A Case Study in Gender Analysis and Deve

A Case Study in Gender Analysis & Development:
Evaluating an Integrated Program for

Women’s Empowerment in Mzuzu, Malawi
Liza S. Nugent
Presented by
Liza S. Nugent
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Sylvia Maier

Academic Advisor: Dr. Jens Rudbeck
Master of Science in Global Affairs

Global Gender Studies
Center of Global Affairs

New York University
December 2017
Table of Contents
Introduction 13
Preliminary Hypothesis 13
SECTION 1
Chapter 1: Gender as a Concept Development 15
Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment 15
Gender Analysis Frameworks 19
The Moser Framework – Caroline Moser 19
The Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM) – Rani Parker 22
The Women’s Empowerment Framework – Sara H. Longwe 22
Social Relations Approach: Naila Kabeer 24
Road Map for Women’s Economic Empowerment: M.Buvinic 27
Concept of Sustainable Development 29
Chapter 2: Research Design & Selected Evaluation Methodologies 31
Empowerment Evaluation 32
QUIP: Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol 34
Chapter 3: Republic of Malawi Country Context 37

Table of Contents
SECTION 2
Chapter 4: Overview of Organizations Providing Comparable Services 43
ActionAid 45
Plan International 46
SOS Children’s Village Mzuzu 47
Ungweru Organization 48
International Partners for Education 49
Temwa 50
Kaya Mawa Lodge 51
Chapter 5: Literature Review of Interventions in Northern Malawi 54
Extent of Support Available to Families Caring for Orphans see pg 43
Impact of Orphanhood on Food Security & Education in Malawi 54
Improving Secondary Education for OVC in Malawi 55
Impact of Education on Household Incomes in Malawi 56
The Influence of Orphan Care on Children’s Caregivers in Malawi 58
Perceptions of “Being Educated” and Increased Empowerment in Malawi 58
Chapter 6: Evaluation of the Integrated Programming of Kwithu CBO 61
Organization Background 62
Chapter 6: continued
Kwithu CBO Organizational Chart 63
Kwithu CBO Integrated Program Timeline 65
Mission: FEED•EDUCATE•EMPOWER 67
Preliminary Hypothesis 67
EE Steps 1 & 2: Taking Stock and Setting Future Goals 69
FEED 69
EDUCATE 71
EMPOWER 77
EE Step 3: Developing Strategies to Improve Impact 83
Kwithu CBO Stakeholder Recommendations 83
Communication & the Resource of Time 83
Financial Inclusion 85
Organization Infrastructure 86
Additional Recommendations 89
Partnerships and Collaboration 89
Further Considerations 91
Conclusion 92
Appendix: Data References 94
Bibliography 96
Acronyms and Abbreviations
CBO Community Based Organization
ECD Early Childhood Education
EE Empowerment Evaluation
GAD Gender and Development
GAM Gender Analysis Framework
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GII Gender Inequality Index
GNI Gross National Income
HDI Human Development Index
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MIA Mzuzu International Academy
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
OVC Orphan and Vulnerable Child
QUIP Qualitative In-depth Individual Impact Assessment Protocol
WE Women’s Empowerment
WID Women in Development

Because there are risks and costs incurred

in any process of change, such change must be
believed in, initiated, and directed by those whose
interests it is meant to serve.
Empowerment cannot be given,
it must be self-generated.
Naila Kabeer, Reversed Realities (1994)
INTRODUCTION
The field of International Development and Humanitarian Assistance has evolved and
matured in response to the mistakes of the past. Twenty-First Century development experts
acknowledge that successful sustainable development programming requires the active and
persistent involvement of local stakeholders and women, both of which have historically been
excluded from the most well-intentioned programs. In the Mzuzu region of Northern Malawi,
one of the world’s poorest countries further ravaged by HIV/AIDS, the vision of a brighter
future has been growing for almost fifteen years, nurtured from dream to increasing reality by
one of its own, Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys. The Kwithu Community Based Organization (CBO),
founded in 2004 by Dr. Keys, exemplifies the ideals of grassroots female community
engagement.
While there is a vast body of scholarship on economic development in Sub-Saharan
Africa, this research seeks to expand the knowledge within the field of Gender and
Development, specifically of grassroots women’s empowerment efforts in the Northern region
of Malawi, through a focused gender analysis of the integrated programming of the Kwithu
CBO in Mzuzu, Malawi.
Preliminary Hypothesis
As a result of local, female leadership, Kwithu CBO provides a

comprehensive platform of sustainable development through women’s
empowerment programming which improves both the economic and social
position of its recipients. Positive outcomes of female empowerment on an
individual level then have “spillover” effects at the household level, as well
as the greater Mzuzu community at large.
13
Mzuzu is a paradigm of so many communities in Malawi specifically, and sub-Saharan
Africa more generally, where the adult population has been significantly diminished as a result
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The cliché of “to raise a woman is to raise a village” is the reality
on the ground, where the female population has been left as the sole provider of caregiving
as well as breadwinning within 30% of Malawian households.1 What has worked? What has
not? How are the lives of the women and children different today from over a decade ago?
What lessons can be shared with the many other communities in Malawi and beyond facing
many of the same challenges. These are among the questions this research seeks to
discover, guided by the gender analysis frameworks developed by preeminent authorities in
the field of Gender & Development.
Beneath the umbrella of Gender and Development, the concept of Women’s
Empowerment has become ubiquitous in development discourse, yet the precise definition
can vary among practitioners, scholars, and program beneficiaries. Therefore, the initial
phase of this study requires two steps, the first of which is to formulate an understanding of
the current discourse defining the characteristics of empowerment as classified by respected
scholars in the field, such as Caroline Moser, Naila Kabeer and Jane Parpart.
The second step is a consideration of the myriad frameworks and methodologies that
inform best-practice in the field of Gender and Development. These tools must include
indicators that identify and value the interdependence between women’s social and economic
roles. Establishing the theoretical foundation of analysis as well as the practical methodology
of evaluation to be used in conducting the research is as vital as the research itself. In other
words, how and why information is collected is as important as what information is collected
and from whom. These two preliminary steps involve an extensive review of relevant literature
in the fields of Gender, Empowerment and Development, along with an analysis of the most
current methodologies of evaluation and research. Once these steps are accomplished, the
actual evaluation of the integrated programs of Kwithu CBO can begin.
1The World Bank. “Female Headed Households.” 2015. 14

Chapter 1
GENDER AS A CONCEPT OF DEVELOPMENT
Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment
Despite its pervasive use in 21st Century development discourse, scholars debate if the
term empowerment is even definable, much less measurable. Fortunately, there is a wide
breadth of literature reflecting the work of Gender and Development scholars that serves as a
guide to understanding the concept. Following the United Nation’s First Development Decade
in the 1960’s, the notion of “women’s concerns” as a critical component of development
gained notable attention in the 1970’s, leading to, as Jane Parpart notes in Theoretical
Perspectives on Gender and Development,
the theoretical justification for examining women’s specific roles and contributions to
development initiatives…concerned with the integration and recognition of women
and their inclusion as decision-makers in development planning and policy-making.2
The objective of what is now commonly referred to as feminist theorizing “is to
deconstruct and redefine concepts previously defined from a male perspective,”3 which often
were incorrectly presumed to be factual. This evolution gave rise to a generation of
development theories which now focus a feminist lens on the daily lives of fifty percent of the
world’s population by emphasizing:4
•Women’s experiences and knowledge
•Conduct of research FOR women
•Problems that, when solved, will benefit both researcher and subject
•Interaction between researcher and subject
•Establishment of nonhierarchical relationships
•Expression of feelings and concern for values
•Use of nonsexist language
2Jane Parpart. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development. 2000. pgs. v-x.
3Jane Parpart. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development. 2000. pg. 9.
4Jane Parpart. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development. 2000. pg. 9.
15
Hilary Rose addressed this evolution of thinking in her 1994 lecture, “Alternative
Knowledge Systems in Science,” arguing that
while there is general agreement that the first move is to challenge and
overthrow existing canonical knowledges, the question of what we might
replace them with produces broadly speaking two responses. The first is
feminist standpoint theory which looks to the possibility of a feminist knowledge
to produce better and truer pictures of reality; the second is feminist post-
modernism which refuses the possibility of any universalizing discourse but
which argues instead for localized reliable feminist knowledges.5
Naila Kabeer defines women’s empowerment as “the process by which those who
have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such an ability.”6 Kabeer
further describes three inter-related factors upon which the ability to exercise choice is
dependent:7
1. resources (defined broadly to include not only access, but also future,
claims to both material and human social resources)
2. agency (including processes of decision making)
3. achievements (well-being outcomes)
The greatest challenge in applying the various gender frameworks arises within the
context-specific and multi-dimensional nature of empowerment, as noted previously with
Hilary Rose’s description of post-modern feminism, that demands the localized feminist voice.
What works in one environment from one perspective may not be applicable in other
circumstances. Furthermore, the multi-dimensional aspect of gender empowerment may
require long-term monitoring and analysis to reveal accurate results that would not be evident
from evaluations conducted within limited timeframes. Because of these methodological
challenges, it is vital that processes of measuring women’s empowerment become fully
integrated into program development, implementation and evaluation. As Yount explains,
“Engaging program staff, program beneficiaries, and communities more broadly on questions
of empowerment raises awareness on these issues and thereby helps to encourage social
norm change.”8
5HilaryRose. “Alternative knowledge systems in science: can feminism rebuild the sciences?” 1994.
6Naila Kabeer. “Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of WE.” 1999. pg. 435.
7Naila Kabeer. “Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of WE.” 1999. pg. 435.
8IFPRI Blog. “Interview: A framework for measuring women’s empowerment at multiple levels.”
16
Qualitative measures of well-being are considered equally significant as quantitative
economic indices as evidence of increased levels of empowerment. Thus, research must be

supported by qualitative data collection alongside quantitative statistics. Christopher Woodruff of
Oxford University in his contribution to Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Roadmap, asks:
What do we learn about Well-being and Gender? There are reasons to believe that,
in a development context, measuring well-being is particularly important for women.
Graham and Chattopadhyay (2013) use data from the Cantril scale questions included in
the Gallup World Poll to examine differences between female and male well-being gaps.
They find that in the full, unweighted, sample, women are happier than men at a global level.
However, when they group the 180 countries in the survey by GDP per capita, women’s
positive well-being gap disappears in low-income countries. Indeed, women are significantly
less happy in Sub Saharan Africa…low levels of education – are associated with higher
stress among both males and females. Other factors are gender-specific. For women, higher
stress is correlated with having preschool children, being the head of the household, and
lacking a savings account.9
Woodruff also advocates:
Empowerment measures control over one’s life. The most common measures we employ
reflect control through decision-making and freedom of movement. But control over time
should also be a point of focus. Overwork and daily stresses reduce well-being, and may
also reduce mental bandwidth, leading to errors in decision-making. Hence, stress may not
only diminish well-being directly, butindirectly through poor decision-making as well.10
The evolution of feminist theory within the concepts of gender and development have
consequently led to the advancement of myriad frameworks to assess the value of development
interventions and the standards by which progress may be measured. While theoretical
frameworks are dynamic, often overlapping and evolving as new perspectives emerge, they
remain a valuable tool according to Jane Parpart as a
system of ideas or conceptual structures that help us ‘see’ the social world,
understand it, explain it, and change it. A framework guides our thinking, research,
and action…indicates how problems are defined and the kinds of questions to be
asked…The feminist frameworks each rely on a unique assumption about the basis
for women’s subordination; each raises unique questions and provides unique concepts for
examining women’s inequality; and each suggests unique strategies for change.11
9 Christopher Woodruff. “Measuring Subjective Economic Empowerment.” 2013. pgs. 4-5.

10 Christopher Woodruff. “Measuring Subjective Economic Empowerment.” 2013. pg. 8. 17
11 Jane Parpart. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development. 2000. pg. 53-54.
Program
or
Policy
Design
Program
Program or GENDER
or
Policy ANALYSIS
Policy
Evaluation FRAMWORKS
Planning
Program
or
Policy
Implementation
18
GENDER ANALYSIS FRAMEWORKS
A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks (1999) provides a highly useful overview of

six widely referenced frameworks, along with an explanation of the strengths and limitations of
each: Harvard Analytical Framework and People-Oriented Planning; Moser Framework;
Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM); Capacities and Vulnerabilities Analysis Framework; Women’s
Empowerment (Longwe) Framework, and the Social Relations Approach. I have chosen the
Moser Framework, GAM, WE Longwe Framework and the Social Relations Approach, in
addition to the work of development economist, Mayra Buvinic, because of specific areas of
applicability as analytical tools for my research of Women’s Empowerment programs in
Northern Malawi.
The Moser Framework
The Moser Framework was developed by Caroline Moser in the early 1980’s as a
challenge to the Women in Development (WID) methodology of the 1970’s which promoted
women’s issues as separate and distinct from other development concerns. In Gender
Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training (1993), Moser argues that all
development work must incorporate an integrated gender-planning perspective. “The goal of
gender planning is the emancipation of women from their subordination, and their
achievement of equality, equity and empowerment. This will vary widely in different contexts,
depending on the extent to which women as a category are subordinated in status to men as
a category.”12 The Moser Framework presents six “tools” of evaluation that address three core
concepts:
•women’s triple role of reproductive, productive and community work
•practical and strategic gender needs
•WID and GAD (Gender and Development) policy approaches
The Six Moser tools are as follows, along with intermittent notes regarding the questions a
specific tool generates as applied to the Kwithu CBO:13
12Caroline Moser. Gender Planning and Development. 1993. Section I.

13Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pgs. 56-61.
19
Moser Tool 1: Gender role identification/triple role is based on the notion that
development intervention in any one area will affect work within the other two areas. By
asking “who does what?” work that is otherwise invisible is made visible. The goal is to
“ensure tasks are equally valued. Reproductive work is crucial to human survival, and the
maintenance and reproduction of the labor force, yet is seldom considered ‘real’ work.”14
Moser Tool 2: Gender Needs Assessment is based on the understanding that the
needs of women differ from those of men because of both their “triple work” responsibilities
as well as their subordinate status within most societies relative to men. A distinction is
made between practical gender needs, which address an immediate necessity such as
food, water, or healthcare versus strategic gender needs, which are a result of women’s
secondary social status to men. The fulfillment of strategic gender needs would transform
the unequal balance of power, such as reproductive health services to provide choice in
child-bearing, alleviation of unequal domestic work-loads or equal access to resources such
as land rights and financial inclusion. The Gender Needs Assessment can be viewed as a
continuum, with needs such as education often qualifying as both practical and strategic.15
Moser Tool 3: Disaggregating control of resources and decision-making within
the household: The connection between resource allocation and the navigation of power
can be addressed by asking questions such as “who controls what?” and “who decides
what?”
Moser Tool 4: Planning for balancing the triple role reminds development
practitioners to consider the potential negative consequences a program may inadvertently
cause by a shift in the women’s workload balance from one role to another. It is critical to
remain cognizant of the interconnection between the triple roles of women, and the
necessity of addressing the roles simultaneously.
Does the structure of the Kwithu CBO consider the participants’ responsibilities
outside of the program? Are the women able to adequately balance their triple role
workload? Have realistic assumptions been made in terms of time resource to balance
women’s participation in the established CBO activities as well as the growing Kwithu
Kitchen project?
14Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 57.

