NDI Launches Public Expenditure Tracking Guides for Local Government and CSOs in Malawi

smajestic — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 21:52:27 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/06/2015

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

LILONGWE, MALAWI – With the overall goal of advancing democratic governance, and with generous support from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United States Agency for Development (USAID), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) developed two guides for public expenditure tracking (PET). The guides are tailored for local governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Malawi.

The PET Guides were developed in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Local Government Finance Committee following consultations with stakeholders from government, development partners, academia and civil society. The Guides’ expenditure tracking methodology, based on global best practice, gathers information to help ward councilors, citizens, and other stakeholders track, analyze and discuss the flow of public money from the government to the targeted beneficiaries. This process includes reviewing how money is spent and whether the money is allocated according to defined local priorities. Tracking the use of local government funds is part of the Malawian government’s decentralization policy, which is called Mphamvu ku Anthu or Power to the People in English. Mphamvu ku Anthu empowers citizens to advocate for their needs with elected officials and local government representatives. Equally important is citizens’ ability to monitor the quality of service delivery and implementation of development projects in their communities.

In partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the National Local Government Finance Committee, the Guide seeks to inform local governments on how to use public expenditure tracking to foster a culture of accountability and transparency in Malawi. Through specialized technical assistance and partnerships, NDI will support local governments, members of parliament, CSOs, and select area and village development committees (ADCs and VDCs) to implement PET. NDI and its Malawi-based civil society partners will pilot PET in 15 councils: Balaka, Chiradzulu, Dedza, Lilongwe, Luncheza, Karonga, Machinga, M’mbelwa, Mzimba, Neno, Nkhatabay, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Nsanje and Thyolo. NDI works with more than 20 civil society organizations in the target districts to address community concerns and promote accountability in local governments.

Interested citizens can download copies of the CSO and local government guides here: https://ndi.org/Malawi_PET_guides.

###

NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for the last 30 years. NDI and its national partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. More information is available at www.ndi.org

For more information, please contact NDI Malawi Resident Country Director Sandy Quimbaya at squimbaya@ndi.org or Deputy Country Director Viwemi Chavula at vchavula@ndi.org.

English

Civic Updates

vrao — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 17:55:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Resource Type:

Civic Update

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Issue 50: A Matter of Political Space (April 2016)	1.06 MB
Issue 49: Social Movements (January '16)	1.22 MB
Issue 48: Peace, Security and Democratic Resilience (August '15)	818.41 KB
Issue 47: Integration (April '15)	1011.57 KB
Issue 46: The Infomediary Role of NDI Partners (Jan. '15)	339.19 KB
Issue 45: The Role of Dialogue in Deepening Democracy (Sept. '14)	1.84 MB
Issue 44: Taking Advantage of Political Entry Points to Improve Meaningful Engagement (May '14)	1.12 MB
Issue 43: Political Inclusion of LGBT Population (Jan. '14)	1.43 MB
Issue 42: Radio as an Effective Communication Tool (Aug. '13)	1.48 MB
Issue 41: The Use of ICT to Enhance Citizen Participation (May '13)	1.57 MB
Issue 40: Supporting Inclusion of Marginalized Ethnic and Religious Groups (Dec. '12)	1.87 MB
Issue 39: Public Opinion Research (Sept. '12)	1.69 MB
Issue 38: Youth Programming (May '12)	1.83 MB
Issue 37: Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities (Jan. '12)	1.72 MB
Issue 36: Organizational Development (May '11)	1.1 MB
Issue 35: GOTV, Voter Information & Voter Education (Jan. '11)	1.04 MB
Issue 34: Structuring and Maintaining Partnerships (Sept. '10)	306.87 KB
Issue 33: Political Process Monitoring (May '10)	419.89 KB
Issue 32: Defending Space for Citizen Participation (Aug. '09)	204.87 KB
Issue 31: Best Practices for Meaningful Citizen Engagement (April '09)	540.61 KB
Issue 30: Context Matters (Jan. '09)	311.87 KB
Issue 29: Voice, Space and Accountability (Aug. '08)	869.11 KB
Issue 28: Communications Tools (May '08)	207.88 KB
Issue 27: Using Information and Communications Techonologies (Jan. '08)	486.89 KB
Issue 26: Working with Marginalized Populations (Sept. '07)	283.24 KB
Issue 25: Ten Years of Civic Updates (July '07)	258.56 KB
Issue 24: Making Democracy Deliver (Feb. '07)	413.86 KB
Issue 23: Positive Partnerships with Local Groups (May '06)	268.06 KB
Issue 22: Political Activism for People with Disablities (Dec. '05)	458.7 KB
Issue 21: Local Fundraising and Volunteer Recruitment (July '05)	221.65 KB
Issue 20: Tips from NDI Practioners (April '05)	561.26 KB
Issue 19: Get Out The Vote (Dec. '04)	496.75 KB
Issue 18: Involving Youth in the Political Process (July '04)	277.27 KB
Issue 17: Monitoring as a Driver of Change (Feb. '04)	488.58 KB
Issue 16: Citizen Surveys and Other Organizing Tools (Nov. '03)	546.03 KB
Issue 15: Making University Connections (Aug. '03)	579.18 KB
Issue 14: Focus Groups (May '03)	334.74 KB
Issue 13: Civic Forum (Nov. '02)	279.56 KB
Issue 12: Coalition Building (Jan. '02)	195.45 KB
Issue 11: Assessment Methods (Aug. '01)	84.74 KB
Issue 10: Partnership Approaches (April '01)	109.87 KB
Issue 9: What's Voting All About? (Oct. '99)	82.5 KB
Issue 8: Global Seminar on Advocacy and Democracy Development (June '99)	481.85 KB
Issue 7: How Civic Programs Increase Women's Participation in Processes (Dec. '98)	962.34 KB
Issue 6: Post-Conflict and Ethnic Divided Societies (July '98)	120.75 KB
Issue 5: Assessing Programs (March '98)	81.99 KB
Issue 4: Training (Nov. '97)	98.85 KB
Issue 3: Resources and Communication (July '97)	74.43 KB
Issue 2: Advocacy (April '97)	94.31 KB
Issue 1: Program Highlights from Around the World (Feb. '97)	121.71 KB

