Increasing participation of caregivers in household economic strengthening activities in Balaka and Mangochi Districts in Malawi

The standards were endorsed by the MOGCDSW in 2012 and recommended for scale-up across the country. The ASSIST project initially worked with five community quality improvement (QI) teams in two districts, Mangochi and Balaka, to improve the quality of services delivered to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their families. The ASSIST project supported the MOGCDSW to introduce modern QI methods to communities through existing community-based organizations (CBOs). Five CBOs were engaged in 2013, and five more were added in 2015. Key community volunteers from the executive committee and community extension workers from health, education, and agriculture sectors were selected to participate in QI teams. They were trained on basic QI concepts and how to apply the improvement model to improve social services. The multi-sectoral QI teams initiated the improvement work with monthly, later bi-monthly, coaching support from MOGCDSW, in collaboration with ASSIST. During the coaching visits, the teams were supported to identify and understand the root causes of the challenges faced by vulnerable children and their families, prioritize areas for improvement, develop changes, and test them to see whether they led to improvement for vulnerable children and households or not. The ASSIST project also facilitated quarterly learning sessions where representatives from the 10 quality improvement teams shared their lessons learned and best practices. This peer-to-peer learning and sharing of change ideas among the QI teams promoted and facilitated the adoption of effective interventions for improving household wellbeing. Evidence towards effective interventions for improving household wellbeing was gathered through the QI teams' efforts. The teams identified and prioritized areas for improvement, developed changes, and tested them to see whether they led to improvement for vulnerable children and households or not. The results of these efforts are presented in the following sections. Approaches used to support vulnerable households to improve livelihoods included household economic strengthening (HES) activities. The QI teams worked with caregivers to increase their participation in HES activities, which aimed to improve household economic wellbeing. The teams also supported the development of quality service standards of care for vulnerable children, which guided the delivery of services provided to vulnerable children in Malawi. Results on improving household economic wellbeing showed a significant increase in household income among program participants compared to the control group. The QI teams' efforts also led to an increase in the adoption of effective interventions for improving household wellbeing, including household economic strengthening activities. The change package presented in this document consolidates the lessons learned and best practices from the QI teams' efforts. It provides a framework for implementing effective interventions for improving household wellbeing and can be used by those planning to improve delivery of services for vulnerable beneficiaries. The package includes a table of interventions for improving food security and economic status of vulnerable households, as well as a Malawi vulnerability framework. The ASSIST project's work in Malawi supported the MOGCDSW to achieve the six objectives of its National Plan of Action (NPA). These objectives include improving access to essential services by vulnerable children, building the capacity of families and communities to facilitate full rights of vulnerable children, improving capacity of the social protection system, improving policy and legislation, leadership and coordination at all levels to protect vulnerable children from the consequences of vulnerability, ensuring vulnerable children live in supportive environment, and strengthening the functionality of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. The ASSIST project's support to the MOGCDSW and the QI teams has led to significant improvements in the quality of services delivered to vulnerable children and their families in Malawi. The project's work has also contributed to the development of quality service standards of care for vulnerable children, which will guide the delivery of services provided to vulnerable children in Malawi.