english |  français  |  español  View RSS feedWhat is RSS?  Home  |  Contact us  |  FAQs  |  Search  |  Sitemap  |  UNDP Information Disclosure Policy
 
Country Overview: UN Volunteers in Malawi

01 February 2003

Malawi, like a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is facing many challenges created by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the past decade, the disease has quickly taken root in Africa and is now threatening future advancements in human development. The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) has extensive experience in addressing HIV/AIDS in Malawi, as it was one of two countries chosen to pilot the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) project. UNV hopes to continue its leadership role in HIV/AIDS in Malawi by using the UNV modality to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on human resources in the public service.

UN Volunteers' current contribution to Malawi
Currently, there are 13 UN Volunteers working in Malawi. Among them, with full-funding from Denmark, three international UN Volunteers are supporting a number of projects. One works as a public health specialist in HIV/AIDS, the second is a gender specialist and the third an institutional development specialist. Additional support to Malawi's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS is provided by a public health specialist and a HIV/AIDS adviser. Under the sustainable livelihood programme in environment and natural resources, two UN Volunteers are working as community environmental facilitators. An Australian and a national UN Volunteer are providing support to disaster preparedness by working as a liaison officer and a field emergency monitor. A financial adviser is assisting Malawi's decentralized governance programme and a human rights specialist is promoting and strengthening Malawi's human rights initiatives.

Malawi's contribution to UN Volunteers
There are eight Malawians serving abroad as international UN Volunteers. One is in Namibia working as a field officer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in Ghana as a field worker participating in a project to establish a civic process to improve the municipal revenue system, and in Mozambique as a nurse tutor working with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at the National Health Science Institute. In Zambia, a Malawian consultant is coordinating the project design on a programme support document to address HIV/AIDS in the different districts throughout the country. With the World Health Organization in Lesotho, a Malawian works as an adolescent health trainer, and in the Marshall Islands, a Malawian statistician is with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In Ethiopia, a Malawian international specialist supports the World Food Programme (WFP) as a deputy sub-office head. Finally, with full-funding from the Netherlands, there is a Malawian working as a UNV humanitarian field monitor in Zimbabwe.

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)