Covid-19 Response Project to Fruition in Mulanje

CARE Malawi’s implementation of the Covid-19 response in Mulanje is proving more useful as the district progresses in its infection control. The project funded by ECHO, has the main objective  of reducing the spread of Covid-19 by strengthening health facilities, improving access to wash facilities, supporting national, district and community preparedness and response, ensuring rapid response to protect lives and livelihoods in a gender sensitive way.

Progress has been thus far made in four key result areas namely; Health, WASH, Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Modifier.

As far as Disaster Risk Management is concerned, Mulanje currently has 71 civil protection committees and 4 area civil protection committees and the ECHO Covid-19 response has reached to 30, 205 (17, 794 male and 12, 411 female directly, and 120, 820 (71,176 Male and 49, 644 female) indirectly totalling to 151, 025 out of 183,088 community members.

Furthermore, the communities in the district have developed and adopted a Covid-19 contingency plan in all targeted Traditional Authorities, there is inclusive risk communication and information dissemination and a strengthened coordination between Nation and districts as well as within districts.

A couple of challenges are still being faced in the district; the major one being the spread of rumours and misinformation on Covid-19. However, this is being addressed by continuously engaging with communities, the youth and people with disabilities to ensure enough representation and diversity of views.