20
Moser Tool 5: Distinguishing between the different aims in interventions – the
WID/GAD Policy Matrix is primarily an evaluation tool to understand the goals of a program
and/or policy, and the degree to which a program and/or policy address practical and strategic
gender needs. Five types of policies are identified, though there is often overlap between
them: welfare, equity, anti-poverty, efficiency and the most recent, empowerment.
The concept of empowerment as a localized feminist theory was articulated by Third
World women in response to a sense that the goals of western feminism were not adequately
aligned with their own objectives and aspirations.
Its purpose is to empower women through supporting their own initiatives,
thus fostering self-reliance. Women’s subordination is seen not only as a
result of male oppression, but also as a consequence of colonial and neo-
colonial oppression. The empowerment approach also recognizes that
women’s experience is very varied, tempered by other factors such as
class, race, age, and so on…It recognizes the triple role and seeks to
meet strategic gender needs indirectly, through grassroots mobilization
of women, for example through organizing women’s groups which can make
demands for their practical gender needs to be met. (Moser 1993, pg. 231).16
What are the objectives of the Kwithu Women’s Group regarding the empowerment of
its members within the cultural and socio-economic context of Northern Malawi? Has an
empowerment approach been sufficiently considered: have the participants had sufficient
opportunity to express their needs & aspirations? Have the participants developed the
capacity to identify their own strategic needs beyond the obvious practical needs? Articulating
the women’s strategic needs and addressing them in program development is vital to
fostering sustainable self-sufficiency.
Moser Tool 6: Involving women, and gender-aware organizations and planners,
in planning, essentially serves as the overriding principle that women themselves must be
actively involved in both defining the goals of a development intervention and then throughout
the program implementation to ensure that both practical and strategic gender needs are
successfully addressed.
21
The Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM)
GAM was initially developed by Rani Parker, a gender and development specialist, to
address the practical needs of practitioners in Another Point of View: A Manual on Gender
Analysis Training for Grassroots Workers (1993). The resulting framework, therefore, has
been designed to “accommodate the constraints imposed by shortage of funding and time,
illiteracy, and insufficient or non-existent quantitative data on gender roles…GAM is a
transformatory tool, in that its use is intended to initiate a process of analysis by community
members themselves…to identify and constructively challenge their assumptions about
gender roles.”17
The most appealing aspect of GAM as it relates to an evaluation of the Kwithu CBO
are the core principles upon which it is based:18
•All requisite knowledge for gender analysis exists among the people whose
lives are the subject of the analysis.
•Gender analysis does not require the technical expertise of those outside the
community, except as facilitators.
•Gender analysis cannot promote transformation unless it is carried out by the
people being analyzed.
Women’s Empowerment (Longwe) Framework

Sara Hlupekile Longwe, a gender and development professional based in Lusaka,
Zambia, developed the Longwe framework as a means of evaluating the impact of
development intervention in terms of increasing empowerment for participants. The critical
aspect of development within this framework is to “enable women to take an equal place with
men, and to participate equally in the development process in order to achieve control over
the factors of production on an equal basis with men.”19 As Longwe wrote in her paper,
“Gender Awareness: The Missing Element in the Third World Development Project,”
development is concerned with enabling people to take charge of their
own lives, and escape from the poverty which arises not from lack of productivity,
but rather from oppression and exploitation. The typical rural woman in the Third
World is a hardworking producer of food who remains, with her children, short of food
17 Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 68.

18 Rani Parker. Another Point of View: A Manual on Gender Analysis Training for Grassroots Workers. 1993. pg. 2.
22
and malnourished: the food consumed by the husband rather than the wife; by men
rather than women and children…by rich consumers rather than poor producers…
The problem in women’s development is not primarily concerned with enabling women
to be more productive, more efficient…But the central issue of women’s development
is women’s empowerment, to enable women to take an equal place with men…in
order to achieve control over the factors of production on an equal basis with men.20
The Longwe framework employs two tools in the analysis of women’s empowerment:21
Women’s Empowerment Tool 1: Levels of Equality: Five hierarchal levels of equality are
used to analyze the extent of gender parity, and as a result, signify the degree of women’s
empowerment. The highest to lowest level of value in achieving empowerment are control,
participation, conscientisation, access, and welfare. The lowest level, welfare, defines access
to resources such as food and healthcare, while the highest level, control, indicates power
over factors of production and distribution of benefits. Development interventions that address
change at higher levels of equality have the potential of effecting greater transformation in
gender parity.
Women’s Empowerment Tool 2: Level of Recognition of ‘Women’s Issues” is defined
very specifically as “all issues concerned with women’s equality in any social or economic
role, and involving any of the five levels of equality.”22 Degrees of a project objective’s
recognition of women’s issues are classified as negative level, neutral level or positive level.
There are notable intersections within the Moser and Longwe Frameworks regarding
the focus on practical and strategic gender needs, yet Longwe views the distinctions as less
valuable and more dynamic in nature to the extent that a development intervention contributes
to an increase of empowerment among beneficiaries. The Longwe Framework is a viable tool
in illuminating the potential disparity in a program’s rhetoric of mission and the reality of the
intervention. The Longwe Framework can be effective as a complementary tool in the
exploration of Kwithu CBO to broadly understand aspects of the program’s impact at this
moment in time, in conjunction with other methods that might provide more specific
understanding over a longer period of time.
20 Tina Wallace, et al. Changing Perceptions. 1991. pgs. 149-150.

21 Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pgs. 93-94.
22 Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 95. 23
Social Relations Approach
Naila Kabeer, in her book, Reversed Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development,

challenges conventional development theory by exposing entrenched gender-biases and their
damaging effect on development policy. She presents an alternative framework, the Social
Relations Approach, produced in collaboration with development scholars, government policy-
makers, and social-justice activists primarily from the Global South, which is fundamentally
based upon a socialist-feminist ideology that incorporates three primary concepts:
Social Relations Approach Concept 1: Development as Increasing Human Well-Being:

Unlike many traditional development approaches which are primarily focused on economic
growth and increased productivity, Kabeer’s primary objective is to enhance human well-
being, which concerns
survival, security and autonomy, where autonomy means the ability to participate
fully in those decisions that shape one’s choices and one’s life chances…the
concept of production does not just include market production, but all the activities
which contribute to human well-being – including all those tasks which people
perform to reproduce human labor (care, nurturing, looking after the sick), those
which poor people carry out to survive; and those which people perform in caring
for their environment which ultimately assures their livelihoods.23
Social Relations Approach Concept 2: Social Relations: Refers to “structural
relationships that create and reproduce systemic differences in the positioning of different
groups of people,”24 which, while not fixed, determine the accessibility of resources to
particular groups and individuals. Poverty is a result of inequitable social relations which
result in inadequate access to resources as a consequence of a diminished position with the
social hierarchy of a community. The poor, and in particular women in poverty, must rely on
“social relationships based on patronage and dependency,” exchanging their autonomy for
security.25 A vital aspect of development programming, according to Kabeer, is the building of
relationships based upon “solidarity and reciprocity, and which increase autonomy, rather
than reduce it.”26

26 Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 104. 24
Social Relations Approach Concept 3: Institutional Analysis: While Kabeer “identifies the
household as a primary site for the construction of power relations,”27 the systemic origins of
gender inequality are replicated across a range of institutions, which for the purposes of the
analytical framework can be classified as:28
Key Institutional Locations Examples of Organizational/Structural Form____________

State Judicial, military, administrative, etc.
Market Financial services, agricultural enterprises, multinationals
Community Village tribunals, civil society, informal networks, NGOs
Family/Kinship Household, extended family, lineage grouping
Regardless of cultural differences found within various societies, all institutions possess five
distinct, but inter-related, dimensions of social relationships, which when diligently examined,
can reveal the innate gender hierarchies perpetuated within a society:29
1. Rules: how things get done?
2. Activities: what is done?
3. Resources: what is used, what is produced?
4. People: who is in, who is out, and who does what?
5. Power: who decides, whose interests are served?
Social Relations Approach Concept 4: Institutional Gender Policies: Identifies a range of
policies from Gender-Blind (which often reinforces male-bias) to Gender-Aware, which
includes Gender-Neutral, Gender-Specific and Gender-Redistributive policies. Development
programming can be designed and implemented with an understanding of the existing
institutional context.
Social Relations Approach Concept 5: Immediate, Underlying and Structural Causes:
Explores the factors which have contributed to the existing problems a development program
is seeking to mitigate. The results from a study of causes are often presented as a matrix,
which can then guide the creation of an evaluation tool, such as a Logical Framework or a
Theory of Change.
27 Naila Kabeer. Reversed Realities. 1994. Chapter 5.

25
In a May 2017 interview, Dr. Katahryn Yount, Professor of Global Health at Emory
University, described how Kabeer’s framework, first presented in 1999, can be used to
conceptualize and ultimately measure women’s empowerment in a straightforward manner on
both community and individual levels:
According to Yount, Kabeer’s “framework depicts empowerment as a dynamic process,

in which women acquire resources that enable them to develop voice (the capacity to articulate
preferences) and agency (the capacity to make decisions) to fulfill their own aspirations.”31
Resources are measured within the areas of human, economic and social means. Human
resources include assets such as education, skill development, vocational training and self-
efficacy; economic resources include material assets such as property and land as well as
income and access to financial services; social resources comprise membership in
organizations, access to peer networks, mentorships and community support systems.
Agency and voice can be measured through indicators such as influence and
participation in decision making on the household and extended family level, freedom of
movement in the private and public sphere, awareness and confidence to express opinions
and attitudes that may differ from the cultural norms, and a sense of value within their family
and community. The formation of female peer networks may be an indicator of women’s
collective efficacy on the community level, while providing a reliable, trustworthy source of
support in times of need.
30 IFPRI Blog. “Interview: A framework for measuring women’s empowerment at multiple levels.”
31 IFPRI Blog. “Interview: A framework for measuring women’s empowerment at multiple levels.” 26
A Road Map for Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment
Since A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks was first published in 1999, experts

in the field of Gender and Development have persisted in advancing the effectiveness of
analytical tools as a means of evaluating the impact of policies and programs that seek
social and economic gender parity. In 1978, Mayra Buvinic co-authored one of the first
economic development reports focused exclusively on women entitled, “Women-headed
households: the ignored factor in development planning,” in which she and her fellow
researchers identified “one group of people who are among the poorest of the poor, and
suggests that policies and programs geared to assist women who head poor households in
Third World countries will prove to be a significant weapon in the struggle against
poverty.”32
Thirty-five years later, Buvinic led a partnership between the United Nations
Foundation and ExxonMobil Foundation which brought together development economists
to answer the simple, yet fundamental question, “What works to empower women
economically?”33 Understanding the critical role of social context in the success or failure of
development intervention, the primary research sought to answer, “for whom?” and
“where?” Rigorous empirical data not only confirmed women’s economic empowerment
policy and programs were smart economics, this “priceless knowledge,” as described by
Buvinic, revealed the transformational power of what economists define as “spillover
benefits,” a positive adjustment towards greater parity in the balance of power within
households. A measurable shift in household norms of the perceived “value” of girls
contributed to increased educational levels and improvement in health and nutrition of girls
throughout the greater community. The research report, “A Road Map for Promoting
Women’s Economic Empowerment” was presented in 2013, with a companion report,
“Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment” following in 2015, along with “Revisiting
32 Mayra Buvinic, et al. “Women-headed households: the ignored factor in development planning.” pg. iii.
33 Mayra Buvinic. “A Road Map for Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment.” 2013.
27
What Works: Women, Economic Empowerment and Smart Design” in 2016. Buvinic’s work is
a powerful tool within the field of Gender and Development, enhanced by aggregate data from
47 low-development countries, across four distinct sectors: entrepreneurship, agriculture,
wage employment and youth employment.34
Buvinic’s “Roadmap” report argues that in addition to labor market outcomes and
household level economic decisions, the impact of women’s empowerment must also be
measured by outcomes such as well-being and self-confidence. Applied to Kwithu CBO, direct
outcomes such as knowledge, skills and productive assets acquired would lead to
intermediate outcomes that include women’s decision-making roles in business, community
and household. Final outcomes would include indicators such as income, subjective well-
being and women’s self-confidence. These guidelines will be useful in an evaluation of Kwithu
CBO:35
1. in support of effective project implementation (“Are we doing things right?)
2. are the desired outcomes are being achieve (“Are we doing the right things?”)
3. to contribute to the global knowledge base on the types of interventions that are most
effective in promoting women’s empowerment (“Do we know what works best?”)
While there are challenges within all program evaluation design, the challenges are magnified
with women’s empowerment programs “because of the interdependence between women’s
economic and social roles.”36 The Roadmap is a valuable tool in overcoming these
challenges.
34 Mayra Buvinic. “Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Companion…” 2015.

28
CONCEPT of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOMENT
As feminist theorizing was expanding the terrain of discourse concerning gender, its
influence was also evident in the evolution of the paradigm of global development in the late
20th Century. Policies once based predominantly on Western neo-liberal economic values
have shifted to the concept of sustainable development. Embraced by the United Nations in
both the Millennium Development Goals of 2015, and their successor, the Sustainable
Development Goals of 2030, Columbia University Economics Professor Jeffrey Sachs, in The
Age of Sustainable Development, presents the fundamentals of sustainable development as a
holistic framework that integrates three major components: economic development, broad-
based social inclusion and environmental sustainability.37 Sachs addresses the pervasive
negative ramifications of gender inequality in achieving sustainable development on a global
level. Factors such as reproductive healthcare, female political empowerment, labor force
participation, gender parity in wages, equal access to resources such as land rights and
education are primary tools in the struggle for global sustainable development.38 The essence
of sustainable development is its guiding principle as a normative approach which demands
“a holistic vision of what a good society should be,” with the “wellbeing of the citizenry” equally
as important as their average income.39
37 Jeffrey D. Sachs. The Age of Sustainable Development. 2015. pg. 45.

38 Jeffrey D. Sachs. The Age of Sustainable Development. 2015. pgs. 249-262.
39 Jeffrey D. Sachs. The Age of Sustainable Development. 2015. pg. 11.
29
30
Chapter 2
RESEARCH DESIGN:
SELECTED EVALUATION METHODOLOGIES
Research seeks to prove, evaluation seeks to improve.

Michael Q. Patton
With the theoretical foundation of gender-analysis research established, practical tools

for actual Monitoring and Evaluation are then required. Monitoring tracks changes in program
outcomes over time, while evaluation seeks to understand specifically why these changes
occur. In its simplest sense, evaluation research is the process of determining whether a social
intervention has produced the intended result; what was Kwithu CBO’s intended impact when it
was founded in 2004 and how can it be measured? More specifically, an evaluation of the
Kwithu CBO Programs is of value:
•to gain insight: where are we coming from, where are we going, what works, what doesn’t
•to improve practice: to enhance the success of activities
•to assess effects: how well are objectives being met, how program benefits the community
•to build capacity: increase funding, enhance skills, strengthen accountability
The collection of data will allow an analysis of the impact of the programs in the lives of
individual participants as well as the Mzuzu community at large. Are the women gaining the
skills to become empowered so that development in individual lives, and the Mzuzu community
as a whole, are sustainable with the ultimate goal to eliminate dependency on financial
resources from abroad? What lessons can be learned from Kwithu CBO that can be applied
towards similar interventions?
The fundamentals of an Empowerment Evaluation in combination with QUIP, a
qualitative in-depth individual impact assessment protocol, are the methodological tools used
for this research. These methods were selected for their ability to “provide a deep
understanding of the program as designed, implemented and experienced, and provide
direction for future program development.”40
40 Michael Bamberger. RealWorld Evaluation. pgs. 597-598.
31
Monitoring and evaluations are typically conducted by development practitioners to
verify positive outcomes of interventions. On a micro level, the data can then be used by
donors and program personnel to make appropriate adjustments for improved resource
allocation. On a macro level, effective M&E can expand the knowledge within a field at large.
This research seeks to provide valuable information in both areas: on the micro level for the
US-based Maloto organization which is the primary funding source for Kwithu CBO programs;
and on the macro level, as a contribution of knowledge in the field of gender and
development. In addition to strengthening scholarship, innovation and accountability, there are
significant ethical grounds for hearing directly from the voices of those for whom interventions
are intended to benefit. Therefore, most importantly, it is the hope that this research will
benefit the Kwithu CBO program participants, including the founding members of the
volunteer Kwithu Women’s Group.
EMPOWERMENT EVALUATION
Closely related to the Participatory Evaluation method, the Empowerment Evaluation

was first presented by Stanford University Professor David Fetterman in 1994 at the American
Evaluation Association:41
Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation to help others help themselves.
It is designed to foster self-determination, rather than dependency. Empowerment
evaluation focuses on improvement, is collaborative, and requires both qualitative
and quantitative methodologies. As an alternative to traditional external evaluations,
it offers program participants buy-in, program focused goals and strategies, an
insider’s perspective of program operations, a tailored approach to program
development, a generalized skill that can last a lifetime, and the promise of a learning
community.42
41 David M. Fetterman. Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation. 2001. pg. 129.