Sandra Pepera

skincaid — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:41:17 +0000

Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a senior officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has a portfolio of skills and experience which include strategy development, political and risk analysis, diplomacy, general management and corporate governance.

Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics at the University of Ghana and in outreach public policy during the period of intense and unstable political transition in the early 1990s. This included participating in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993.

Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Global Board Ready Women initiative, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table). She holds the Financial Times Diploma for Non-Executive Directors, and serves as a trustee for the pension fund of an intergovernmental organization.

Government accountability program delivers results in Malawi

blesswing — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 14:43:28 +0000

Source:

USAID

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/20/2015

NDI recently partnered with USAID on a civic and voter education initiative in Malawi to provide citizens with the opportunity to hold their elected officials accountable to promises they made on the campaign trail during the May 2014 local and national elections.

NDI’s Pat Merloe Testifies Before Congress on U.S. Election Support in Africa

blesswing — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 18:32:58 +0000

NDI Director of Electoral Programs Pat Merloe testified at a hearing, “U.S. Election Support in Africa” on March 18 before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.

“Support for democratic elections in Africa should build longer-term democratic political dynamics that result in responsive, accountable governance,” Merloe said. “International election observation can play an important role in achieving peaceful, credible elections in Africa.”

Watch the hearing »

Read Pat Merloe’s full statement here »

Read more:

NDI's Christopher Fomunyoh Testifies Before Congress on "Nigeria on the Brink?"

Experts to Discuss Critical African Elections at NDI

Published on March 18, 2015

Attachment	Size
See the 2015-2016 calendar for African elections	60.27 KB
See a map of 2015-2016 African elections	129.47 KB

Issue-Based Elections Help Bring Clean Water to Mpomba, Malawi

blesswing — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 16:24:07 +0000

Women drawing water from newly dug boreholes in Mpomba, Malawi.

It is mid-morning and the temperatures are uncomfortably hot in the Mpomba area of Nsanje district in southern Malawi. Sixty-year-old resident Televina Zuwawo stands proudly as she waits to draw water from a newly dug borehole, a specially crafted narrow shaft drilled deep into the ground for extracting clean water. Zuwawo can hardly believe that clean water -- normally hard to come by at this time of year -- is now easily accessible.

“I never expected that in my lifetime the problem of water in my area would ever be solved,” said Zuwawo. “I am so thankful that our newly elected councilor came together with other leaders to make this happen.”

Naturally occurring water sources normally dry up in the October heat. And even when water is available, it is not always safe to drink, which forces residents to choose between dehydration or a heightened risk of contracting waterborne diseases.

While officials are frequently elected based on tribal allegiances, the most recent election in Mpomba, last May, signaled an important shift: campaigns centered around political party platforms that focused on issues rather than identity. The Mpomba wells were conceived and implemented by local officials who were elected on the promise of bringing clean water to the community. These were the first elections in which Malawians elected local government representatives.

This evolution was spearheaded by the Tiphedzane Community Organization, a group in Nsanje District that works on community governance, health and development projects. Through its Civic and Voter Education (CVE) campaign, Tiphedzane and 30 other civil society organizations across the country, reached out to both citizens and politicians with messages that encouraged voting and campaigning based on issues. One of their goals was to incorporate more people into the electoral process.

Activities included pre-election meetings among community leaders to discuss issues of concern to citizens, meetings between politicians and local constituency groups, public debates between candidates, and the signing of social contracts outlining candidates’ development priorities.

George Dumba, the newly elected councilor for Dinde ward that covers Mpomba, was among the participants.

“As a candidate competing for the position of councilor, the CVE project provided me an opportunity not only to engage with citizens during the electoral campaign, but also to understand that access to water was a top priority for the community,” said Dumba. “This in turn influenced me to rank this as the first issue to prioritize once elected.”

After winning, Dumba followed through on his campaign promise and, together with community leaders and their member of parliament, worked to ensure that three boreholes were constructed in Mpomba.

“We are extremely grateful to both our newly elected MP and councilor for providing us with safe water,” said the Mpomba village group headman, also named Mpomba. “This will improve the lives of the people.”

Tiphedzane’s work has not stopped since the election. It continues to support issue advocacy campaigns and efforts to ensure that elected officials are held accountable to their campaign promises.

The CVE campaign was supported by NDI with funding from both the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Published on Feb. 10, 2015

Chiefs Express Satisfaction Over a Four Year Development Plan

dleonard — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:19:09 +0000

The Maravi Post | Link to story»

Chiefs in Lilongwe, Traditional Authority (T/A) Tsabango have expressed optimism over a pre-development plan that has been established in the area.

The civic and awareness meeting was conducted with funding from National Democratic Institute.

Link to story»

Civic and Voter Education Produce Hope for a New Road

dleonard — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 19:25:25 +0000

It’s a beautiful, sunny morning as Trizza Ndalama from Zomba District, Malawi, finishes packing her legumes to sell at her local market. She notes that for many years she has made little profit on her produce. “I can only sell at the Chingale market nearby, which is not that viable,” Ndalama said. “The big market where I can sell the produce at a reasonable profit is very far from this village and the road is very bad.”

But she is encouraged that things will get better soon. In the lead-up to Malawi’s tripartite elections in May, the Nanzikambe Arts Development Organization, an NDI civil society partner, worked with voters in Zomba district to identify and prioritize a list of issues and development activities. These were drafted into a social contract that candidates signed and pledged to carry out during their term in office. Construction of the road that would aid Ndalama was a top priority, along with construction of a health center, drilling of boreholes and building additional school blocks.

“I am happy that one of the issues signed in the social contract concerns adding school blocks. Soon our children will have enough classrooms for better learning,” said Martha Lanjesi, a beneficiary of Nazikambe’s civic and voter education project.

“I am optimistic that in the near future, the Machinga-Chingale-Lirangwe road will be properly constructed and tarred, thereby providing us with easy access to good markets in town that we desperately need,” she said.

Nanzikambe is one of 35 civil society organizations working with NDI on an issue-based civic and voter education program, reaching approximately 575,000 citizens nationwide. The project involved community sensitization meetings on the importance of voting with issues in mind, along with issue identification, meetings between candidates and community representatives, compilation of citizen manifestos and the signing of social contracts.

A farmer from the Chingale area, Elias Phiri, said that because of the awareness campaign “these elections were so different from all the previous elections. This time around we were not voting based on handouts like we used to, but based on people’s potential to be effective leaders judging from their ability to articulate issues during candidate debates and other meetings.”

Another community member, Mathias Mbuzi, said, “We felt so empowered that we could influence development in our areas by getting involved in the political process by outlining our needs, interacting with candidates and electing appropriate leaders.”

The civic and voter education program, in 24 of Malawi’s 28 districts, is supported by the British Department for International Development and the United States Agency for International Development. NDI has been working with local organizations to foster the development of an informed civil society that is able to promote effective citizen participation in the electoral process, especially at the grassroots level.

Read more:

Published Aug. 12, 2014

Kaliati challenges people with disabilities: Fedoma complains of marginalization

dleonard — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:44:27 +0000

Source:

Nyasa Times

Article Link:

Published Date:

08/04/2014

Patricia Kaliati, Malawi's Minister of Gender, Children, Disability adn Social Welfare has challenged disability organizations to be more proactive in promoting issues that concern people with disabilities during a meeting with the Federation for Disability Organizations in Malawi (Fedoma).

During the meeting, Fedoma's executive director, Action Amos, said that people with disabilities were being marginalized and that authorities have failed to implement the Disibility Act approve by Parliament in 2012.

"'We need to be proactive. Let's be on the forefront pushign for implementation of some of the raised issues. Disability is not inability,' said Kaliati."

Why there’s no winner in Malawi’s election

jcradit — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:39:07 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

05/30/2014

"Ten days ago, the small, landlocked country of Malawi held an election....[But] there has still been no official announcement as to who won – not for the presidency, the 193 seats in parliament nor the 462 local assembly seats....Why is it, then, that 10 days after the election, we still don't know who the winners are?"

"According to a statement made to the media by Commissioner Maxon Mbendera on May 28, MEC has known for at least two days the winner of the presidential election. Though Mbendera stated MEC was obligated to announce the results by today, in his statement he also asserted that MEC had a 48-hour grace period if needed to resolve complaints about irregularities lodged to MEC....What does this mean for Malawi going forward?"

Though it's expected that "Peter Mutharika will eventually be declared winner — he was leading when MEC had tallied 30 percent of votes, he was projected to win according to the Malawi Electoral Support Network’s parallel vote tabulation, and he had the greatest share of reported vote intentions from participants in a recent Afrobarometer poll — current President Joyce Banda has shown she will not leave office quietly."