Related to humanitarian, development and advocacy work of ACT Alliance

ACT Malawi Forum was formed in 2002 to jointly respond to emergencies and other social ills prevailing in Malawi. The main objective of ACT Malawi Forum is to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and the impact of ecumenical humanitarian response and community development work in upholding the human dignity.

The Forum fulfils the objective through coordinated humanitarian response, development and advocacy work, as well as the implementation of the rights-based approach. The Forum is guided by the ACT Malawi Forum Strategic Plan and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) while ensuring that Core Humanitarian Standards are upholding.

In 2015, ACT Malawi Forum established a joint Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Working Group comprising of Evangelical Lutheran, Churches Action in Relief and Development(CARD), Dan Church Aid (DCA), and the ACT Forum Coordinator. Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is the Lead Agency for this working group. The main objective is to monitor and respond to needs that may arise, using available human, technical, physical and financial resources.

Related to ACT Alliance recognition and visibility

ACT Malawi Forum through WASH Working Group upon a call of interest through United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UHNCR) established ACT Alliance Luwani Refugee Camp WASH Project in 2016, based on needs assessment criteria. In 2017, ACT Alliance was given full responsibility for all WASH response projects in the Camp. UNHCR entered into an agreement with ACT Malawi Forum, through NCA, beyond the year 2017.

Project Implementation: ACT Malawi Forum and UNHCR

The Lead Agency, NCA, is responsible for coordinating day-to-day management while implementation is done by Evangelical Lutheran Development Services (ELDS) and CARD. The project is inclusive working with men, women, and children. Special attention is given to women-headed households, child-headed households, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. The project has so far benefitted a total of 3488 People of Concern (PoC’s) which were included in the project design Phase

The PoC’s have benefitted through the following activities:

• Improved family latrines construction: 284 family latrines have been constructed to ensure safe excreta disposal, which ensures hygiene and privacy.
• Safe and potable water were provided to the PoC’s and learners at Luwani primary school through maintenance of 12 boreholes in the camp and drilling a new borehole.
• The construction of 10 refuse pits in the camp for solid waste management which helps in ensuring that their surroundings are tidy and habitable thereby helping in the prevention of various diseases through unhygienic practices.
• Various hygiene talks provided by ACT Hygiene promotion officers and health personnel (HSA) from Luwani health center through hygiene awareness campaigns.
• Distribution of chlorine for disinfecting surfaces, toothpaste, toothbrushes, buckets and handwashing soap to Luwani health center, luwani primary school and directly to the PoC’s.

All these activities help to ensure that the beneficiaries have access to essential, appropriate and sustainable WASH services in the camp.

ACT members have been motivated by being incorporated in all processes of project implementation.