42 David M. Fetterman. “Steps of Empowerment Evaluation: From California to Cape Town.” 1994.
32
Kwithu CBO is unlike many other development organizations in that its creation is
rooted deeply within the community its founders, many of whom are disadvantaged
themselves, sought to support. Led by Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys, twenty local Mzuzu women
came together in 2004 with the simple goal of each woman providing one hot meal a week
for an AIDS orphan in their community. The original women, many HIV+ themselves, made a
commitment as a group to feed the original twenty “Kwithu” children, despite their own
personal challenges and limited resources. Thirteen years later, their initial efforts to create
an emergency response feeding program have grown into a substantial CBO, with
employees and facilities providing multiple integrated programs for hundreds of beneficiaries.
In addition, a US-based donor organization was founded to generate resources for Kwithu
CBO and its “sister” project, the Mzuzu International Academy. Conducting any type of M&E
that is not explicitly guided by the interests and knowledge of the original Kwithu Women’s
Group would simply not provide an adequate analysis of this organization. The theoretical
foundation of an empowerment evaluation is self-determination, “defined as the ability to
chart one’s own course in life;”43 therefore, my role as researcher is that of participant in
collaboration with the various Malawi-based stakeholders in an evaluation to discover which
aspects of the CBO have contributed to and/or hindered the empowerment of its participants.
The first phase of the evaluation conducted in September 2017 is largely explorative,
with the goal of providing a platform for the voices and knowledge of the original founding
members of the Kwithu Women’s Group and CBO. Interviews and focus groups were
conducted based on the framework of an empowerment evaluation which outlines three basic
steps:44
1.Taking stock
2. Setting goals
3. Developing strategies
These discussions are the first step in the incorporation of monitoring and evaluation as an
ongoing component of Kwithu CBO empowerment activities to further the interests of the
program volunteers and beneficiaries.
43 David M. Fetterman. Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation. pg. 2.

44 David M. Fetterman. Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation. pgs. 5-6.
33
QUIP: Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol
Given the interdependence of women’s economic and social roles within a

community as both caregivers and breadwinners, the primary field research tools for this
study are qualitative, to gain in-depth understanding from participants regarding which, if
any, aspects of the program contribute to an increased sense of wellbeing. QUIP is a
tool used to “generate differentiated evidence of impact based on narrative causal
statements elicited directly from intended project beneficiaries without the need to
interview a control group. Evidence of attribution is sought through respondents’ own
account of causal mechanisms…rather than relying on statistical inference based on
variable exposure.”45 Following the interviews and focus groups, key issues and themes
were organized from transcripts, and then narrative data was analyzed to generate an in-
depth synthesis of what the collated evidence reveals to draw relevant conclusions.
Interviews and focus groups were conducted with multiple stakeholders:
•Founding Members of Kwithu Women’s Group (n = 11)
•Vwila HIV/AIDS Community Outreach (n = 17)
•New Kwithu CBO Volunteers (n = 03)
•Kwithu CBO Staff = (n = 04)
•Early Childhood Development Teachers (n = 02)
•Current Kwithu CBO Primary School Students (n = 07)
•Former Kwithu CBO/Current Mzuzu International Academy
Secondary Students (n = 20)
•Former Kwithu CBO/ Mzuzu International Academy Graduates (n = 06)
• Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys: Kwithu CBO and Maloto
Founder & Executive Director (n = 01)
45 James Copestake & Fiona Remnant. “CDS Briefing Paper: QUIP. April 2015. pg. 1.
34
An extensive list of questions was formulated in advance; however, they were
used to initiate conversation, not as a structured format requiring specific answers.
Interviews were conducted in English, with the assistance of a translator in Tumbuka,
when necessary. The interviews were video recorded, with permission from
respondents. Transcriptions from interview videos are supplemented by notes taken
during and after sessions. Within the combined transcript and meeting notes,
respondents are assigned individual codes for reference purposes during data
analysis.
Although limited baseline data is available, a quantitative analysis of primary
and secondary sources of Kwithu CBO and Maloto organizational records provide
supplementary data to appraise outcomes during the period of the program’s founding
in 2004 to 2017.
The limitation of this research might be to question the rigor of evidence
because of a lack of an available controlled comparison group. As a result, some may
question if what is revealed regarding the specific Kwithu CBO program is necessarily
applicable to other programs or communities. Yet, the data collected with the gender
analysis tools can provide worthwhile anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of an
integrated gender empowerment program, and an increased understanding of how the
intervention is performing in the context of Mzuzu, Malawi. Furthermore, the data can
corroborate limited quantitative data, identify new ideas for expanding program impact,
and inform a larger more rigorous study in the future by documenting specific
examples of behavior and practices pertinent to gender and development.
In addition to field research, the “Evaluation of Integrating Programming for
Women’s Empowerment in Mzuzu, Malawi” also includes: a country overview of
Malawi; an appraisal of comparable development organizations in Northern Malawi;
and a literature review of the most current research of interventions within the region.
Each component contributes necessary information regarding the socio-economic
context from which to better evaluate the impact of Kwithu CBO.
35
2016 World Bank Map
36
Chapter 3
REPUBLIC of MALAWI COUNTRY CONTEXT
Slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania, the Republic of Malawi is a small
landlocked country in Southern Africa that was born following independence from Great
Britain in 1964. Bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the east and north and
Mozambique to the south, east and southwest, the Rift Valley cuts through Malawi’s eastern
border, holding the country’s most famous natural resource, Lake Malawi. The lake stretches
two-thirds of Malawi’s length and covers one third of the country’s geographic area. The
capital city of Lilongwe is located in central Malawi, with Blantyre, the second largest city in
the south, and Mzuzu, the third largest city in the north.
Malawi is generally considered a culturally conservative country. Approximately eighty
percent of Malawians are Christian, belonging to one of several Protestant churches originally
founded by European missionaries in the late 19th Century. The official language is English,
which is widely spoken throughout the country, along with two national languages, Chichewa,
which is spoken in the south, and Tumbuka, which is prevalent in the north.
After three decades of one-party rule, multi-party presidential and parliamentary
elections were finally held in 1994. Despite intermittent periods of economic development, the
small African country has struggled to achieve sustainable development due to a variety of
factors, including but not limited to population growth, climate change, growing pressure on
agricultural lands, corruption and the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Weak infrastructure resulting in
limited connectivity within the region and beyond, as well as insufficient health and
educationsystems, significantly limit labor productivity. The economy relies heavily on financial
inflows of economic assistance from both individual donor nations, as well as the IMF and
World Bank, accounting for an estimated forty percent of the annual federal budget. In 2013,
high levels of government corruption known as “Cashgate,”46 led many foreign donors such
as the United States, the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
European Union to redirect their resources directly to NGOs operating in the country.47
46 Forbes. “Best Countries for Business: Malawi.”

47 Forbes. “Best Countries for Business: Malawi.” 37
According to the World Bank, the population has doubled since 1990 to over 18 million
in 2016.48 While high fertility rates have slowly reduced from an average 7 children per
woman in the 1980s to an estimated 5.5 pregnancies in 2017,49 the rapid population growth
has increased pressure on Malawi’s land, forest and water resources. As a result, acute food
shortages have occurred within the country where 80% of the population is employed in
agriculture.
A devastating epidemic of HIV/AIDS has further impacted the struggling nation, where
approximately 1 million Malawians are living with the disease and over 24,000 died in 2016
alone.50 In addition to the estimated 670,000 children that have been orphaned by the
disease, over 100,000 children under the age of 14 are infected with HIV/AIDS, according to
UNAIDS.51
Statistics are testimony to the genuine hardship that defines the reality of daily life in
Malawi. 71% of the country’s citizens currently live below the line of poverty of $1.90 a day,52
according to the Little Book on Gender published by the World Bank in 2016. And while
indices of poverty have improved across developing economies on a macro level in the past
decade, the generally positive trends often evade Malawi. GNI (Gross National Income –
formerly GNP per capita) in 2016 is $320, down from $470 in 2011.53 GDP in 2016 is $5.4
billion down from $8 billion in 2011.54 Malawi is classified as a “low human development”
country in the UNDP’s Human Development Report of 2016, ranking 170 out of 188 countries
and territories with a Human Development Index (HDI) score of 0.476.55 The HDI is a
measurement that quantifies three basic dimensions of human development:56
1. a long, healthy life, measured by life expectancy at birth
2. access to knowledge, measured by both the average number of years of life-time
education and the total number of years of schooling a school-aged child can expect
based on age-specific enrollment rates
3. a decent standard of living, based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita
converted to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) rates.
48 The World Bank. World Development Indicators. “Malawi.”

49 Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fact Book. “Africa: Malawi.”
50 UNAIDS. “Malawi.”
51 UNAIDS. “Malawi.”
52 Little Book on Gender 2016. pg. 135.
55 UNDP. Human Development Report 2016.
56 UNDP. Human Development Report 2016. “Briefing Note: Malawi.” pg. 2.
38
While Malawi has increased its HDI value from 0.325 in 1990, its current score of 0.476
remains below the average of 0.497 for countries in the low human development group, as
well as below the 0.523 average of other Sub-Saharan African countries.57 The following graph
illustrates the contribution of each of the three indices in Malawi between 1990 and 2015.58
In addition to the HDI Report, the UNDP introduced the Gender Inequality Index (GII) in 2010
as a means of quantifying gender-based inequalities within the three dimensions of:
1. reproductive health, measured by maternal mortality and adolescent birth rates
2. empowerment, calculated by attainment of secondary education and percentage of
parliamentary seats and
3. economic activity, assessed by labor market participation
In the 2016 report, Malawi ranks 145 out of 159 countries evaluated for gender-based
inequities, or in other words, the loss in human development of Malawian women due to
inequalities in comparison to Malawian men in fundamental areas of health, empowerment
and economic activity.60
These challenges have been exacerbated by poor governance and economic
mismanagement, amid accusations of widespread corruption. Civil Society has played an

58 UNDP. Human Development Report 2016. “Briefing Note: Malawi.” pg. 3
39
integral role in Malawi’s development, both in the provision of social services, but also in
recent years in the promotion of democracy and human rights. According to Andrew Galea
Debono of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, in addition to the provision of much
needed services such as health and education, Malawian Civil Society has played “a vital role
in being the voice of the voiceless in Malawi, helping to consolidate a democratic culture in
the country since the institution of multi-party democracy in 1994 by providing checks and
balances against government corruption.”61
Amidst the seemingly continuous flow of discouraging data points, there is a
particularly positive quantitative statistic upon which development practitioners can find hope.
In the past decade, life expectancy at birth in Malawi has increased by ten years to sixty-two
years over the past decade.62
Beyond the Negative Numbers: Qualitative Data in Support of Malawi’s Future Development
While quantitative markers are vital to gage progress of socio-economic development,

an accurate prognosis of Malawi requires a careful understanding of qualitative
measurements as well. It is within the more nuanced qualitative data that Malawians can find
positive fundamental foundations of strength upon which to build their future.
Many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa have faced internal threats to peace and
stability, amplified by poverty in combination with corrupt or weak political institutions. As
noted by Emmy Irobi in her study, “Ethnic Conflict Management in Africa,” the epidemic of
regional violence has more often been between ethnic groups than between states.63 Rooted
in colonialism, Irobi argues that ethnic conflict is an overwhelming obstacle to a country’s
development. Because of the imbalance in distribution of money, land and power by one
group over others, ethnicity is then used to mobilize rival groups. Lines of ethnic identity are
essentially manipulated for political power in the struggle over socio-economic disparities,
otherwise referred to as socially constructed ethnic identity. The seeds of conflict are rooted in
the fight for equal access to socio-economic resources. While not fully immune to internal
ethnic conflict between Chewa, Tumbuka and other groups, Malawi has not experienced the
degree of ethnic violence that has erupted amongst various ethnicities within its neighborhood
of countries.
61 The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. “Civic Freedom Monitor: Malawi.” Aug 2017.
62 World Bank. “Malawi.”
40
Long known as the “Warm Heart of Africa,” the Malawian people are the nation’s
greatest asset, a direct result of their kindness and willingness to help both friend or stranger.
While admittedly anecdotal, the story of Kwithu’s expansion into areas of secondary and
ultimately tertiary education for the Kwithu CBO children, is a direct result of the Malawian
culture of helping strangers. While driving through a remote area of Malawi, an American
experienced car trouble. With no cell service or source of auto repair in sight, the traveler was
quite desperate. A young Malawian spotted him on the side of the road, and provided the
necessary assistance, which entailed several hours of effort. When the American was finally
ready to resume his journey, his Malawian “good Samaritan” refused any form of
compensation whatsoever. The American promised himself he would repay his gratitude for
the kindness of the Malawian people at some point, in some way. A few years later, an
opportunity presented itself when he heard the story of a Malawian woman who was
attempting to raise money in the U.S to build a school in Malawi. In 2006, having only met Dr.
Anna Msowoya-Keys through a random connection, the grateful traveler donated the
financing needed to begin construction of Mzuzu International Academy. The school was
envisioned by Dr. Keys to provide quality education in the continuation of the work of Kwithu
CBO.
In 2016, a conference entitled “Working Together for Malawi,” brought together over
two hundred and fifty civil society organizations for a cross-sectoral dialogue to discuss
effective approaches for achieving shared goals. As the event’s organizer, Counterpart
International described: “Despite being one of the most ethnically diverse nations on the
continent, the people of Malawi remain deeply connected and have worked across sectors to
build the future of their nation.”64
It is within this complex country context, which is simultaneously burdened with
undeniable challenges, alongside genuine national strengths, that the Kwithu Community
Based Organization operates. Malawian civil society has existed prior to the country’s
independence in 1964, and incorporates many traditional organizations, such as trade-
unions, faith-based communities, academia and the media, as well as non-governmental
organizations and community based organizations. According to Dr. Msowoya-Keys, Kwithu
63 Emmy Godwin Irobi. “Ethnic Conflict Management in Africa: A Comparative Case Study...” May 2005.
64 Counterpart International. “Building the Future of the Warm Heart of Africa.” 6 July 2016. 41
CBO has intentionally remained a CBO as opposed to the higher-level designation of non-
governmental organization (NGO) for reasons of practicality and efficacy. Simply put,
maintaining the organizational status of CBO is less complicated, therefore less consuming of
limited resources of time and money.
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law provides a clear summary of the various
not-for-profit organizational structures as dictated by Malawian law:
•In Malawi, not-for-profit organizations may be registered as Community-Based
Organizations (CBOs) or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
•CBOs exist and operate at the local community level (usually a village and its
surrounding villages). CBOs are registered with (and can be de-registered by) the
Ministry of Gender, Women and Child Development through the Social Welfare
Department. Once registered, they can open a bank account. CBOs can be either
religion-based or independent of any religion. There are thousands of CBOs
operating in hundreds of villages and communities across the country.
•NGOs implement activities on a much larger scale, from the community level to
the regional or national level. An NGO must have a Board of Trustees (in the case
of those registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act) or a Board of Directors
(in the case of those registered under the Companies Act). Like CBOs, NGOs can
also be either religion-based (i.e., FBOs) or independent of any religion. NGOs may
be registered by the Registrar General under either the Trustees Incorporation Act or
Companies Act. But for them to gain the benefits of NGO status, they must proceed
to register also with the Council for Non-Governmental Organizations (CONGOMA)
as well as with the NGO Board of Malawi under the NGO Act.65
At this point in time, the work of Kwithu CBO would likely be hindered rather than enhanced by
fulfilling the bureaucratic requirements necessary for NGO status. Furthermore, current
President Mutharika announced, as a priority of his administration, a review of Malawi’s NGO
Act of 2000.66 While not yet approved, the pending federal legislation may result in further
regulatory burdens that are currently beyond the capacity of Kwithu CBO to satisfy.
65 The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. “Civic Freedom Monitor: Malawi.”
66 The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. “Civic Freedom Monitor: Malawi.”
42
Chapter 4
OVERVIEW of ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING
COMPARABLE SERVICES in MALAWI
A broad range of development organizations operate both within Malawi, as well as in the
Northern region of the country where the third largest city, Mzuzu, is located. Kwithu CBO is
based in the Luwinga District of Mzuzu. Population estimates vary for the rapidly growing city,
but reasonable assessments indicate over 200,000 residents within Mzuzu city limits, with an
additional 1.7 million inhabitants living in the surrounding rural areas.67 While many well-
known actors in the field of international development have operations in Northern Malawi,
such as World Vision and UNICEF, for the purposes of this research, examples for
comparison will focus on a combination of seven NGOs and CBOs selected for their
intersection with Kwithu CBO in terms of both their geographic area of operations as well as
significant overlap of organizational mission.
Over the past decade and a half, Malawi has experienced a steady decline in the
prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst those aged 15 to 49, from 16.4% in 1999 to 11.8% in 2004,
and the last recorded statistic of 10.6% in 2010.68 However, AIDS remains the leading cause
of death for Malawians in their child-bearing years, responsible for 75% of all deaths of those
between the ages of 20 to 49 years.69 Research conducted in 2009 by Rachel Kidman and
S. Jody Heymann for the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill University regarding
the prevalence of orphanhood in Malawi, discovered that almost 14% of children were
orphans.70 Among the 14% of orphans, 3% had lost their mother, 8% had lost their father, and
3% had lost both parents.71 The data further revealed that
The living arrangements for single orphans indicate that the majority (72%) of paternal
orphans were supported by their mothers, while only 22% of maternal orphans lived with
their surviving father. The vast majority (96%) of double orphans were cared for within
their extended family, most commonly residing in households headed by grandparents.72
67 SOS Children’s Villages. “SOS Children’s Village Mzuzu.”

