Malawi

Site located in Blantyre, Malawi

Blantyre has a population of approximately one million (2015 estimate) inhabitants. It is Malawi's center of commerce and the main manufacturing hub. The annual rate of urban population growth was estimated at 4.1% in 2014, arising from a combination of high total fertility in the population together with in-migration of families from rural areas in search of employment. The national adolescent fertility rate is 137 per 1,000. 42% of urban residents are aged under 15, compared with 50% in rural areas. 37% of urban households have electricity, 93% have access to an improved source of drinking water but just under half of urban households have access to improved sanitation facilities. Children in urban areas are only slightly less at risk of stunting (41% of under fives) relative to rural residents (48%). Blantyre has the highest prevalence of HIV in Malawi.

In Malawi, several organization are teaming up to implement Get Up Speak Out (GUSO), a 4-year programme that works towards the sexual empowerment of all young people, especially girls and women. The programme’s main goal is to improve their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).To evaluate the impact of the intervention, the GEAS partnered with the College of Medicine.

Click here to read the 2020 GUSO brief.

Click here to read a learning brief on the Very Young Adolescence 2.0 program.

Our collaborating partner in Blantyre is the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS).