In the dynamic world of global health, local partnerships are pivotal for developing community-level health interventions to truly reach the last mile. We are thrilled to feature our partner organization, Change4Us (C4U), a youth-led civil service organization in Thyolo district, Malawi. Under our One By One: Target Routine Vaccination Campaign, Change4Us collaborates with our local team to develop and implement youth engagement activities in Thyolo district. This strategic partnership ensures that the youth engagement pillar of the One By One: Target Routine Vaccination Campaign is developed by the youth, for the youth!

Dive into our conversation with Change4Us as they share with us their mission, current work, and insights about our promising collaboration and how it impacts communities in Thyolo district. 

What’s your mission? Tell us about the core values and goals driving your organization’s efforts. 

Our mission is to empower youths in inclusive equitable systems of development at local, national, and regional levels  by amplifying their voices. Our key values are the following: Equality & non-discrimination, good governance, transparency & accountability, effective communication, inclusiveness in unity, collaboration, and volunteerism. 

What makes our partnership unique? 

We feel there are three unique aspects of our partnership that work to reach the last mile: (1) the use of peers and youth community structures (such as religious youth platforms, youth clubs, and youth networks) in our engagement process, (2) empowering the youth to engage community gatekeepers, and (3) the door-to-door vaccination and health communication approach. 

What is the most memorable thing you have encountered in the One By One: Target Routine Vaccination Campaign? 

The most memorable thing we have encountered in the One By One: Target Routine Vaccination campaign is the power in effective communication strategies. Thyolo district has a population that is more reluctant to vaccinate compared to other parts of Malawi due to the misconceptions and myths around vaccination. As a result, developing targeted health communication strategies to reach the last mile is more important than ever within the context of Thyolo district. We feel that this campaign, while challenging, is one of the most interesting campaigns we have ever spearheaded.  

When in Matchuwana catchment in Thyolo district, we realized that if we are to foster change in these communities, we are supposed to work with the community (rather than for the community) to achieve sustainable impact. Aligning our strategy around a community-centered approach, we mobilized youth through a local youth club in the Matchuwana catchment area, and we empowered them with context-specific messaging to fit the context we were meeting our target audience in.

Behind-the-scene snapshot of a One By One community outreach program led by C4U’s Mr. Cassim Martin in Matchuwana catchment area in Thyolo district. 

How has our partnership helped in supporting the organizational goals of Change4Us? 

Our current partnership with The Access Challenge has led to the achievement of a great milestone where youth are empowered to be at the forefront of the change they want to see in their communities. This partnership has provided the opportunity for youth to be directly involved in the creative development process and has demonstrated their capabilities to spearhead innovative community-level interventions in Thyolo district. Our partnership has further strengthened our organization’s relationships with stakeholders through meaningful stakeholder engagement, where we take stakeholder ideas into consideration throughout the implementation process. 

Highlight a success story: Share a recent achievement or inspiring story from one of your programs beyond the One By One: Target Routine Vaccination Campaign. What makes it special? 

Under the Aphunzire Project, we empowered over 40 “Trainers of Trainers” (TOT) adolescent girls and young women in Thyolo district with entrepreneurship skills in the landscape of menstrual hygiene management. Through this project, adolescent girls and young women were empowered with information on how to take care of themselves during menstrual period days. Adolescent girls and young women were taught the skills to make reusable sanitary pads so that they will not have to skip class when are menstruating and were furthermore empowered with the toolkit to establish a business where they can sell reusable sanitary pads to support themselves and their families.

Miss Ovilehra Kaunde, the TOT Menstrual Hygiene Management Coordinator, leads a demonstration session with adolescent girls and young women on how to make reusable sanitary pads as part of the Aphunzire Project.

 What’s on the horizon? What upcoming projects or initiatives are you most excited about beyond the One By One: Target Routine Vaccination Campaign? Give us a sneak peek!

We are excited about the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and HIV prevention advocacy project we are planning on embarking on, which will target adolescent boys and young men through barbershops and adolescent girls and young women through menstrual hygiene management clubs in T/A Nchilamwera Ndalama village in Thyolo district.

Lastly, we are also very excited to continue with the Apindule Project, with support from Food For Life. Implemented in Thyolo district Magombo village, 144 young farmers have been empowered with the capacity to come up with compost manure and given agricultural resources like seeds and additional organic fertilizer. The project emphasizes the importance of organic fertilizer youth among local farmers since this type of fertilizer restores soil structure and fertility.

The Change4Us Executive Director, Mr. Kondwani N. Mwendo, with one of the farmers’ clubs in T/A Nchilamwera, Magombo village, Thyolo district.

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About Change4Us

Change For Us (C4U) is a youth-led, focused, and driven local organization operating across Malawi through strategic partnerships to empower and build leadership among adolescents and young people (10-35) in line with The African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, and 16. 

To learn more about C4U, please visit their website at www.change4usmw.org. Visit their LinkedIn and Facebook accounts to see more of their work!