68 Government of Malawi. “Malawi AIDS Response Progress Report 2015.”
69 Republic of Malawi: Office of the President and Cabinet. Malawi HIV and AIDS…Report: 2008-2009.
70 Rachel Kidman & S. Jody Heymann. “The extent of community and public support…Malawi.” pg. 442.
72 Rachel Kidman & S. Jody Heymann. “The extent of community and public support…Malawi.” pg. 442. 43
Understanding the community safety nets currently available to the vulnerable children of
Mzuzu is a vital step for both public policy development, as well as for civil society
organizations such as Kwithu CBO, to ensure sufficient delivery of necessary services. Pre-
existing conditions of poverty, compounded by intra-family cases of HIV/AIDS, have resulted
in the increasingly compromised ability of family units to sufficiently protect and provide care
for vulnerable children. With increasing numbers of prime-aged adults who suffer or have died
from HIV/AIDS, traditional norms of Malawian extended family units have been disrupted. A
growing population of orphans reside in economically vulnerable households, headed by
elderly caregivers or other surviving children.73 External safety nets have become vital for the
drastically increased number of households suffering from diminished family capacity due to
the HIV/AIDS epidemic. And despite Malawian government initiatives such as the “National
Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children,” launched in partnership with the World
Bank in 2006, actual social protection programs on the ground have been limited.74
Where government efforts have fallen short, civil society, both within the international
aid community, as well as among Malawian grassroots community based organizations, such
as Kwithu CBO, have emerged to mitigate the risks to AIDS orphans via programming that
seeks to strengthen the safety-nets of at-risk families. An evaluation of the support provided
by organizations currently operating within the Mzuzu community at-large will afford an
understanding of where gaps in services exist, as well as where partnerships might strengthen
impact for individual beneficiaries and their communities. It is interesting to note that in the
Malawian government’s 2015 AIDS Response Progress Report, which outlines the major
challenges in implementation of the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan, in addition to
significant yet predictable funding gaps, the report also specifically cited weak coordination
mechanisms for orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) programs.75
In 2004, The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and
Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS was created in a partnership
between international aid organizations and state governments to address the urgent need of
this growing population.76 Based on the fundamental value that vulnerable children are best
cared for by the core support system of familial networks, the framework outlines five specific
75 Government of Malawi. “Malawi AIDS Response Progress Report 2015.” pg. 58.
76 Rachel Kidman & S. Jody Heymann. “The extent of community and public support…Malawi.” pg. 439. 44
strategies for program development:77
•provision of direct economic and psychosocial support to families
•strengthening of community-based responses
•ensuring access to health care, education and other essential services
•protection of children through improved policy and legal frameworks
•creation of supportive environment for children affected by HIV/AIDS
In 2017, Kwithu CBO is engaged in four of the five strategies, apart from advocacy
efforts to improve policy and legal frameworks.
The following overview of organizations is intended to provide an understanding
of the existing programs that provide support to vulnerable children and their families
within Northern, Malawi. Particularly of interest are interventions primarily involving
local women who often shoulder the dual responsibilities of caregiving and
breadwinning, within a demographic that includes a profusion of female or child-
headed households. The female population of Mzuzu is the primary source of
knowledge concerning the needs of children and families, while simultaneously
requiring resources themselves to strengthen their own capacities diminished from
poverty and HIV/AIDS.
ActionAid
ActionAid is a British based donor agency that began working in Malawi in 1990 with a
central mission of poverty eradication. Their core objective is to engage specifically with local
women in their fight to eradicate hunger and ensure children can access their right to quality
education. The underpinning of ActionAid’s ethos is to empower local stakeholders with the
knowledge required to resolve issues at the community, district and national levels. Through
the implementation of strategically integrated projects within three districts in Northern Malawi
(Chitipa, Rumphi and Mzimba), as well as additional projects in nine other districts spread
across both Central and Southern Malawi, local women have been given a platform to voice
concerns and effect social change within their communities. Like Kwithu CBO, primary
beneficiaries are vulnerable populations of women, children, youth and those living with
HIV/AIDS. At the community level, ActionAid works to provide for the immediate needs
45
of its clients, with the macro-level objective of creating widespread impact by influencing
citizen participation in public processes and decision making. In this regard, unlike Kwithu
CBO, ActionAid is actively engaged in the role of political advocacy on behalf of vulnerable
groups across community, district and national levels. ActionAid is seeking to expand the
space for those living in poverty to participate in public discourse to insure rights with the
ultimate outcome of affecting sustainable change.
It is interesting to note that in the early years of her career in humanitarian assistance,
Msowoya-Keys, the founder of Kwithu CBO, worked at ActionAid in Malawi. The
organization’s ethos of empowering local women with the tools to solve grass-roots issues is
certainly apparent in the work of Kwithu CBO today.
Plan International
The work of Plan International, an independent development organization with

programming in more than seventy countries, is also closely aligned with Kwithu CBO yet on
a global scale. Plan International seeks to help children living in poverty “to access their
rights to health, education and food security,”78 with an active focus on achieving equality for
girls. In 2016, the NGO reported the following results specifically within Malawi:79
168 teachers trained
11,777 people trained in livelihood skills
911 community members trained in gender equality
Though Plan International’s country office is based in the capital city of Lilongwe, programs
are actively in place in Mulanje in the South and Mzuzu, home of Kwithu CBO, in the North.
There are noteworthy overlaps in the projects of the large international NGO with the
significantly smaller grassroots CBO. In early 2015, unexpected torrential rains resulted in
the worst flooding experienced in Malawi in half a century, significantly reducing crop
production. The ensuing food shortage created widespread severe food insecurity. Kwithu
CBO was forced to re-appropriate already limited resources to provide immediate relief to
many of its beneficiaries resulting from the unanticipated crisis. Fortunately, within many the
same districts where both organizations provide services, Plan International, endowed
78 Plan International. “Malawi.”

79 Plan International. “Malawi.” 46
with vastly larger resources, distributed food packages to thousands of households,
providing food relief to 38,300 children.
Plan International also provides advocacy programming in Mzuzu that seeks to end
childhood violence. While not specifically an active element of Kwithu CBO’s own programs,
Plan’s creation of “child protection committees” in Mzuzu certainly provides significant
benefits to the community at large, including the vulnerable children of Kwithu CBO.
Plan International’s goal is to:
sensitize communities and alter perceptions on violence against children.
These committees are a collaboration of a range of people – civil servants,
police, child protection officers, teachers and parents. They are brought
together to discuss children’s rights and child protection, and are tasked with
educating fellow community members.
Kwithu, as a grassroots organization, is in a position within its community to lead efforts in
support of the most vulnerable, guided by locally-driven solutions. Nonetheless, Kwithu
certainly benefits from the shared goals of an international NGO’s vastly increased capacity
within their shared target population.
Also, worthy of note as a potential resource for Kwithu CBO, Plan International
recently announced Equal Measures 2030, a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation to ensure gender-focused data is “transformed into advocacy and action by
making sure women’s groups, rights advocates and decision makers have easy-to-use data
and evidence to guide efforts in reaching the Global Goals by 2030.”80
S.O.S. Children’s Village Mzuzu
Yet another international NGO, SOS Children’s Village, began working in Mzuzu in
2002, just two years before Kwithu CBO was founded. Through family strengthening
programs, their aim is “to alleviate hardship and maintain family stability so that children will
be safe and protected and grow up in a loving home.”81 The Mzuzu Village supports
approximately 2,000 children, along with their caregivers, in its efforts to ensure access to
essential health and nutritional services, as well as education. In cooperation with local
organizations, SOS Mzuzu Village primarily provides support to families affected by
HIV/AIDS, including psychological counseling and development of income-generating skills.
80 Kelli Rogers. “Gates, Plan-funded global gender data partnership takes shape.” Devex News. 47
In situations when children are not able to live with parents, fifteen “SOS families,” led
by an “SOS mother,” provide loving homes for up to 150 children. Approximately 320 children
attend SOS schools from kindergarten through primary grades. SOS Youth Programs offer
support for teenagers as they transition to adulthood. The mission of SOS Village is very
closely aligned with that of Kwithu CBO, with its focus on children that are vulnerable as a
result HIV/AIDS, supported by programs with similar goals in education, psycho-social
counseling and economic empowerment. A primary difference, however, is that the Kwithu
CBO mission seeks to enable children to remain with their family, as opposed to what are
effectively “foster” homes within the SOS Children’s Village in Mzuzu. The concept of an “SOS
mother” certainly reflects the same nurturing spirit of the twenty founding women of Kwithu to
provide a hot meal in a loving environment, a basic necessity the children would otherwise not
have.
Ungweru Organization
The Ungweru Organization has much in common with Kwithu CBO in terms of capacity,
but also as a grassroots organization based in Mzuzu. Kwithu and Ungweru were founded as
CBOs in the same year, 2004. Ungweru, however, officially registered as an NGO in January
2010. Ungweru means light in Tumbuka. The organizations share a mission to improve the
quality of life for vulnerable groups in Northern Malawi. The Ungweru projects are focused on
eight areas of development, two of which specifically overlap with Kwithu: education and
HIV/AIDS counseling. Like Kwithu CBO, the Ungweru Organization provides training and
financial support, alongside participatory monitoring and evaluation to empower local citizens
in the development of their own communities. While Kwithu CBO has theoretically employed
participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as a result of the group dynamic of its female
leadership, an official M&E process has not previously been implemented until the fall of 2017
when an intentional process of empowerment evaluation was put in place.
Ungweru NGO has an HIV/AIDS program which is also based in the Luwinga district of
Mzuzu, the same district where Kwithu is located. The Ungweru Childhood Education
programs closely mirror the work of Kwithu, but perhaps on a larger scale. In addition to
81 SOS Children’s Villages International. “SOS Children’s Village Mzuzu.”
48
providing vulnerable secondary school students with school fees they could not otherwise
afford, Ungweru supports soft loans for college to encourage the continuation of their
children’s education. Ungweru also organizes Youth Empowerment programs which align with
the Kwithu After School programs. Both include volunteer opportunities, peer group meetings,
and HIV/AIDS awareness in teen-friendly environments for youth of the Luwinga District of
Mzuzu. Aside from the significant overlap of program mission within the shared target
community of Luwinga, the most notable difference is the lack of a specified women’s
empowerment program within Ungweru. Kwithu is a firmly female-led organization, with a
majority of women serving in a volunteer capacity. Overall staff numbers are similar, with less
than ten paid employees at each group.
As further evidence of Ungweru and Kwithu’s shared connection, the founder of
Ungweru, Father John Ryan, now the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu, serves on the
Board of Directors of Mzuzu International Academy. Ungweru is located directly behind the
original location of Kwithu CBO. In the early days of Kwithu, the Kwithu Women’s Group were
trained in basic computer skills at Ungweru. Collaboration is a fundamental source of strength
and sustainability for grassroots community based organizations.
International Partners for Education
International Partners for Education, like Kwithu CBO, is a partnership between

