Gender

Malawi EMPOWER envisions communities where adolescent girls and young women as well as men can freely access Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services; HIV Prevention, care, and treatment; and Gender Based Violence (GBV) services that meet their needs as well as engage in positive behaviors that allow them to live healthy and productive lives. The vision realizes that gender norms, inequalities, and GBV which create barriers to service uptake and increase vulnerabilities associated with accessing SRH/HIV/GBV services, are identified, and systematically addressed.

WHAT WE DO

Malawi EMPOWER’s activity strategy for gender integration aligns with the guidance from PEPFAR which include the following focus areas:

• Providing gender-equitable HIV prevention, care. treatment and support
• Implement GBV prevention services and provide services for post GBV care
• Implement activities to change harmful gender norms and promote positive gender norms

HOW WE DO IT

Malawi EMPOWER in collaboration with a community partner – Ana Patsogolo Activity- and Ministry of Health provides support towards identification and management of gender norms as well as forms of GBV among AGYW. The collaborating partners employ the following approaches:

• Conducting health talks on identifying and reporting of gender norms and forms of GBV to AGYW during service delivery and club sessions.
• Conducting interface meeting with parents, guardians, chiefs and religious leaders on identifying, and reporting any form of GBV.
• Strengthening capacity of Community Cadres and Youth Community Based Distributor Agents (YCBDAs) to provide first line management of GBV and make proper referral for further management.
• Strengthening the capacity of Health Care Workers to manage GBV cases and provide clinical and non-clinical care and refer victims to appropriate institutions for further support.
• Enhance referral, coordination, and collaboration between Community Cadres, YCBDAs and Health Care Workers with the Community Crisis Response Teams, Victim Support Units, the District Gender Office and District Social Welfare Office in providing post GBV care and support.