the uk GoVernMent S ProGraMMe of WorK to fight PoVertY in MaLaWi development in MaLaWi country PLan

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1 the uk GoVernMent S ProGraMMe of WorK to fight PoVertY in

2 the uk GoVernMent S ProGraMMe of WorK to fight PoVertY in contents 1 2 What is international development? WhY is the uk GoVernMent involved? What is the department for international development? What is ukaid? 3 4 WhY We are WorKinG in KeY facts 5 6 What We have already achieved 7 8 how We are WorKinG in dfid SuPPort to the GoVernMent S agricultural ProGraMMe helped to achieve a food SurPLuS for the PaSt four YearS and increase the MaiZe harvest BY over 800,000 tonnes in 2008/09 Women and children return from working in the fields Photo: Alfredo Caliz / Panos 9 10 how do We KnoW it WiLL WorK? What WiLL change?

3 1 2 WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT? WHY IS THE UK GOVERNMENT INVOLVED? WHAT IS THE DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT? WHAT IS UK AID? GettinG rid of PoVertY WiLL MaKe for a Better WorLd for everybody What is international development? International development is about helping people fight poverty. Thanks to the efforts of governments and people around the world, there are 500 million fewer people living in poverty today than there were 25 years ago. But there is still much more to do. 1.4 billion people still live on less than $1.25 a day. More needs to happen to increase incomes, settle conflicts, increase opportunities for trade, tackle climate change, improve people s health and their chances to get an education. WhY is the uk GoVernMent involved? Each year the UK government helps three million people to lift themselves out of poverty. Ridding the world of poverty is not just morally right, it will make the world a better place for everyone. Problems faced by poor countries affect all of us, including the UK. Britain s fastest growing export markets are in poor countries. Weak government and social exclusion can cause conflict, threatening peace and security around the world. All countries of the world face dangerous climate change together. The 2009 White Paper, Building our Common Future, set out the UK government s approach to tackling global poverty in the context of the challenges posed by the world recession, climate change and countries affected by conflict or bad governance. The White Paper also renewed the government s commitment to increase UK aid to 0.7% of national income from What is the department for international development? The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK government s fight against world poverty. Since its creation in 1997, DFID has helped more than 250 million people lift themselves from poverty and helped 40 million more children to go to primary school. But there is still much to do to help make a fair, safe and sustainable world for all. Through its network of offices throughout the world, DFID works with governments of developing countries, charities, non-government organisations, businesses and international organisations, like the United Nations, European Commission and the World Bank, to eliminate global poverty and its causes. DFID also responds to overseas emergencies. DFID s work forms part of a global promise, the eight UN Millennium Development Goals, for tackling elements of global poverty by What is ukaid? UKaid is the logo DFID uses to demonstrate how the UK government s development work is improving the lives of the world s poorest people.

4 3 4 WHY WE ARE WORKING IN MALAWI KEY FACTS WhY We are WorKinG in Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 40% of the population living below the poverty line. It is landlocked and vulnerable to both droughts and floods, which will get worse with climate change. This will particularly affect the 80% of the population who are small-holder farmers 90% of whom are subsistence farmers. Malawi is making progress on some of the Millennium Development Goals but progress is mixed. Access to water has increased and HIV prevalence has declined. Fewer mothers and children under five years of age are dying every year, but Malawi is still off track to meet the goals on maternal mortality and primary school enrolment. Malawi s economy has accelerated from two decades of stagnant growth to 9.7% in 2008, although aid is still 33% of the national budget. The government, which was re-elected in May 2009, is committed to improving the lives of the Malawian people through its Growth and Development Strategy. DFID is working with the government of Malawi to improve governance, promote further growth and poverty reduction, and accelerate progress in health, education, and access to safe water. KeY facts Size: 118,484 km 2 Population: 13.1 million Fewer than two thirds of women in Malawi are literate 20% of children are not in school and only 35% complete eight years of primary education average life expectancy: 52 years (79 in the UK) average annual income per head: 160 ( 25,400 in the UK) An estimated 40% of the population live below the national poverty line 46% of all children are stunted as a result of malnutrition 4,000 WoMen die every Year from PreGnancYreLated complications Mothers at Mtendere Clinic in Dedza district, which will benefit from DFID support to the Government of Malawi to provide maternal health services dfid is WorKinG With the GoVernMent of to improve GoVernance, ProMote further GroWth and PoVertY reduction and accelerate ProGreSS in health, education and access to Safe Water 4,000 women die every year from pregnancy-related complications 930,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS

