Social Work - Malawi
Since 2005, DMI has been serving and upscaling the life of the marginalized poor populations through various socio-development programs in Malawi. DMI introduced women empowerment, economic development, and child development programs to addressthe issues: poverty, poor family income, unemployment, and school dropouts among women, youth and children covering 27 villages and urban sectors in Mangochi district, Malawi.
Major Programs
Women Empowerment
Women empowerment program promotes women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and the others in similar vulnerable situations. In this way, DMI wants to achieve sustainable development goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
DMI introduce women self-help groups (SHGs) for the rural and the marginalized women and further form them into federations at various levels to demonstrate their leadership, improve their socio-economic status and have access to a dignified life. There are 77 women SHGs actively functions. Women members are trained on the concept of SHGs, their roles and functions and thus they have improved their cohesion, savings and internal lending practices. The district level federation (DLF) facilitates women in taking up various income generation activities; raise their income and voices against right based issues in Mangochi. The federation members play their major roles for their empowerment process. This forum helps women in decision-making process, enhance their confidence and capacities that lead them having access to sustainable life.
Income Generation
Income generation program helps the target women to increase their income and improve food security. Women are trained on capacity building, entrepreneurship development, marketing and networking skills to develop income generating activities and promote grass-roots institutions. Over 250 women are promoted as entrepreneurs and leading their business successfully. They are facilitated to adopt the 3 key income from their business: discovering, nurturing and delivering in order to balance their business activities and focus on doing the right things in business.
DMI also organizes vocational training for women and young girls to acquire knowledge and improve their skills, access opportunities and increase family income. This helps the target group to sustain their business plan and promotions. DMI encourages women members to have linkage with Community Finance Limited (CFL) to collect short-term loan for business and domestic purposes that increase household income. On the whole, income generation helps the target communities in generating income to address their basic needs and improve their living condition in a sustainable manner.
Child Development
DMI’s child development programs sets a foundation for the poor and the marginalized children to lifelong learning, behavior, and health. DMI believes that this base in early development would shape the brain and the child’s ability and capacity to learn, to get along with others and to respond with discipline and responsibility. DMI’ child development promotes children parliament to demonstrate their leadership and safeguard their rights; supports the children have access to formal education through educational kits and enhance their life-and extracurricular skills through various skill enhancement programs.
Promotion of children parliaments-school children are mobilized, oriented and trained on children parliament, understand their roles and functions, and facilitate them to understand governance and practice their leadership roles. They also understand their rights; improve their participation, decision making skills and leadership qualities.
Education Support to the poor and the marginalized children-the poor and the rural children are identified and supported with the education materials such as note books, stationeries, school bags and sandals to continue and complete their schooling in a formal setup. SDMIC promoted tuition centres for the children in the age group of 6–14 year at rural locations in order to motivate chidlren to improve their reglar atendence and their acedemic performance in schools. The tution centres also provide special care to the weaker children to complete the primary education.
Enhancing extracurricular skills through sports and games-SDMIC extracurricular activities promotes sportive spirit among chidlren that facilitates children to improve the extracurricular skills, learning attitude and attend classess regularly.