Malawian founders and American supporters of education for orphans and vulnerable children
(OCV) in Malawi. In 2005, a Malawian and American colleague in the United States jointly
contributed to the financial support of the Cholinga Widows Group for the care of orphans. Like
the Kwithu Women’s Group, the Cholinga Widows Group emerged from the desire of a group
of women to provide nurturing, nourishment and education to orphaned children in their
community who had been left to fend for themselves as a consequence of the AIDS epidemic.
The yearly contribution eventually led to a more formally organized effort to expand the original
mission of caring for orphans to include scholarships for secondary school fees, which was the
birth of International Partners for Education. While Malawi-based members and volunteers
select and mentor students, as well as disburse the school fees, US-based members oversee
program implementation and conduct fundraising. This is a similar relationship between Kwithu
in Malawi and the Maloto organization in New York. According to the most recent IPE report,
49
ninety-three students were provided scholarship money for school fees between 2005 and
2013.82 This is a much smaller scale in comparison to Kwithu which provided ninety-eight
students with scholarships during the 2016-2017 school year alone.83 The IPE mission is
more narrowly focused on providing educational opportunity, minus the early childhood
education, childhood feeding, after school tutoring, HIV/AIDS counseling and women’s
empowerment that are integrated within the Kwithu program.
Temwa
Temwa is another non-profit with a very similar background to that of Kwithu CBO.
Founded in 2003 following the death of a close friend from HIV/AIDS, the inspiration for
Temwa mirrors Dr. Msowoya-Key’s desire to feed the AIDS orphans that had gathered at her
sister’s funeral. Temwa’s mission does expand into areas beyond the scope of Kwithu’s work.
Like Kwithu, Temwa seeks to develop self-sufficient communities by supporting projects in
education, health and agriculture, but also includes projects focused on forestry and
microfinance. Like Ungweru, Temwa does not share Kwithu’s explicit objective of women’s
empowerment, although through their work within the most vulnerable communities in
Northern Malawi, the demographic necessarily skews heavily towards female or child-headed
households that include members afflicted with HIV/AIDS, and more often than not, include
one or more orphans. Temwa’s impact is achieved through the following examples of their
projects:84
• train villagers in the importance of good nutrition and sustainable farming
• plant trees to combat the effects of deforestation and climate change
• run mobile HIV testing clinics and establish HIV support groups
• promote young children’s literacy skills and fund students through secondary school
• provide microfinance loans to budding entrepreneurs
Despite some of the differences, Temwa in both spirit and action closely resembles the
organization of Kwithu. This is based on their primary mission to foster community led
development to break the cycle of poverty, in order to “create lasting sustainable change for
the future,”85 which is essentially, word for word, Anna Msowoya-Keys’ dream for her
homeland. And not to be overlooked is the comparable donor base of both organizations.
Temwa’s fundraising efforts take place in London, while Maloto, founded to provide financial
support for Kwithu, is based in New York.
82 Karen Solheim, RN, PhD. “IPE Evaluation 2013.” International Partners for Education. pg. 20.
83 References: Photograph 3. 50
Kaya Mawa Lodge
The last example is an organization that in many ways most closely aligns with the
mission of Kwithu CBO in terms of women’s empowerment and education, albeit, with one
critical, unique difference. Unlike the other non-for-profit groups, the origins of this CBO are
rooted in the for-profit industry of tourism. Kaya Mawa Lodge was initially developed as a
sustainable tourism project on Likoma Island in Lake Malawi. Opened as an environmentally
friendly beach resort in 2000, the owners have developed a multi-layered community
involvement program that is an integral aspect of their original mission to create a sustainable
tourism business. Although Kwithu was founded by a Malawian, Kaya Mawa’s owners, the
Lightfoot’s, are British, yet their primary residence is now Likoma Island. Despite being foreign-
born, in addition to overseeing the management of their hotel property, the Lightfoot’s are
deeply involved within their Malawian community. The resulting programs can certainly be
classified as grassroots, developed within the community, to address the issues articulated by
the community.
The first initiative was launched by Suzie Lightfoot to address the issue of gender
empowerment on the island. Katunda, a creative trade workshop, was started to invest in
women by teaching skills which in turn provide employment to single mothers and those caring
for AIDS orphans. The women produce high-quality textiles that are then fashioned into
clothing and home furnishing accessories, as well as other objects for interiors. Discarded
glass bottles are recycled from across the island, then manually tumbled into small pieces,
before being assembled into dramatic chandeliers. The items are sold in the hotel’s gift shop,
but primarily exported across the globe. Today, thirty-two talented female artists, working
among three departments of beading, tailoring and carpentry, are able to support themselves
and their families.
Revenues from Katunda’s growing business have also been used to fund
educational programs. A local nursery school was built, a project which eventually expanded to
include primary and secondary school education. To date, two primary schools have been built
on the island, along with a community center and a center for the disabled. In 2007, the Island
Child program was conceived to provide hotel guests the opportunity to sponsor a local child’s
secondary school fees for a year or more. Over a thousand children have been the
beneficiaries of these programs.
84 Temwa. “What we do.”
85 Temwa. “What we do.”
51
Alongside the Katunda Women’s Economic Empowerment program and the Island Child
educational programs, other projects initiated by Kaya Mawa on Likoma Island have included
HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, construction of a local library, planting of over 1,500 trees, as
well as construction of a water infrastructure system that supplies two villages and over 2000
residents with running water. The Kaya Mawa community development programs have been
intentionally “tailored to address the real rather than imagined needs on the island…aimed at
sustainable, long-term development.”86 While the resort has set an impeccable standard within
the tourism industry, the grassroots programs also provide a convincing example of sustainable
development for all stakeholders, non-profit or for-profit, that is based on a genuine, mutually
beneficial and progressive relationship with the community.
86 From Kaya Mawa in-room brochure: “Kaya Mawa Community Involvement & Uplift.” 52
These seven organizations are evidence of successful interventions within the Northern
region of Malawi that seek to increase the capacity of households on the frontline of the battle
to mitigate the dual consequences of poverty and HIV/AIDS. The community-based programs
are rooted in grassroots activities guided by the knowledge of local women. The previously
referenced study conducted by Kidmann and Heymann was the first effort to quantify the
external support available specifically to AIDS orphans in Malawi, and revealed that although
the community support provided by CBOs is “well placed to effectively target and support
vulnerable children and their families…only 25% of children live in a community with
dedicated services…over 80% of households fostering orphaned and vulnerable children
receive no organized support in caring for these children.”87 The review of the Northern
Malawi-based development organizations, however, does support a report from the Malawi
Office of the President and Cabinet which indicates “rapid growth in these services over the
past few years.”88 As Kidmann and Heymann argue, the provision of “timely technical and
financial resources could build on this momentum…suggesting that the foundation for a
scaled-up response already exists.”89 Kwithu CBO, alongside or in direct partnership with
these development organizations, is well positioned to increase the positive outcomes of
interventions within Mzuzu, and possibly throughout Malawi.
53
Chapter 5
LITERATURE REVIEW of RESEARCH of
INTERVENTIONS in NORTHERN MALAWI
A literature review of six studies, conducted within the past decade of comparable
interventions operating within the shared socio-economic context of Malawi, provides further
context to the work of Kwithu CBO within Mzuzu. The three-pronged programming of Kwithu
CBO, encapsulated in its mission statement, Feed, Educate and Empower, is supported by
current research which finds that interventions that strengthen society’s capacity to support
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is a fundamental step towards mitigating the socio-
economic impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The first of the six studies, “The Extent of
Community and Public Support Available to Families Caring for Orphans in Malawi,”
conducted in 2007 by Rachel Kidman and S. Jody Heyman from the Institute for Health and
Social Policy at McGill University, is examined in the previous section, an “Overview of
Similar Organizations.” Five additional studies are detailed in the following analysis of Kwithu
CBO’s mission to feed, educate and empower.
Impact of Orphanhood on Food Security & Education in Malawi

In 2010, Jonathan Rivers et al expanded upon data from a 2004 study of 276
households in Blantyre, Malawi, conducted in partnership between UNICEF, UNAIDS,
and USAID, that sought to improve outcomes of interventions aimed at orphans and
vulnerable children (OVC). Rivers’ research further contributed to information in the
high HIV/AIDS context of Malawi, regarding levels of food insecurity between
households that include OVC versus those that did not. It is commonly understood that
increased levels of food insecurity among OVC is a significant obstacle to education,
with malnutrition and hunger diminishing the ability to concentrate at school and often
causing children to remain at home. Rivers’ research found that “multiple-orphan
households and multiple-orphan households that cared for at least one additional
foster child were 2.42 and 6.87 times more likely to be food insecure, respectively, than
54
non-orphan households.”90 While myriad studies have focused on the impact of AIDS
mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of orphanhood, livelihood and household wellbeing,
Rivers concludes that the degree of vulnerability rises exponentially between households as
the complexity of the situation increases.91 Of the 350 children registered for the 2017-2018
school year program at Kwithu CBO, 180 are single orphans (one parent has died); 50 are
double orphans (both parents have died); 120 are considered vulnerable; and 3 children
reside in a “child-headed” household.92
Improving Secondary Education for Orphans & Vulnerable Children in Malawi
In February 2017, Whitney Voss Lingenfelter from the School of Nursing at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison presented a study examining the relationship between
education and health for orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi. Lingenfelter’s research
indicates that due to “a strong, significant, and causal relationship between education and
health, the consequence of not receiving an education may be dire,”93 particularly in a low-
development country such as Malawi facing an HIV/AIDS epidemic.
According to the National Statistical Office of Malawi, approximately 17% of children
under the age of 18 are classified as OVC, orphan or vulnerable child; with a 23% increase in
the number of orphans from 1 million in 2011 to 1.3 million in 2013, due in large part to rising
consequences of the AIDS epidemic.94 Amplifying their level of vulnerability, OVC children
face distinct disparities in access to education, with school fees constituting the greatest
barrier to secondary education, according to International Partners in Research (2013).95
Many of the Kwithu children stated that they would not have been able to attend secondary
school without the support of scholarship fees. The overwhelming daily struggle of poverty
within households facing the additional ramifications of an HIV/AIDS epidemic, education is
simply beyond reach. For the 2016/2017 school year, Kwithu CBO provided school fees for
ninety-eight children that would have otherwise not been able to attend school. Ninety-five of
the scholarships were for secondary school, including twenty-three to Mzuzu International
Academy (MIA) boarding school, with an additional three students provided tertiary school
fees to attend university in Malawi. These three university students were former Kwithu
children who were also among the first graduates of MIA.
90 Jonathan Rivers. “The impact of orphanhood on food security...” 2010. pg. S264.
91 Jonathan Rivers. “The impact of orphanhood on food security...” 2010. pg. S270.
92 See Photograph 1 in References.
93 Whitney Voss Lingenfelter. “Improving secondary education…” 2017. pg. 1.
94 Whitney Voss Lingenfelter. “Improving secondary education…” 2017. pg. 4.
95 Whitney Voss Lingenfelter. “Improving secondary education…” 2017. pg. 5. 55
Impact of Education on Household Incomes in Malawi
In 2009, Mirriam M. Matita and Ephraim W. Chirwa, from the Department of Economics at
the University of Malawi, conducted a study entitled “The Impact of Education on Self-
Employment, Farm Activities and Household Incomes in Malawi,” in which they seek to quantify
“the estimated rates of return on education from self-employment activities and on overall
household income.”96 Their results indicate that while primary education is necessary, it is not
sufficient for poverty reduction.97 However,
The simulation of impacts of education on household income has revealed that
targeting the poor households to complete higher education almost eliminates
poverty, although major changes in poverty occur with ensuring that at least
one member of the household completes junior secondary school.98
The interesting aspect of Matita and Chirwa’s research is that it addresses the difficulty of
applying the widely-accepted economic development principle of Human Capital Theory within
the context of a developing country. Professor Gary Becker of the University of Chicago is
credited with defining expenditures on education, training and medical care as the most important
investments in human capital, which as personal assets, yield income and other beneficial socio-
economic outputs over an extended period of time. In developing countries such as Malawi, a
majority of the labor force work outside of a formal economy. Therefore, the traditional model of
Human Capital Theory has been revised by economists to accurately assess the benefits of
education for those self-employed in both agriculture and non-farm economic activities. Matita
and Chirwa build upon the work of previous scholars to analyze the rate of return on education for
the self-employed, primarily within areas of informal economic activity.
In Malawi, only twelve percent of the population is employed in formal labor, and fifty
percent of those jobs are within the agricultural sector.99 The vast majority of Malawians engage
in non-wage, income generating activity classified as informal self-employment, with subsistence
farming serving as the prevailing form of self-employment. Using national household per capita
expenditure data as a measure of household income, Matita and Chirwa then apply the Mincerian
Earnings Function, a single-equation model, to explain income as a function of education.100 In
summary, the results of their study reveal substantial rates of return in earnings as a direct result
of secondary and tertiary educational inputs.101
96 Mirriam Matita and Ephraim Chirwa. “The Impact of Education on Self-Employment…in Malawi.” pg. 1.
101 Mirriam Matita and Ephraim Chirwa. “The Impact of Education on Self-Employment…in Malawi.” pg. 29. 56
Of particular note is the fact that while primary school has been free in Malawi since
1994,102 fees must be paid to attend secondary school, as well as for tertiary studies.
Students are accepted to secondary schools based on merit testing, with the highest-ranking
students admitted at national schools, followed by district boarding schools, and lastly,
community day secondary schools, which is often the only option for the most vulnerable
children.103 Matita and Chirwa’s research reveals the potency of higher level education in
reducing levels of poverty:
The returns from overall household income per capita range from 1.4% in primary
education to 27% in university education. Targeting poor households to complete higher
education almost eliminates poverty. Completion of primary school education, marginally
contributes to reduction in poverty, raising questions about the potency of a free primary
education policy in making a meaningful dent in poverty reduction efforts from a point of
investments in human capital. More importantly, substantial improvements in household
income and reductions in poverty start to emerge with investments in junior secondary
school level. If it were possible to target the poor households so that at least one member
of such household is supported to complete junior secondary school, the Millennium
Development Goal of reducing poverty by 2015 could be a realistic target through
investment in education. Improving the education level of poor households to junior
certificate, and the possibility of improvement in job opportunities would reduce the level
of poverty by more than 65 percent.104
Matita and Chirwa’s research supports the value of Kwithu’s After-School Tutoring program
which enables vulnerable children to be accepted to, and have their school fees paid for, at
quality secondary schools that would not be accessible otherwise. Furthermore, the results
provide validation for the founding of Mzuzu International Academy, which also provides
scholarships for Kwithu CBO children to attend a superior boarding school which in turn,
provides a pathway to university which would not have otherwise been accessible to
vulnerable Kwithu children. On the community level, Mzuzu International Academy offers a
significant contribution to an otherwise inadequate Malawian secondary school infrastructure,
thereby expanding the accessibility and impact of quality secondary education within the
Mzuzu community at large, in addition to the Kwithu scholarship recipients in particular.
102Thomas McNamara. “Local Utilization of NGO Presence in Changing Discourse of Education...” 2013. pg. 2.
103Thomas McNamara. “Local Utilization of NGO Presence in Changing Discourse of Education...” 2013. pg. 3.
104Mirriam Matita and Ephraim Chirwa. “The Impact of Education on Self-Employment…in Malawi.” pg. 29.
57
The Influence of Orphan Care On Caregiver’s in Malawi
Research conducted in 2010 by Megan Littrell, et al on behalf of Population Services
International, sought to understand the impact of orphan care on the health status of
caregivers in Malawi. The study of over 1200 caregivers over a two-year time period indicates
that assuming
responsibility for the care and protection of orphans in Malawi has negative
implications for caregiver health…The powerful repercussions of poverty and
food insecurity on well-being were supported by this analysis…These findings
suggest that interventions aimed at building capital and improving food security
can sustain or improve caregiver well-being.105
The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable
Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS,106 presented in partnership between UNAIDS
and UNICEF, recognizes that extended families are the most appropriate and effective
system of providing care to OVC. As governments and civil society organizations develop
policy and programming based on the foundation of extended families serving as caregivers,
the capacity and well-being of caregivers must be considered as an integral factor of a
program’s impact. As Littrell’s 2011 research indicates,
Where caregiver well-being is diminished, the foundation of the extended family
care system is threatened. Yet solid family systems of care anchored by strong
caregivers will be needed for continued mitigation of the social impacts of HIV
and AIDS to the systems of childcare and protection for years to come. Findings
from this study suggest that support targeted to orphan caregivers as well as
efforts to improve food security and household wealth may each hold promise
for sustaining caregivers facing difficult circumstances.107
Perceptions of “Being Educated” and Increased Empowerment in Northern Malawi
The concept of empowerment is considered interdependent with degrees of

educational attainment, as reflected in the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) and
Gender Inequality Index (GII). In 2013, Thomas McNamara of the University of Melbourne,
105 Megan Littrell, et al. “The influence of orphan care…on health status…” pgs. 1158-1560.
106 UNICEF. “The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans...” July 2004.
107 Megan Littrell, et al. “The influence of orphan care…on health status…” pg. 1560.
58
conducted a study to understand the changing discourse of education in Northern Malawi.
Unlike the work of Matita and Chirwa which concentrated on economic returns, McNamara
sought to understand the aggregate increase in social capital resulting from the status of
“being educated,” by studying the social and economic advantages afforded individuals within
their communities. Malawian culture places a high value on education despite national
challenges of providing widespread, high-quality education. McNamara specifically seeks to
understand how the idea of education implied by number years of schooling compares to “the
aspirational poor’s claim that the presence of an NGO can be utilized to create an equivalent
educational status through non-formal classes and personal associations.”108 This is of
particular interest in the evaluation of Kwithu’s impact on the founding Kwithu Women’s Group
and the development of their individual sense of empowerment as a result of their years of
involvement with the CBO, both as volunteers and also as beneficiaries.
While being regarded as an “educated person” is often dictated by culturally specific
norms, “being educated” can provide significant benefits. In addition to the quantifiable
economic returns discussed previously, education can deliver qualitative outcomes as well, in
the symbolic form of social capital, supporting claims of superior status both within the
household and the community. McNamara’s research revealed that in Northern Malawi, “Being
educated’ provides advantages including feeling entitled to express oneself in front of elders or
community leaders…Educated women have an enhanced ability to negotiate later marriage,
refute sexual partners and critique gender roles.”109 Individual interaction with an NGO is
incentivized and influenced by an increased perception of “being educated.” “The
intercommunity interaction between the NGOs and the concept of ‘education’ that was most
beneficial to an individual was volunteering.”110 Training programs provided by NGOs were
also found to increase the perception of participants as “educated” within the local context.
108 Thomas McNamara. “Local Utilization of NGO Presence in Changing Discourse of Education...” 2013. pg. 2.
59
Chapter 6
EVALUATION
of the
INTEGRATED PROGRAMMING
of
KWITHU CBO
61
Organization Background
In 2003, Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys returned to her childhood home in the

