About us

Malawi is one of the poorest countries globally with alarmingly high poverty levels. Although a majority of the poor live in rural areas, urban poverty is also high. Malawi’s children face a difficult future with over two thirds of them deprived of basic facilities which include access to education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene. Malawi ranks 170 out of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Report. These severe poverty levels have serious consequences for children and women.

UNICEF has been operating in Malawi since 1964. The current UNICEF/Government of Malawi Country Programme of Cooperation aims to support national efforts to progressively realise the rights of children and women through improved child survival, development, protection and participation. The Programme is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The country programme is also in line with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and contributes to sustainable economic development and food security; social protection and disaster reduction and management; access to equitable basic social services; HIV and AIDS prevention; care and treatment; and good governance. It has also integrated the four cross-cutting areas of the UNDAF: human rights, gender, disaster risk reduction and capacity development for programme implementation.

The country programme has four programme pillars:

• Early Childhood Development (ECD)
• School-age children
• Child-friendly, inclusive and resilient communities
• Programme Effectiveness