5 5 6 WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED dfid SuPPort has helped to Lift one MiLLion PeoPLe out of PoVertY Since 2006 Shelter in Mchinji District Photo: DFID, Emma Judge What We have already achieved the Good news By providing direct financial support to the government s budget, we have helped stabilise the economy, bring down inflation and promote growth. Following the cancellation of Malawi s international debts in 2006, government spending on agriculture, health and education increased by 11%, 24% and 30% respectively. These resources have been put to good use by the government to fund its agricultural programme and to raise salaries for key workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers. Working with the government of Malawi and other development partners, our support has helped: Lift up to one million people out of poverty since 2006, on the back of good harvests and high economic growth Increase the maize harvest by over 800,000 tonnes in 2008/09 and helped the country achieve food security for the past four years, through support to the government s agricultural programme Recruit and train over 2,000 doctors and nurses since ,000 more women give birth in a hospital or health centres every year, with 1,000 fewer women dying compared to 2004 Provide treatment to 29,000 mothers to prevent HIV transmission to their babies, and reduce HIV prevalence from 14% to 12% among adults since 2003 Build 2,500 classrooms from 2003 to 2009, used by nearly 300,000 children every year. Since 2006, we have distributed 18 million textbooks Deliver credible and peaceful elections in May 2009, by providing 4.5m to help strengthen the Malawi Electoral Commission BetWeen 2003 and 2009, dfid helped BuiLd 2,500 classrooms, used BY nearly 300,000 children Per Year A boy raising his arm to answer a question in class Photo: Giacomo Pirozzi / Panos But a number of challenges remain. Too many women die due to childbirth; there is only one doctor for every 30,000 people; and 20% of 6-13 year olds are still not in school. There is more that we can do to tackle the obstacles to further economic growth. We need to ensure that effective programmes are in place to help those who don t immediately benefit from growth, and those who are affected by disasters.

6 7 8 HOW WE ARE WORKING IN MALAWI how We are WorKinG in The UK is Malawi s largest donor and we are committed to a long term partnership. Between , the UK is providing 225 million to support the government of Malawi achieve the poverty and development objectives in its Malawi Growth and Development Strategy. 85% of support is provided through the government, of which around one third is used to finance overall priorities in the government s budget. We closely monitor how money is spent, using dedicated bank accounts, where necessary, to deliver grants. In line with the commitments in the 2009 White Paper, Building Our Common Future, our priorities in Malawi are: delivering basic services; supporting a capable and accountable state; promoting economic growth; and working effectively with other donors. Our country plan focuses on: achieving access to even Better health, education and Water Working with the government and other donors to improve the quality of education and reduce class sizes in the critical early years Helping the government to increase the number of doctors and nurses; improve hospitals and clinics; reduce the number of women dying in childbirth and increase access to high quality services Continuing to support HIV and AIDS treatment, prevention and care programmes Helping to ensure greater access to safe water and sanitation MaKinG GoVernMent More accountable and effective Supporting civil society and the media to better hold government to account Helping strengthen government systems to ensure basic services are delivered efficiently and effectively to everyone Continuing to support the Malawi Electoral Commission, Parliament and the Anti-Corruption Bureau to strengthen democratic institutions Improving poor people s access to justice and helping communities become more involved in decisions affecting them ProMotinG equality for WoMen, GirLS and PeoPLe With disabilities Integrating gender issues in all our work, including economic empowerment, and tackling barriers that prevent girls completing their education Supporting civil society organisations and the government to address domestic violence and implement existing laws that protect women s rights Addressing issues of social exclusion encountered by marginalised groups, including people with disabilities Increasing access to justice for women ensuring GroWth BenefitS everyone and ProtectinG VuLneraBLe PeoPLe Supporting government to speed up growth, tackle key constraints and continue to support agricultural development, which is critical to providing food and livelihoods for people in Malawi Supporting government to deliver sustainable social protection Helping government and communities which are vulnerable to natural disasters to prevent, and better prepare for floods, droughts and the impacts of climate change ensuring the international community WorKS Better together Through close partnerships with other donors in Malawi, such as the EU, World Bank, United Nations, US and Norway, DFID is well positioned to step-up coordination efforts between development partners, to increase the impact and effectiveness of aid in Malawi dfid is helping to ensure Greater access to Safe Water and Sanitation Water project in Nkhulambe Photo: Alfredo Caliz / Panos