Northern region of Malawi for her sister’s funeral. Following a career in
humanitarian assistance, she had moved in 1998 with her American husband
and two young children to the United States. The couple had been living in
Rwanda, both employed by International NGOs to work with refugees following
the 1994 Genocide.
One of eight children, this was Msowoya-Keys’ fourth sister to have
passed away from the AIDS epidemic ravaging southern Africa. She noticed the
large number of young children during the funeral, which she found odd because
in Malawian culture, children do not typically attend funerals. Msowoya-Keys
realized they had come in search of food. They were AIDS orphans. According
to the National Statistic Office of Malawi, 17% of the country’s children under the
age of eighteen are categorized as OVC, Orphans & Vulnerable Children.111
Although now living thousands of miles away from the humanitarian
crises she had spent a lifetime working to alleviate, Msowoya-Keys felt
compelled to action. In 2004, she and twenty local Mzuzu women committed to
feeding one hot meal a week to twenty children. They called themselves the
Kwithu Women’s Group. Kwithu (pronounced kwee-too) means home in the
local language of Tumbuka.
Many of the women were widows or HIV-positive with very limited
resources themselves. Msowoya-Keys felt strongly that beyond providing the
basic nutritional needs of the OVC, quality education was vital to generate
lasting positive change in her home country. While the local women committed
to provide one daily meal a week for twenty vulnerable children, Msowoya-Keys
worked to raise money in the U.S. to support their efforts. Maloto, meaning
dreams, was launched in 2007 as a funding organization to support both the
activities of Kwithu CBO, along with the building of Mzuzu International
Academy.
111 National Statistical Office of Malawi (NSOM). “Malawi Demographic and Health Survey.” 2017.
62
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
MALOTO
US Based Funding Operation
Founded in 2007
MZUZU INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY KWITHU KITCHEN

Women’s Economic Empowerment
Sept 2010: opened with 35
students in 2 classes (freshman & sophomore) Cooperative Food Processing Business
May 2014: First Graduating Class Launched in 2011 with guidance from
Meredith Brokaw
Sept 2017: 120 primary +

130 secondary boarding school students KWITHU CBO
Community Based Organization began in 2004 by
20 members of Kwithu Women’s Group led by Dr. Anna Msowoya-Keys
AFTER SCHOOL FEEDING AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING

Began in 2004 feeding 20 children Primary school lesson reinforcement & test
one hot meal once a week. prep for secondary school entrance exams
Today: 350 children fed Youth activities & HIV/AIDS

one hot meal 3 times a week support groups for over 65 children
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION VWILA COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Began in 2010: 3 yr old and 4 yr old sections Began in 2004: HIV/AIDS education
with 20 children in each & health care access
One of the few ECD programs Today, 8 Groups cover 8 Neighborhoods,

in Northern Malawi Reaching over 1,000 families
DRAFT
63
KWITHU CBO INTEGRATED PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
2004 2006 2007 2010 2011 2013 2014 2016 2017
KWITHU CBO MZUZU MALOTO MZUZU KWITHU KWITHU First 8 Kwithu Children KWITHU CBO
Founded INTERNATIONAL Founded INTERNATIONAL Women’s KITHCEN Graduating Class Graduate from After School Feeding
by Anna M-Keys ACADEMY by Anna M.Keys Group Tomato Canning @ Mzuzu 350 Children
ACADEMY
Cooperative Mzuzu International 1 hot meal
& Opens Learn
After School US-Based Funding is International Academy 3 days a week
New Tomato Canning
Feeding Organization Launched Academy
KWITHU CBO 35 Students in Skills
+ to support Kwithu CBO Vwila HIV/AIDS
Facilities 2 Classes:
After School Kwithu CBO Student Community
Freshman &
Tutoring & Scholarships:
Sophomore Outreach
Mzuzu 94 to
$600,000 Raised to 8 Groups reach over
20 Women International Secondary school
begin construction 1,000 families
Providing Academy KWITHU CBO +
20 Children on 4 to
New Facility Opens Mzuzu
1 Hot Meal land donated Malawian
1 day a Week by the universities International
in a Government KWITHU + Academy
Thatched Roof of 1 to a 120 Primary
Malawi
Early Childhood
Shelter US College 130 Secondary
Education Students
Begins
Vwila HIV/AIDS 15 Kwithu Graduates
2 Classes: to date
Community
3 yr olds & 4 yr olds
Outreach 20 children each
Begins MALOTO
Over $8 million
Some of the first Raised to date for
volunteers had children Kwithu CBO & MIA
in the CBO program
65
Mission: FEED•EDUCATE•EMPOWER
Kwithu CBO’s mission is to transform the lives of women and children living in extreme
poverty in Northern Malawi, rooted in the belief that through access to nutrition, education and
development activities, women and children can improve their quality of life and lift
themselves out of poverty. Jessica Bloom, Maloto’s US-based Director of Development
explains the organization’s “emphasis on local solutions to local problems underlies our
participatory community development approach and focus on self-reliance. We believe that
solutions generated by local women ensure that development remains relevant to their lives,
builds on their knowledge and is ultimately sustained by them.” Hence, the tagline Feed,
Educate, Empower, succinctly describes the mission of Kwithu CBO.
Preliminary Hypothesis:
As a result of local, female leadership, Kwithu CBO provides a comprehensive

platform of sustainable development through women’s empowerment programming
which improves both the economic and social position of its recipients. Positive
outcomes of female empowerment on an individual level then have “spillover”
effects at the household level, as well as the greater Mzuzu community at large.
It is the assumption of this research, based on the exploration of the idea of “women’s
empowerment” previously detailed in this report, that in fulfilling their dual roles of both
caregivers and breadwinners, a genuine sense of empowerment for the Women’s Group of
Kwithu CBO cannot be separated from the wellbeing of their children in particular, and their
households and communities in general. Within the context of daily life that involves the dual
struggles of poverty compounded by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, an integrated program that
seeks to simultaneously feed and educate in tandem with the empowerment of its
beneficiaries, increases exponentially the potential for positive sustainable outcomes of
empowerment.
67
The following three sections highlight the primary themes upon which the qualitative
data was analyzed, based upon the Kwithu mission of Feed, Educate, and Empower. As part
of the QUIP tool of evaluation, interview transcripts have been reviewed and comments further
organized by relevant theme, as opposed to simply by speaker. Various issues within each
theme are also addressed and categorized. Additionally, the next three sections reflect the first
two of three steps of an Empowerment Evaluation: taking stock and setting goals.
Interviewees reflect on the Kwithu mission over the past thirteen years, their feelings regarding
the CBO today, and reveal their hopes for the future. The third and final step of an
Empowerment Evaluation, developing strategies, will be addressed in the “Stakeholder
Recommendations” section, where ideas for improving interventions and expanding reach will
be explored.
Please also note that some of the quotations to follow have been slightly edited for
clarity, but have not been edited otherwise, so as to accurately express the voice of the
speaker.
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Empowerment Evaluation Steps 1 & 2:
Taking Stock & Setting Future Goals
F It’s difficult to do anything when

E people are hungry and malnourished…
E But, we also know that we can’t just stop there.
D Dr. Msowoya-Keys
Because of overcrowding, the Malawian public schools are taught in two daily
sessions, with children attending during either morning or afternoon shifts. In order to ensure
all Kwithu children are able to receive their hot meal on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the
women serve food in two shifts. Providing food for children that would otherwise be hungry
is the core mission of Kwithu CBO. Hunger can prevent children from attending school and
diminish the ability to learn by those that do attend school. As previously described, the
organization began from a desire of local women volunteering to feed twenty children one
nutritious meal a week. The provision of food is also the most direct, quantifiable evidence of
Kwithu’s impact: In 2004, twenty children in Luwinga District were fed one hot meal a week.
Thirteen years later, in 2017, over three hundred and fifty children are fed three hot meals a
week.
The impact of their efforts to feed children is a significant source of pride for the
Kwithu Women’s Group. It is also the shared desire that strengthened the resolve of the
original twenty women to multiply their impact to reach more children for an increased
number of days over the past decade. But the pressure remains, and the women feel they
“still have work to do because these children are only being fed three days a week so they
may be hungry for the other four days.” (Code 11F)
Providing a meal to a hungry child is a first step. The acute needs resulting from food
insecurity have driven the Kwithu Women’s Group to expand the CBO programming in order
to address the interrelated issues of HIV/AIDS, education and empowerment. The Vwila
HIV/AIDS Community Outreach program is one example of the integrated programs
operated by Kwithu CBO. The initial Vwila Group of volunteers, organized shortly after the
CBO was formed, were caregivers of children participating in the Kwithu feeding program. In
2017, there are now eight Vwila Community Groups conducting HIV/AIDS outreach
counseling, reaching over one thousand families in eight Vwila Community Groups
69
conducting HIV/AIDS outreach counseling, reaching over 4,500 individuals and one thousand
families in eight different neighborhoods within Mzuzu. (Code 1) The volunteers are trained at
various clinics to spread the most up-to-date information regarding treatment. The Vwila
Group also partners with the Luwinga District Office of HIV/AIDS to coordinate testing,
medication and training. Because of high rates of migration, specific numbers are difficult to
ascertain, but the population average of each Vwila target neighborhood ranges from sixty to
one hundred and forty families. (Code 1)
Several Vwila members suggested a small fund be created to provide resources for
seeds and other small-scale agricultural efforts. Home-based gardens could provide a
supplemental food source for their own family’s needs, as well as a source of nutrition for
many of the households they visit afflicted by HIV/AIDS. (Code 1)
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E Education doesn’t guarantee you a future,
but it gives you a fighting chance.
D
Dr. Msowoya-Keys
U
C Across the interviews and focus groups, from young teenagers to older adults, a
A high value was placed on education despite other overwhelming needs. A significant
T concern is the quality of primary and secondary education provided by the Malawian
E
educational system; however, the primary source of anxiety for both children and
caregivers was the potential inaccessibility of secondary school resulting from an inability to
pay fees.
It’s no secret that the situation here in this country is bad. Most people cannot afford
to get the education they need to fulfill their potential. We have people who are really
smart, who really have the will to learn, but they just don’t have the resources. So, to
anyone out there, who actually has resources and is willing to help, that’s a really,
really, really big help because it makes a really big difference. And to those that are
already helping they shouldn’t stop, because they are really doing a lot to help.
(pauses briefly) Sorry this is a bit too close to home for me. It something which we
really appreciate, we can’t explain in words, something that is really deep from within,
something that comes from the heart, is pure. (Code 3A)
Lingenfelter’s 2017 research also concludes that school fees are the greatest barrier to
secondary education in Malawi and a primary cause of anxiety for caregivers and
children.112 Although primary school has been free within the public-school system since
1994, students who cannot pay secondary school fees are prohibited from attending school,
often removed during class by the administration.
Secondary school admission is predicated by scores achieved on the Primary School
Leaving exam. High-achieving students can secure a seat in prestigious government
boarding schools. Students receiving scores in the lower percentile may not be admitted for
public secondary school. Lack of sufficient resources in the public primary schools in the
Luwinga District would leave many of the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) ill-
prepared for the exam. The quality of education provided by public secondary schools
varies widely from the prestigious government boarding schools to the less-selective district
112 Whitney Voss Lingenfelter. “Improving secondary education for orphans…Malawi…” 2017. pg. 5.
71
level day schools where resources are limited, often requiring several children to share one
book. Consequently, students are often unable to complete homework assignments. Lack of
household electricity further hinders day students from studying at home without sufficient
light.
The Kwithu After-School Tutoring program has enabled many of the OVC children to
pass the exam with scores that qualify for high quality secondary schools. According to
Kwithu’s Director of Tutoring, approximately forty children arrive for the 9am tutoring session,
followed by their meal and then an afternoon session of school. More than eighty children
arrive after school at 2pm for lunch, followed by tutoring. The children in the program attend
eight different primary schools. Tutoring is conducted in the subjects of math and English. The
Director of the After-School Tutoring program connects with the students’ teachers for copies
of the syllabi and textbooks so that the Kwithu tutoring is in synch with the public-school
curriculum. (Code 6)
Kwithu scholarships, supported by Maloto in partnership with a grant from the Egmont
Trust, to both public secondary schools as well as Mzuzu International Academy (MIA),
assure children and their caregivers that fees will not be an obstacle to continuing education.
Kwithu CBO Student Sponsorship: 2016/2017 School Session113

