Programs

What We Do?

YOWORI Programs

YOWORI advocats for human rights especially for the young people living with HIV, adolescent girls and young women, sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic empowerment and education empowerment.

OUR PROGRAMS

GBV

Established by the survivors of Gender based violence, since its inception YOWORI conducts various activities in line with the fight against Gender Based Violence  especially Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG).

ECONOMIC EMPOWREMNT

Tailoring trainings:

So far YOWORI has trained 32 young women and girls in tailoring and designing as a way of instilling modern skills in them. The mail purpose of this training was to help them establish businesses that will help them become financially independent there by reducing the poverty levels that make them prone to violence.

Village Savings and Loans:

10 women groups were formed where women do their VSLs. The women get small soft loans from YOWORI which they use in their VSLs, where they lend among themselves and then pay back with an interest. Within these groups women have established various small scale businesses.

Poultry Farming:

A group of 20 women are doing poultry farming within the project called Uplifting Women Living with HIV. Apart from promoting their financial stability, the chickens are also kept for consumption to promote their dietary intake, for a healthier life.
DESK

COMPLAINT DESK

Through its complaint desk YOWORI receives complaints and tips about any forms of Violence happening in their communities. From 3rd January 2022 to 10th October, 2022 YOWORI has handled 48 cases which have been categorized as below:
Client are given psychosocial support, guidance and counselling and at times shelter and monetary support.

  • Infringement of child care and protection 1.
  • Child maintenance 28
  • Matrimonial disputes 10
  • Psychological exploitation 4
  • Economic exploitation 1
  • Land dispute & Sexual abuse: 1-3

OUR PROGRAMS

MHM

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE

MANAGEMENT

YOWORI constructed 5 change rooms in 5 primary school in Chiradzulu District TA, Ntchema. In these schools, girls clubs were established where girls share their menstrual hygiene experiences among other things relating to their reproductive health.
Most Primary and secondary schools in Chiradzulu district do not have MHM friendly facilities which makes it difficult for the girls to freely patronise classes and concentrate on their education during the times they are experiencing their menstruations. There are no cleaning and changing spaces for the girls.

There is still a great need to continue with this project to have more change rooms constructed in both primary and secondary schools to promote MHM and in the same way promote girls education.
YOWORI has provided trainings to girls on production of reusable sanitary pads, to provide easy access of sanitary materials as they can be made using locally available materials. Menstrual education is also taught to the girl who are about to reach puberty to help them be mentally prepared for their new journey.
YOWORI has distributed over 1200 sanitary pads to 300 girls in primary and secondary schools with support from Little Dress for Africa. .

OUR PROGRAMS

ADVOCACY

ADVOCACY

YOWORI subscribes to the motion of leaving no stone unturned. The main advocacy areas has been SRHR, Education, GBV, Climate Change and Covid19. On GBV, YOWORI has produced and anti GBV anthem called ZITHE (LET IT STOP) an advocacy song that targets the people of all age groups and social and political positions to desist from violence against women and girls and also people with albinism. .
Still on advocating through arts, another song was released titled UMUNTHU (Integrity) which was a theme for the year 2022 anti-corruption awareness. This is an advocacy song against the corruption vice that has infringed and is still infringing a lot of innocent Malawians. This piece is also promoting good governance among the duty bearers. .
Every year during the 16 days of activism, YOWORI joins the likeminded organisations and do online campaign against GBV. During this period, different messages are developed and shared online throughout the campaign period and beyond. .
The organisation also activism, have done an advocacy project in Zomba district against sexual violence against girls done by the men in uniform, especially the army soldiers around the Airwing army base. The advocacy include having panel discussions, Focus group Discussions, training of girls on GBV reporting and presentation of a petition paper to the district authorities and concerned parties. .
YOWORI is also working hand in hand with Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) in advocating to the TOP (Termination Of Pregnancy) Bill to allow easy access to safe abortion to the girls and women. .

OUR PROGRAMS

SRHR

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

AND RIGHTS.

Chiradzulu District has a huge gap of SRHR service provision. Health facilities are placed far apart that most youth do not have easy access to SRHSs. Sexuality issues are still considered as a taboo in most families such that parents are not comfortable talking about sex and sexuality with their children, in that way, the youths are always misinformed by their friends leading to them making dangerous life choices.

To help reduce the HIV infections among the youth, prevent unwanted pregnancies, promote easy access to SRH messaging and easy access to contraceptives, YOWORI has been providing Condoms, Lubricants, contraceptive pills and SRH messages with the help of our partners CEDEP and PSI Malawi. In the year 2021/2022 YOWORI has provides the following services: .
  • 818 accessed Condoms (355 females and 461 males) 15,723 condoms were distributed.
  • 2 cartons of condoms (14,400 condoms) were donated to Chiradzulu police for the police trainees for a period of 3 months.
  • 173 people accessed Lubricants (76 females and 97 males)
  • 87 young women and girls accessed contraceptive pills.
YOWORI with the help of the Ministry of health, Chiradzulu District Hospital, through under Mauwa Health centre started the provision of SRHR and services to the girls and young women. This included provision of condoms, lubes and family planning methods. Again, in partnership with PSI Malawi, we have managed to reach to communities beyond our usual catchment area mobilizing people to come and get services from PSI Malawi. With them their services are beyond family planning and HIV as they also do Cervical cancer screening and circumcision among others. .
With Family Planning Association of Malawi, YOWORI is helping in the training of youths, and community leaders to understand the gaps that are there oh SRHR especially on the need to have Safe abortion legalised to avoid losing lives of young women and girls during unsafe abortion.

As part of mainstreaming, we do incorporate sexual reproductive health rights together with climate change because Chiradzulu district where our work is based is prone to natural disasters such as floods, dry spells and drought. .
CLIMATE CHANGE

CLIMATE CHANGE

YOWORI intends to re-dress Chiradzulu Mountain by planting 1 million trees by 2025. This exercise is aimed at ending violence against women who mostly face sexual violence as they go very far distances in search for firewood.
The same project will help solve issues of global warming. The project will promote the use of gas, brigades and other none wood related energy generating materials to make sure no more trees are wasted. This project will help to restore the wild life that has been displaced now because of the bareness of the mountain.  
CHARITY

CHARITY

YOWORI with donation from Little Dresses for Africa has donated over 1400 dresses to little girls of 2-14 years old in TA Ntchema, Mpama and Kadewere.
EDUCATION

EDUCATION

From 2017 the organisation has been supporting vulnerable children with school uniforms and stationery materials. The organisation has also been doing career talks in schools to help shape the future of the children especially girls. From 2019 YOWORI through its Executive Director started a school support program for the needy learners in secondary school. 24 students were enrolled from all classes, form 1 to form 4. Currently, 14 sat for their Malawi School Certificate of Education. Out of the 14 only one made it to a technical college while others are still looking for tertiary admission while a couple of them need to re seat for their exams to be able to be enrolled into public colleges.

 

Comunity Secondary School

$60

  • Support Includes:
  • School Fees for 1 Term
  • Scholastic Materials
  • Pocket Money for a Term

District Boarding  Secondary School

$80

  • Support Includes:
  • School Fees for 1 Term
  • Scholastic Materials
  • Pocket Money for a Term

National Secondary School

$250

  • Support Includes:
  • School Fees for 1 Term
  • Scholastic Materials
  • Pocket Money for a Term

Do you have some time and Passion to Support Communities in Malawi?

YOWORI is very open to have you as a volunteer.