7 9 10 HOW DO WE KNOW IT WILL WORK? how do We KnoW it WiLL WorK? In developing our country plan, we consulted widely with government, donor and civil society organisations that we work with in Malawi. The UK National Audit Office s (NAO) report on DFID Malawi s programme, published in October 2008, confirms that DFID has contributed to: poverty reduction; improved health outcomes; bigger harvests; and more effective governance in Malawi. 20% of children are not in SchooL and only 35% complete eight YearS of education. We are LaunchinG a Joint ProGraMMe With other donors to SuPPort the GoVernMent S ten Year education PLan Our consultations highlighted the need for better coordination with other donors, to ensure value for money and to avoid overloading the government in Malawi. We are launching a Joint Unit with the Irish and Norwegian governments to work on issues including climate change, agriculture and social protection. We will also coordinate with other UK departments. We have already launched a Joint UK Action Plan on Climate Change with the British Council and the British High Commission in Malawi, which is being implemented with the UN. Our evaluation on education shows that real results will take time, more resources and will need radical changes to how teachers are recruited and trained. We are launching a joint programme with other donors to support the government s tenyear education programme. We consulted, and continue to engage with, other international development partners (EU, USAID, Irish Aid, Norway) on improving governance and accountability through, for example, supporting the Electoral Commission to improve elections management; parliament to improve legislative processes; and civil society organisations to demand accountability from government. our team We have a strong Malawian and international team with the necessary knowledge, skills, experience and commitment to help the government and people of Malawi tackle the challenges they face. Children at Chitukula Photo: DFID, Emma Judge

8 11 12 WHAT WILL CHANGE? What WiLL change? DFID s programme in Malawi reflects the UK s commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Achieving our targets through support for national programmes will mean that, by 2011: PeoPLe WiLL have access to Better health, education and Water: Over 1,000 fewer women and over 15,000 fewer children will die each year compared to ,000 people living with HIV will have access to anti-retroviral treatment by ,000 children will benefit from 1,000 new classrooms. Primary schools will have new textbooks for all subjects and age groups One million people will have access to safe drinking water GroWth WiLL WorK for everyone and the VuLneraBLe WiLL Be Protected: Malawi s economy will continue to grow, benefiting the poor and marginalised Malawi will continue to produce enough food for all its citizens 250,000 poor people will be empowered to cope with natural disasters and other risks linked to climate change the GoVernMent WiLL Be More effective and accountable: The government will continue to tackle corruption and improve financial management. This will allow more resources to be used for poverty reduction and development More WoMen WiLL have Voice, choice and access to SerViceS: More girls will complete their primary education and gain access to secondary school Nearly two million more women will have access to justice the international community WiLL WorK together More effectively, to ProVide: A clearer division of labour among international partners, who will respond to the priorities outlined in Malawi s Growth and Development Strategy A more effective United Nations and multilateral agencies case StudY BrinGinG Safe Water home Keleziya Fulentiya is the head of Kabango village in Malawi s Dedza district. For a long time, the village of about 370 households had no safe water. People drank water from a river or women walked long distances to a safe water point. With support from DFID, Concern Universal built a water pump for the village. People used to suffer from water-borne diseases which led to children staying away from school and the elders not working in their fields, Keleziya says. The water point has changed all this and we are really pleased. With DFID support, Concern Universal is drilling 550 boreholes to provide access to clean water, and improve household sanitation for 110,000 people. DFID is also supporting Malawi s National Water Development Programme, to help deliver improved services for around a million people.

9 More information What can I do? Get informed: Visit our website, read our publications and check aid agency websites. Spread the word: Get people talking, start discussions with your friends. If you re at school: Why not look into a school linking project? Buy fairly-traded goods: To help people in developing countries work their own way out of poverty. Protect the environment: Climate change presents a serious threat to development. Give money: To charities working to reduce poverty. Give your time: To an organisation like VSO. And, during a disaster, give money, volunteer if you have specialist skills, or help raise funds. How can I find out more? This booklet forms part of a series to explain DFID s work around the world. For more detailed information about DFID s work visit: For more information about DFID Malawi write to us at: DFID Malawi British High Commission, Lilongwe, P.O. Box 30042, Lilongwe 3, Malawi enquiries@dfid.gov.uk Tel: +265 (0) Fax: (0) or visit: Designed by Cog Design for DFID. 02/10 2K Printed on recycled material containing 75% recycled fibre and 25% elemental chlorine free virgin fibre. REF: CP12