Secondary Schools 71
Mzuzu International Academy 23
University in Malawi 04
Total Kwithu School Sponsorships 98
Many students report that in addition to the financial sponsorship and academic
reinforcement, the psycho-social support provided by Kwithu is a crucial component in
strengthening their capacity for academic achievement. Both formally and informally, the
students receive encouragement and motivation to overcome their hardships to succeed
academically. MIA students currently working as volunteer tutors at Kwithu felt the CBO
exerted “a lot of peer pressure” which led to much more positive outcomes then if they had
not participated in the programs. (Code 2) In addition to the After-School Tutoring, Kwithu
activities include sports, performing arts, volunteer opportunities and mentoring clubs led by
older students. There are also peer group activities to support the sixty four Kwithu children
that are HIV positive and their families. A current MIA student described what being a part of
the Kwithu community continues to mean to him today in terms of his boarding school
113 See References: Photograph 3.
72
experience:
We are family, so we come to each other, if we need help in class or soap. We
are a community, one family. We look out for each other. (Code 4)
In addition to the five Kwithu children that were accepted for the 2017/2018 school year at
MIA based on exam results, five additional girls were also accepted at the most prestigious
government boarding schools in Malawi. One of the girls received such high test scores that
the government accidentally initially assigned her to an all-boy boarding school, presuming
such a high score must be from a boy. (Code 8) Dr. Msowoya-Keys described the news of the
five girls as among her most proud moments, proof that the support these OVC receive at
Kwithu is accomplishing their vision of positively transforming the trajectory of Malawi’s future.
A 2013 evaluation conducted on behalf of International Partners in Research found that
“boarding schools seem to have a broader mission in terms of education, leading to
socialization of students in ways that touched all realms of students’ lives.”114 The long-term
outcome is that boarding students have an increased capacity to live more stable, productive
adult lives. This outcome is supported by the comments of all students interviewed, from
current primary level Kwithu children (n=7), former Kwithu students currently enrolled as
boarding students at MIA (n=20), as well as recent MIA graduates that had been beneficiaries
of Kwithu during their primary school years (n=6). One boy described initially wanting to
become an economist. He now realizes he has a love of sports, and would like to someday
open a sports academy. He had never experienced an organized sports program before his
time at Kwithu and MIA. Teachers in Malawi are not trained to teach sports and music, so he
feels he has discovered a realistic opportunity for his future. (Code 2A)
Students expressed great appreciation and relief for the stability in their daily lives
which allows them to focus academically. Many students described having hope for the future
as a result of receiving a quality education. Students’ visions for their future include secure
employment and stable income via careers in specific professions such as business,
engineering or healthcare, as well as the ability to help others. (Code 4)
Because of my time at Kwithu, my chances of becoming a doctor have basically soared.
(Code 4)
When I graduate from college, I want to be sure I have no regrets, that I missed a step or
didn’t get the right marks. I know it’s hard to find a job so I have a few plans that I need to
114 Karen Solheim, RN, PhD. “IPE Evaluation 2013.” International Partners for Education. pg. 7.
73
fulfill. So, possibly in 10 years I want to be someone who makes a social change, not
necessarily on the scale of Kwithu because that takes times, dedication, as well as love.
Basically, more of a “bud” of Kwithu, help in the form that I make something of myself that
can help Kwithu and help others. (Code 3A)
The students’ statements are evidence of increased social capital derived from the status of
“being educated,” which then affords socio-economic benefits for an individual as well as
his/her household within the Mzuzu community (McNamara 2013).
As an expansion of the education programming, an Early Childhood Development
(ECD) program was launched in 2010 for three and four year olds from vulnerable
households in the community. There are very limited opportunities for ECD programs in
Mzuzu. Renowned development economist and Director of the UN Sustainable Development
Solutions Network, Jeffrey Sachs, argues that based on rigorous evidence, investments in
“early childhood development (ECD) programs, including high-quality child care, preschool,
health care, and nutrition programs for young children, give an enormous boost to gender
equality and to the wellbeing of young children and their mothers…(and) not only lead to
efficiency in the sense of high economic returns but to fairness and social inclusion as
well…(so) all children rich or poor have a real chance to succeed and become productive
citizens.”115 Registration for the 2017/2018 Kwithu ECD classes was overwhelmed by
demand. According to the Director of Kwithu’s Educational Programs, approximately two
hundred children were turned away for the twenty spots in each of the two classes. (Code 8)
Several Vwila Group members and the Kwithu CBO volunteers, who are primarily
involved with preparing the food, feeding the children and cleaning, brought up their strong
interest in vocational training as a path to a more stable income. (Code 1 & 10) Interestingly,
several MIA students also raised the issue of vocational training as an alternative path in lieu
of college. The students that spoke of vocational training were high-achieving students that
had been accepted to secondary boarding school at MIA, and are fully expecting to attend
university. The topic came up during discussions regarding their friends from Kwithu that had
not qualified for MIA or other highly-competitive secondary schools. Concerned for their
friends’ future, the MIA students contend that everyone is capable of leading a productive
adult life, including those who were not necessarily college-bound.
From my experience from the day I started at Kwithu until now, the key is education.
115 Jeffrey D. Sachs. The Age of Sustainable Development. 2015. pg. 249-262.
74
ECD Class Vwila Community Outreach
After School Tutoring
75
You can have all of those ambitions and plans, but if you don’t have education
you cannot succeed. Also, apart from that, I’m a realist. You know, people are
born with different skills. There are some people that are good at education and
some people that are not good at education, and they are all at Kwithu. So, the
way I see it, Kwithu focuses very much on education, but there are many people
who are capable of doing other things, maybe designing, tailoring, vocational skills.
I feel like those kinds of people should also have something to do, like a vocational
program. (code 3B)
The fact that many of the Kwithu children have reached tertiary level education is an
outcome that was beyond the scope of expectation thirteen years ago when the organization
was founded. During 2016/2017 school year, nine Kwithu children that graduated from MIA
are now receiving scholarships to attend university in Malawi. One Kwithu/MIA graduate is
currently a sophomore at a highly ranked American liberal arts college, following a gap year
spent at a college-preparatory boarding school in Connecticut. (The funding for this single
child is provided by a source outside of the Maloto budget.) Six recent Kwithu/MIA graduates
are currently spending a gap year working as volunteer tutors at both MIA and Kwithu CBO
while they wait to receive their university admissions for September 2018. The women
reminisced about their first twenty children, many now at universities, being fed once a week
in a small shelter with a dirt floor and a thatched roof that leaked when it rained, to today’s
facilities constructed especially for the CBO programs.
Oh, we are very happy, very proud of these children. Because of that feeding,
our children, they feel happy, no worries about other things, just reading and
feeling happy. When they see us, (they see) their parents. We treat them as
our children. (Code 11B)
Another added:
We are so proud because we have come from the floor up to the sky. (Code 11A)
Considered through the lens of Moser’s Framework which seeks to classify practical
versus strategic gender needs in terms of their potential to correct an imbalance of power, the
voices of the Kwithu Women’s Group demonstrate that education can reasonably apply to
both practical and strategic ends of the spectrum as indicators of empowerment.116
76
E
M
P Education provides a foundation, but
O women need to take charge of their lives and their future.
W Dr. Msowoya-Keys
E
R Indicators of empowerment directly attributable to Kwithu CBO are evident across
the range of program stakeholders. One MIA student who began at Kwithu at the age of
nine, described how she developed the ability to express herself.
I think that if I wasn’t coming from Kwithu I would be at one of those local
schools that we have here in Mzuzu, and I wouldn’t be able to speak in
English. It has helped me improve my speaking skills and how to
communicate with others, communicate with people from outside about
what we like, what we don’t like and to help each other in times of trouble.
(Code 4A)
The same child discussed her love of writing poetry and her aspiration to become a
journalist, so that she could “write in the first person to help others.” (Code 4A) At the end
of the interview, she offered a sample of her work:
You’re beautiful
Let no one define who you are
You’re special, you’re precious
Let no one say you’re not highly desired
You’re divergent
Be yourself: be unique
Let someone like you for who you are
Not for what you have
You have a heart of gold
Let no evil dwell in you
The women from the original group of twenty that began the work of Kwithu together
thirteen years ago provided the greatest insight of the transformation that has taken place in
their community and within their own lives. Many describe the skills they have learned from
each other, such as sewing and cooking, along with the lessons learned in areas of caring
for vulnerable children and HIV/AIDS healthcare protocols. Several discuss the school fees
that have been paid for their own children, and their personal pride for every Kwithu child
that has earned a place at MIA.
77
One member of the Kwithu Women’s Group is the caregiver in a household that
at one time included fifteen orphans. She describes the knowledge she acquired from
the group that is so important in providing her with the skills to care for vulnerable
children, many of which were HIV positive. She also learned knitting from a fellow
member, and now she knits the sweaters for the ECD uniforms from home.
Empowerment as an indicator may be difficult to quantify, but her words certainly
provide evidence of impact:
I didn’t manage to finish my own education, but from the skills which I acquired
at Kwithu, I am respected in society. I am considered as one of the intellectuals
in the community from the skills I have acquired from Kwithu. (Code 11J)
Her words confirm McNamara’s 2013 research that finds, outside the parameters of
formal education, individuals that volunteer with an NGO often are afforded the status of
“well-educated” within communities in Northern Malawi, along with a corresponding
increase in social capital.117
Each of the women reference the unity of their group as the most important factor
that has allowed them to accomplish so much more than they ever envisioned. (Code
11)
There were many other CBOs at the time we were starting. Some were here in
Luwinga, some were in Zolozol. Some of these CBOs have died and Kwithu is still
standing because the women had a shared vision and we had that motherly care.
Although maybe in a group, one or two can have different or competing ideas, but if
you see that the majority has a common understanding, you just give in to the
group. That has made Kwithu grow and that’s why Kwithu is still standing. (Code
11F)
In 2004, they struggled to gather resources to provide twenty hot meals once a week. In
2017, they serve over 1,000 meals a week for 350 children on Monday, Wednesday and
Fridays, in addition to the extensive list of other integrated programs they now offer.
Analyzed through Kabeer’s Social Relations Approach, female peer networks are
considered a strong indicator of women’s agency on a community level (Kabeer 1999).
117 Thomas McNamara. “Local Utilization of NGO Presence in Changing Discourse...” 2013. pg. 6.
78
Empowerment can take many forms:
helping in the community and not waiting for outside help,
demanding more from their community leaders,
earning a living through Kwithu Kitchen,
and knowing their rights in the family and in society.
Dr. Msowoya-Keys
Each of the original founding members, during individual interviews, was unequivocal
that the power of their group was derived from an all-female membership. Msowoya-Keys
believes that
with hard work, and some help, women can truly take control of their lives and
do so much for their families and communities. They just need to be given a
chance. It was important for me to work at home, to show women that I’m a
Malawian just like them. I was given some chances and opportunities, and I
took advantage of them. They can do the same thing. (Code 12)
Despite her optimism, Msowoya-Keys acknowledges the daily challenges Malawian women
face. Laws have been enacted in recent years that prohibit child marriage and protect a
woman’s right to communal property when her husband dies. Unfortunately, too often, laws
are violated because of patriarchal cultural norms that have not progressed as swiftly as the
law.
Because the original twenty members were all women, they were able to insulate
themselves within the confines of their small CBO from the gender power struggles typically
found within highly patriarchal societies. The women’s responses are resolute concerning
male participation in the early days:
No! The thing is that in our society, men have power over women, so if we were
to have brought men in the group, those men would have taken control. This
would not have been the same thing. Culture plays a big role. (Code 11I)
It would have been different with men. Men and we women, we are different.
Men if they come, (they say) It’s ours! They have power and they (take it).
We women, we come together, chatting together. (Code 11B)
79
80
An important point is that the women are not categorically opposed to male involvement:
All of the women have that heart of a mother, that is why this group is still going.
All are childbearing age, and know how it feels to raise a child, and the prestige
you feel in raising a child. Maybe if a man was involved which had the same
feeling as we had, it would work, but if a man was involved that had just a feeling
for money, it would not work. (Code 11E)
If men were incorporated into our group that shared our vision, this could have
grown even bigger. But, if men came with different ideas, just to benefit from the
help, this group would not have still been here. In Malawi, women are considered
inferior and men are considered superior, so if you have a group with maybe two
men and eighteen women you tend to expect the men to dominate. It was much
better to have women only in our group. (Code 11H)
Now that Kwithu has grown in size as an established organization within Mzuzu, the original
founders have brought on additional volunteers and a small paid staff to manage the
program’s myriad activities. Several men have been hired for jobs such as an accountant and
a sales manager for the growing Kwithu Kitchen business; however, the women retain all
positions of leadership.
We come as one unit as women. Men come only as employees. (Code 11B)
There were no men in our original group. Nooooo, at first, we didn’t have (men)
because we knew that if a man were to be among us, our group, we would soon
break. So, we were sticking to be only women. Then at last, when we came to
say that now this group has grown up, we don’t have this skill, we brought in a
first man to be an accountant. It is still a women’s run group. (Code 11A)
From the onset, including men would not have worked because of their different
motives. Men are more dominating, so they would have tried to control the
group. But now, the power is secure, so men can be brought in. Everyone who
comes here is a woman in spirit! (Code 11J)
The most recent program to be launched by the Kwithu CBO is a tomato canning
cooperative. In 2011, the Kwithu Women’s Group were trained in the techniques of tomato
81
canning. A Maloto board member was visiting Mzuzu with Msowoya-Keys in 2010 to
experience first-hand the impact of the feeding and educational programs, when she noticed
the abundance of tomatoes the women grew to feed the children. Her childhood canning skills
came to mind as a possible business opportunity for the Kwithu Women’s Group. If they were
successful, the revenue could provide a small income for the women and contribute resources
for the CBO programs. Kwithu Kitchen was officially launched in 2013. Today, the cooperative
is on a viable path to long-term grassroots program sustainability, diminishing, if not eventually
eliminating, the need for overseas funding. In 2017, the business is slowly growing. Msowoya-
Keys and the women identify area farms to grow their tomato supply, test out various
production methods (such as glass jars versus plastic bags) and cultivate a growing customer
base of hotels and grocery stores. There is discussion among the women of expanding their
products to include ketchup, tomato puree and tomato sauce.
Many of the women discuss the potential for Kwithu Kitchen to be a source of
employment within the Mzuzu community, and possibly for some of the former Kwithu children
after graduation. (Code 11) It is often said in the field of development that to raise a woman is
to raise a community. The Kwithu Women understand from first-hand experience the impact
they have had in their own community. They view the Kwithu Kitchen as an opportunity to
greatly increase the scale of their work. As one woman describes, they aspire to support
themselves as the “Malawian Queens of Tomatoes.” (Code 11D)
I will be proud if this Kwithu Kitchen is run properly. Then these young boys and
girls who learn from us, this Luwinga (District) will (improve), going onwards not
backwards. We have children with nowhere to go, just sitting at home, so this
Kwithu Kitchen, we have an opportunity to employ those young ones to come
and have their own work here…So, if we continue forward, everyone will be
proud of this Kwithu, of Mzuzu, of Malawi, their own nation. They will be proud
of us because maybe we women can employ some of our children, and then
they will help others and maybe our nation. (Code 11B)
While the Kwithu CBO has expanded its impact exponentially in thirteen years, the Kwithu
Kitchen is the program that has the power to potentially lead the women from their mission to
feed, educate and empower, to their ultimate vision of grassroots-generated sustainable
positive change in Malawi.
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Empowerment Evaluation Step 3:
Developing Strategies to Improve Impact
Kwithu CBO Stakeholder Recommendations
Across the spectrum of Kwithu CBO stakeholders, strong opinions emerge regarding
ways in which the programs might be more beneficial or generate greater impact. While some
ideas might seem obvious to an outsider, many ideas are based upon localized experiences
from daily interaction within the Kwithu CBO, that would not necessarily occur to a
development partner. Many suggestions would entail a minimal redirection of donor funds in
return for a potentially significant increase in impact. Also of interest, like the integrated
programs of Kwithu CBO, the concerns and recommendations from the local stakeholders do
not form a list of distinct ideas, but rather are very much interrelated. Therefore, when
adjustments are made within one program area, an overview across the entire CBO is
necessary to detect possible unanticipated outcomes within other programs.
Communication and the Resource of Time
As is common with many growing organizations, communication was repeatedly cited

as a weakness within the CBO. In particular, the launch of Kwithu Kitchen has created a
“growing pain” in the sense of a disconnect between the original founding women and other
stakeholders. Vwila Group members express feeling
a strong connection with the CBO women in the early years, but now the women
are more focused on the kitchen business development. Their connection has
grown weaker. (Code 1)
The new volunteers and staff are also aware of the strain on the women’s time and energy:
Kwithu kids at MIA always speak about having a “Mom” but as Kwithu Kitchen
has started, they started diverting their motherly love. (Code 7A)
Several of boarding students at MIA reflect back on their early days at Kwithu CBO:
When I joined, it was a smaller program, a lot more attention spaced out to each
83
child. What do you need? What improvements? What areas of progress? Where
are you better or not better? (Code 3A)
Some Kwithu staff suggest scheduled meetings between themselves and the women to
discuss the day to day logistics of program implementation, as well as longer term goals,
which would alleviate much of the disconnect and strengthen the relationship between various
stakeholders. (Code 7A)
The stakeholders of the other programs still look to the Kwithu Women for CBO
leadership despite their increased responsibilities from Kwithu Kitchen. The women
acknowledge their focus on the other CBO programs has diminished as a result of the time
spent working on Kwithu Kitchen. Several of the older women also feel their energy levels are
not what they once were. The women would like to increase the number of younger
volunteers who can be properly trained to assume the responsibilities of feeding and caring
for the children.
It (Kwithu) is growing and we are getting old. We need some people that can
learn our CBO, more volunteers to do the same as we’ve been doing, more
skills, more energy so our CBO can continue to grow. (Code 11A)
Daily stresses of work-overload can diminish a sense of well-being. While describing
themselves as “tired,” the members of the original Kwithu Women’s Group are looking to
recruit and train a new generation of members to carry on their work. (Code 11) Orchestrating
a new wave of volunteers is itself an indicator of empowerment, reflected by their control of
decision-making. The result of their efforts will bestow control over the women’s time as well.
Control over time is also an indicator of empowerment (Woodruff 2013). The three newer
volunteers express the desire to assume greater responsibility in caring for the children. A
more formalized process of transition between the original members and the new volunteers
should be actively developed. This is essential because Kwithu Kitchen remains the only
genuinely viable path to financial independence for both the women and the CBO.
Considering the communication concerns articulated by stakeholders, Kwithu’s
development partner, Maloto, must give serious consideration to what Moser referred to as
“planning for balancing the triple roles” of reproduction, production and community
responsibilities. The Kwithu Women’s caregiving and community responsibilities remain, while
they are now simultaneously attempting to launch a business. The increase in workload
arising from the Kwithu Kitchen project has had unintended consequences in the women’s
84
roles in the other CBO programs. The launch of Kwithu Kitchen has been incredibly exciting
for the founding members, who understandably view the tomato canning cooperative as their
first real opportunity to generate their own sustainable income, provide employment
opportunities within their community, and to lessen the reliance on foreign resources to
support Kwithu CBO programs. (Code 11G) And yet, time and energy are also limited
resources. Maloto donors should therefore direct increased focus towards investigating,
applying for and securing grants to develop this business, while providing support for the
original members to facilitate a transfer of day-to-day CBO responsibility to new members.
Financial Inclusion
A micro-loan program for Kwithu CBO volunteers and employees was repeatedly
raised as an area of consideration for future program expansion. It would entail a communal
savings pool, perhaps initiated with a seed donation from Maloto. Several of the Kwithu CBO
stakeholders raised this topic during interviews and focus groups. As previously mentioned,
members of the Vwila group suggest a fund to purchase small scale agricultural items such
as seeds and fertilizer. The fund would allow them to provide their clients with a supplemental
source of nutrition, as well as allowing themselves and HIV/AIDS clients to produce their own
small-scale gardens.
The ECD teachers spent a significant amount of the discussion explaining that small-
scale loans are a customary employee benefit in Malawi, but one which they do not have as
employees of the Kwithu CBO. (Code 9) Finding highly qualified teachers is a challenge in
Mzuzu, especially in the field of early childhood development which is not prevalent in the
region. These teachers would be highly employable at local primary schools. The loans are
apparently a very common employee benefit, which allow teachers to use their anticipated
income to cover the costs of immediate needs. The typical flow of household income and
expenditures in a low-developed country does not necessarily adhere to the more predictable
flow oh household expenditures in a developed economy. Therefore, a culturally-specific
employee benefit should be considered by the US-based Maloto donors as part of the yearly
budget review of Kwithu program costs. Some of the younger women volunteers who assist
in the preparation of food for the feeding program also brought up the topic of a source of
funding for small loans.
85
In another related topic of resource allocation, the idea of providing modest
“retirement” packages for some of the older, original Kwithu Women’s group is discussed.
This would facilitate a transition to new younger female volunteers who can carry on the work
of the CBO. The older members describe having diminished levels of energy and wanting to
recruit new members so the programs are sustainable for years to come. The concept of a
“retirement package” range from a set amount of money, to construction or renovation of
simple housing, as well as gifts such as sewing machines that would enable the women to
earn a small income from home. (Code 11)
Organization Infrastructure
Transportation:
In addition to the establishment of a small permaculture fund to address nutritional

