By the end of 2024, Malawi will be included in the list of priority countries for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Italian financial aid will target the agri-food sector, basic services access and natural resource management with a view to protecting the environment. Initiatives belonging to the former theme will focus on irrigation, coffee, cereal, and legume production, horticulture, technical training and digitalisation. As regards the latter area, projects will cover water and forestry resources management. The following is a list of the main Italian NGOs and CSOs active in Malawi:
Founded in 2003 in Namwera by Rita Milesi, it hosts children from 0-3 years from Mangoghi, providing them with food and medical care.
Amici dei Popoli – ADP (in Italian)
Founded in 1974, it focuses on environmental development and the wellbeing of local communities. Its Caschi Bianchi initiative promotes the social inclusion of vulnerable people in Cameroon, RDC, Malawi, and Ethiopia.
Based in Mulanje, it runs the elementary school in Nswadzi, promoting education and development for young people.
It supports health-related initiatives, especially those concerning visual impairment. A currently-run project is “SMART CLIMATE: Sustainable Malawian agriculture to enhance resilience to climate change”.
CISP – Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (in Italian)
Specialised in sustainable agriculture, runs the “SMART CLIMATE: Sustainable Malawian agriculture to enhance resilience to climate change” initiative.
Comunità di Sant’Egidio – ACAP
Founded in Rome in 1968, it mainly deals with gender equality projects with relation to HIV/TB treatments, access to health services, and education and civil rights promotion. At the moment, it manages the “Bridge the Gap: ridurre la disparità di genere nella lotta all’HIV/TB in Malawi” initiative.
COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale)
It focuses on agriculture, rural development, and food security, supporting local communities and sustainable development.
Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale
It supports the improvement of children and teenagers’ living conditions, with particular focus on equal access to quality education.
Its main areas of focus are children’s nutrition and local communities’ development, besides support of professional training, agriculture, and health.
MONDO DI LALLA (in Italian)
Founded by the parents of Lavinia, a who died at the age of seven, it’s active in Thyolo and focuses on initiatives for children.
Urban development, gender equality promotion, and disaster prevention are its main areas of focus. It currently runs a project which aims at mitigating climate change related effects in vulnerable cities.
It provides support to mother and child healthcare, education, while promoting children’s rights. It currently runs “SMART CLIMATE: Sustainable Malawian agriculture to enhance resilience to climate change”.
SOLIDALI PER IL MALAWI (in Italian)
Founded in 2011 to fight against extreme poverty, hunger, and disease, it manages the Madalitso Children Medical Centre.