by Tara Finglas

21 July 2009

Lilongwe, Malawi: Being a UNV volunteer is about much more than just improving one’s skills or experiencing a new country and culture. It is really about the people on the ground, those who rely on the work of many UN agencies for their very survival.

I started my UNV assignment in March of this year in the Communication for Development (C4D) section of UNICEF in Malawi, one of the poorest countries on the African continent. With a life expectancy of just 46 years and more than a fifth of Malawi’s population of 13.2 million living on less than $1 a day, it is not surprising that 35 percent of its people are malnourished.

Working in the C4D section has taught me the importance of behavioural change, which is all about helping people change things for themselves.  Through innovative programmes like forging a network of information officers from the Ministry of Information, and educating local journalists on health issues including cholera and H1N1 (Swine Flu), UNICEF Malawi is ensuring that Malawians know about the health issues that affect them and know how they can make small but significant changes to their lives.

The Malawi Social Cash Transfers Scheme is another programme I’ve been involved with that aims to help the people of Malawi help themselves. Through a partnership between the Government of Malawi, UNICEF and the National AIDS Commission (NAC), some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Malawi were targeted to improve their livelihoods and welfare. This Social Cash Transfer Scheme is a social protection initiative that is focusing on households below the poverty line and that are labour constrained. Under the scheme, some of Malawi’s poorest are given small amounts of money.

Although giving money directly to people may seem controversial, the scheme in Malawi has proven successful on many levels. Recipients of the scheme buy much needed necessities like food and clothing; some even manage to save a small fraction to buy farmyard animals or to start a small business. The money isn’t much but it goes a long way to helping people break out of the cycle of poverty. What’s more, offering the poorest of the poor the opportunity to decide how to spend the money helps restore some of the dignity lost to poverty.

An important part of my work in C4D has been gathering stories of people who are benefiting from the work of UNICEF Malawi. The story of fourteen year-old Sitwe Kaliran is but one example of the Scheme’s success.

When her parents died two years ago, Sitwe had to drop out of school and leave her studies and friends behind. Suddenly, she was the head of the household and responsible for her two sisters and a brother. Making ends meet was a daily toil.

Life for Sitwe brightened last year when she joined the Mchinji Social Cash Transfers Scheme. With just $12 a month, Sitwe ensures that her sisters and brother get two nutritious meals every day.

“We joined the scheme in July 2008 and our lives have changed,” says Sitwe, “I and my two sisters are back in school and my brother will start school next term. He is excited to see his friends and to start studying again. We are happier and now we have time to play with our friends and I can play netball again. Going to school is important and I hope to be a teacher when I am older.”