needs of volunteers and clients, the Vwila group members voice other ideas to expand
impact of their HIV/AIDS outreach. Transportation is a challenge because of the great
distances the volunteers walk to visit clients and for meetings at the Kwithu community
center. Bicycles would greatly expand the territory they could cover. Their ultimate wish list
would include a van which would provide transportation for the entire group for meetings and
training sessions, while also providing a method of transporting clients that require medical
attention. Also proposed was the construction of a small satellite center on the site of the
original Kwithu CBO to improve communication among members and expand training in a
more central location. This would be a great benefit to Vwila members that reside a long
distance from the new Kwithu Community Center. Vocational training for both themselves as
well as their HIV-positive clients could also take place at the satellite center. (Code 1)
Expansion of ECD:
Expanding the Early Childhood Development program beyond two classes is

mentioned repeatedly. Class registration this year was overwhelmed by more than two
hundred applications beyond the twenty places in each the two classes for three and four
year olds. The ECD teachers, CBO staff and Kwithu Women’s Group all view the foundation
of early learning provided to the pre-school children as essential to future success, especially
in literacy skills.
86
CBO Library of Textbooks:
Current Kwithu students request copies of standardized textbooks used in Malawi
schools to be kept in a library at the Kwithu CBO center. They often do not have a copy of
their textbooks outside of class, so access to the books for homework and tutoring sessions
would be very helpful. (Code 4) The MIA students also request copies of their textbooks at
Kwithu so when they are home for breaks they would have access to their books. (Code 6)
Tutoring Spaces:
The large room used as a dining hall is also where tutoring sessions take place, in
addition to outside areas. When several tutoring groups are in session in the hall at the same
time, it is very distracting. While individual rooms are not realistic, perhaps draperies could be
installed to create separate spaces. (Code 6)
Other Suggestions:
The After-School program is in the process of creating a system of rules involving
input from all stakeholders, including tutors, children and parents. They hope to establish
consequences to guide progress so that “serious children will benefit, and those that don’t,
will have two chances. The third time you are out.” They hope to enter academic progress
reports for each student into the Kwithu system at the end of each term, along with psycho-
social information from the children’s backgrounds “so that each child can be treated
individually as needed,” and to monitor impact. (Code 6)
The Director of Tutoring also expressed his opinion that all caregivers should pay at
least a minimum fee for the ECD program.
Parents should understand that next time, the program may not be here because
the resources are coming from another place. It is up to us to educate parents that
fees are necessary. Not just receiving but contributing too. Even vulnerable families
should be required to pay something that requires some degree of sacrifice to
acknowledge the value of what Kwithu provides. (Code 6)
87
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATION
88
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations were not articulated specifically by Kwithu stakeholders, but
rather are based upon observations while conducting this research.
As previously referenced, the Malawi government’s 2015 AIDS Response Progress

Report cites the need for improved coordination on behalf of civil society programs.
Partnerships and collaboration are proven methods to strengthen and expand the positive
impact of development programs. Kwithu CBO should consider potential benefits of active
engagement with similar mission-driven organizations in the Northern Malawi region.
Partnerships and Collaboration
•Plan International has trained almost 12,000 Malawians in livelihood skills. Multiple Kwithu
participants expressed a desire to expand programming for vocational training. Perhaps Plan
International could partner with Kwithu to provide such training.
Also, Plan International, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, has launched Equal
Measures 2030 to ensure gender-focused data is readily available to women’s groups as an
easy-to-use guide for evidence-based planning. This should be investigated further to
determine if there is information that could be beneficial to Kwithu CBO and Maloto.
•Ungweru and Kwithu have much in common in terms of mission and community, including a
personal connection between their founders. Both organizations began the same year as
CBO’s, but Ungweru is now registered as an NGO. Kwithu could gain from understanding
what the benefits or unforeseen negative consequences have been for Ungweru from the
change in legal status.
Ungweru also has a “soft loan” program which might provide lessons for Maloto in creating a
Kwithu CBO loan program following the multiple requests by volunteers and staff.
Because both organizations have such similar youth programs in the Luwinga District,
perhaps shared events, such as soccer matches, performing arts or summer activities when
school is not in session, could be planned.
89
•Temwa is also very similar in mission and scope to Kwithu. Temwa does have some projects
that differ from Kwithu that might provide areas of partnership. For example, Temwa trains
villagers in sustainable farming practices. Not only could Temwa clients be a possible source
of tomatoes for the Kwithu Kitchen, but perhaps there are other vegetables that are grown by
Temwa farmers that could be canned by the Kwithu Women to expand their product line,
creating a mutually beneficial business opportunity.
Temwa also has an established microfinance program which would be another example for
Maloto to study to determine if there are ideas that could help develop Kwithu’s own small
loan program.
•Kaya Mawa’s Katunda Workshop has successfully merged the skills of local women with
the design of merchandise that targets highly profitable viable markets beyond the limited
Malawi consumer base. Kwithu Women’ Group are skilled in areas that could be employed to
produce items that are designed to appeal to a similar target consumer. With the strong
connection to the US via Maloto, perhaps the Maloto website could be expanded to sell online
crafts produced by the Kwithu women for a US market.
The owners of Kaya Mawa should also be targeted as potential customers of Kwithu Kitchen
products to supply the restaurants of their multiple hotels.
•ActionAid as noted earlier, was Anna Msowoya-Key’s first employer in the field of
humanitarian assistance. ActionAid has a core mission of generating citizen participation in

the public arena through its active engagement in political advocacy. Facilitated by her
previous relationship with ActionAid, perhaps the impact of Kwithu CBO could be expanded
specifically in the area of empowerment via collaboration with ActionAid. Kwithu Women’s
group as well as Kwithu students could develop the skills to become politically engaged in
advocacy on the grassroots level through a mentorship program with ActionAid.
90
Further Considerations
•In cooperation with Maloto, the Kwithu CBO Executive Director should conduct an annual
review of the costs versus benefits of upgrading the CBO status to NGO. A current
assessment of legal standards, tax consequences and potential government resource
allocation should be reviewed. As noted earlier, the experience of similar organizations such
as Ungweru might provide valuable guidance.
•While grant money has been received from Egmont Trust and USAID, greater focus should
be made by Maloto on expanding the possible resources available for both Kwithu CBO and
Kwithu Kitchen from development grants.
•In addition to a possible “shop” section on the Maloto website, consideration should be
given to provide more explicit ways for potential donors to contribute. Human nature is to
respond more quickly and significantly to specific rather than general need. In addition to
general financial donations, specific “items” such as student sponsorships for the school
year or classroom necessities such as tables and chairs, would provide tangible investments
for donors.
•Communication between Kwithu CBO and Maloto could also be improved. Distance, time
change and unreliable internet in Malawi contribute to insufficient contact between the
partner organizations. The capacity of Maloto to solicit funding for Kwithu CBO is greatly
enhanced by timely program updates which can then be shared with potential donors.
Maloto members are then more knowledgeable and can speak with greater authority in
describing both the successes as well as the needs in Mzuzu to potential donors. Down the
road, once the monitoring and evaluation process has been sufficiently put in place at
Kwithu CBO, perhaps the new Program Director and the new Director of Monitoring and
Evaluation, could send a monthly or quarterly newsletter via email to Maloto board members
in the US.
91
CONCLUSION
This research, guided by an extensive collection of gender analysis tools and evaluation
methodologies reveals the preliminary hypothesis to be true. Guided by local, female
leadership, Kwithu CBO provides a comprehensive platform of sustainable development
through women’s empowerment programming which improves both the economic and social
position of its recipients. Positive outcomes of female empowerment on an individual level
then have “spillover” effects at the household level, as well as the greater Mzuzu community
at large.
Quantitative data provides the first indicators of empowerment. In 2004, a group of
women, led by Anna Msowoya-Keys, committed themselves to providing one hot meal a
week to twenty AIDS orphans in their community. Some of the women were HIV-positive
themselves, some were widows, but despite their own personal challenges and limited
resources, they committed to make a change. Thirteen years later, while three have since
passed away, the remaining seventeen women feed three hundred and fifty children a hot
meal three times a week. During a thirteen-year period, the women empowered themselves
to generate a positive transformation in the lives of hundreds of children and their households
in the Luwinga District of Mzuzu. Twenty meals a week has grown to over one thousand
meals a week.
Quantifiable results further reveal evidence of impact beyond the women’s original
mission to feed. The Kwithu CBO, as their organization is now called, provides a collection of
integrated programs that grew from the women’s desire to offer a powerful response to the
dual crisis of HIV/AIDS and poverty that was destroying their community. Today, alongside the
After-School Feeding program, Kwithu CBO programs include:
•After-School Tutoring provided to over one hundred children
•Early Childhood Development classes with two sections for twenty 3 and 4 year-olds per
class for a total of 40 children
•School fees paid for 94 secondary students
•College tuition paid for 5 students
•Vwila Community Outreach volunteers reach over 1,000 families which translates to over
4.500 individuals in 8 Mzuzu neighborhoods for HIV/AIDS testing and education
While the numbers demonstrate solid evidence, qualitative assessments substantiate
significant outcomes of empowerment as well. In “localized feminist voices,” the women of
92
Kwithu CBO articulate their sense of confidence in their own power to effect change within
their community. One of the original founding women explains:
Most of the women, the core group, are still here. We wanted to forge ahead, to
see where we are going. Most of the other CBOs are just about money, or just
an idea, a CBO in a brief case. This is a CBO that is real. A significant factor is
this is not just economic. The sustainability of this CBO lies in the hands of those
that lie ahead of us. I see in Dr. Anna Keys, she has faith in those of us that are here.
(Code 11D)
The faith Msowoya-Keys has in the women of Kwithu CBO is revealed in her own words:
I feel very strongly that the women in Malawi shouldn’t be pitied. I feel strongly
that there are issues facing women here in the US. It’s not just in the ‘developing’
world that women are discriminated against. There’s a pay gap in the US that is
well documented. The sexual harassment stories that are now coming out are
shocking for us from the developing world because sometimes we think that these
issues have all been sorted out for a country that is supposed to be so ‘advanced’
like the U.S. Women’s rights are under siege with access to birth control in the
U.S. So, all of these things are challenges and should unite us all. (Code 12)
Since their initial efforts in 2004, the Kwithu Women’s Group continue to empower
themselves, their households and their community. While several of the original members are
growing old, new volunteers are being recruited and trained to carry on their mission. Building
upon the initial programs of feeding, education and HIV/AIDS outreach, the Kwithu Kitchen
now focuses directly on the economic empowerment of the women to support themselves, to
support their work at the Kwithu CBO, and to potentially provide a source of employment
within the Mzuzu community. Data collected via the QUIP and Empowerment Evaluation
methods of research, analyzed through the lens of the tools from each of the five gender
analysis frameworks, indicators confirm empowerment both an an individual and community
level as a result of the integrated programming of Kwithu CBO.
A quotation from Naila Kabeer provided the first words of this thesis. Many months and
many words later, they remain the most appropriate final words as well.
Because there are risks and costs incurred in any process of change, such change must
be believed in, initiated, and directed by those whose interests it is meant to serve.
Empowerment cannot be given, it must be self-generated.
93
APPENDIX: DATA REFERENCES
Interview & Focus Group Coding System:
Code 1: Vwila HIV/AIDS Community Outreach (n = 17)
Code 2 & 3: Former Kwithu CBO/ Mzuzu International Academy Graduates (n = 6)
Code 4: Former Kwithu CBO/Current MIA Secondary Students (n = 20)
Code 5: Current Kwithu CBO Primary School Students (n = 7)
Code 6, 7 & 8: Kwithu CBO Staff (n = 4)
Code 9: Early Childhood Development Teachers (n = 2)
Code 10: New Kwithu CBO Volunteers (n = 3)
Code 11: Founding Members of Kwithu Women’s Group (n = 11)

Code 12: Kwithu CBO and Maloto Founder, Executive Director (n = 1)
94
Photograph 1 Photograph 2
Photograph 3 Photograph 4
95
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A Case Study in Gender Analysis & Development:

Evaluating an Integrated Program for

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Sylvia Maier

Master of Science in Global Affairs

Center of Global Affairs

Chapter 1: Gender as a Concept Development 15

Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment 15

Gender Analysis Frameworks 19

The Moser Framework – Caroline Moser 19

The Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM) – Rani Parker 22

The Women’s Empowerment Framework – Sara H. Longwe 22

Social Relations Approach: Naila Kabeer 24

Road Map for Women’s Economic Empowerment: M.Buvinic 27

Concept of Sustainable Development 29

Chapter 2: Research Design & Selected Evaluation Methodologies 31

QUIP: Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol 34

Chapter 3: Republic of Malawi Country Context 37

Chapter 4: Overview of Organizations Providing Comparable Services 43

SOS Children’s Village Mzuzu 47

International Partners for Education 49

Kaya Mawa Lodge 51

Chapter 5: Literature Review of Interventions in Northern Malawi 54

Extent of Support Available to Families Caring for Orphans see pg 43

Impact of Orphanhood on Food Security & Education in Malawi 54

Improving Secondary Education for OVC in Malawi 55

Impact of Education on Household Incomes in Malawi 56

The Influence of Orphan Care on Children’s Caregivers in Malawi 58

Perceptions of “Being Educated” and Increased Empowerment in Malawi 58

Chapter 6: Evaluation of the Integrated Programming of Kwithu CBO 61

Kwithu CBO Organizational Chart 63

Kwithu CBO Integrated Program Timeline 65

EE Steps 1 & 2: Taking Stock and Setting Future Goals 69

EE Step 3: Developing Strategies to Improve Impact 83

Kwithu CBO Stakeholder Recommendations 83

Communication & the Resource of Time 83

Partnerships and Collaboration 89

Appendix: Data References 94

CBO Community Based Organization

ECD Early Childhood Education

GAD Gender and Development

GAM Gender Analysis Framework

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GII Gender Inequality Index

GNI Gross National Income

HDI Human Development Index

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

MIA Mzuzu International Academy

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

OVC Orphan and Vulnerable Child

QUIP Qualitative In-depth Individual Impact Assessment Protocol

WID Women in Development

Because there are risks and costs incurred

As a result of local, female leadership, Kwithu CBO provides a

1The World Bank. “Female Headed Households.” 2015. 14

Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment

economic indices as evidence of increased levels of empowerment. Thus, research must be

9 Christopher Woodruff. “Measuring Subjective Economic Empowerment.” 2013. pgs. 4-5.

A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks (1999) provides a highly useful overview of

The Moser Framework

12Caroline Moser. Gender Planning and Development. 1993. Section I.

14Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 57.

16Candida March, et al. A Guide to Gender-Analysis Frameworks. 1999. pg. 60.