An Article by Promise Msampha, Program Manager, Umunthu Plus Malawi
Umunthu Plus is a grassroots organization operating in five districts in Malawi, committed to promoting human rights, inclusive development, and social justice. Founded in 2015 by a group of female teachers from Nkhotakota district who recognized the barriers girls face in accessing quality education, the organization began as a community-based initiative. In 2017, we registered as a CBO and in 2021, it was officially registered as a local organization. Rooted in the African philosophy of Umunthu—the belief in shared humanity—we place community voices at the heart of everything we do.
Our work cuts across the following thematic areas:
- Healthy Communities with Accessible Healthcare Services: – particularly sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), menstrual health Hygiene, HIV prevention and adherence to ART, and mental health
- Inclusive Quality Education: supporting access to inclusive quality education and reintegration of marginalized children.
- Improved Food, Nutritional Security, Livelihood, and Environmental Management: Equipping community members with skills and opportunities and promoting self-reliance through sustainable economic and livelihood activities that generate income and social capital
- Gender, Protection and Human Rights: We advocate for a democratic society that is gender responsive, free from human rights violations, and embraces gender equality for people to enjoy their rights fully. strengthening
- Institutional Growth: We develop fundraising strategies to support the organization’s growth in resources, geographic reach, and the long-term impact of community interventions.
When Girls Rise: Breaking Cycles of Early Marriage and Stigma
Spotting insights from our interventions in Nkhotakota district, we are championing girls’ education and empowering women to actively participate in leadership positions through supporting local women leaders in mediating community conflicts and girls’ empowerment programmes that support young adolescent girls return to school after escaping early marriages. Through cross-sector collaboration, we’ve seen communities take charge of their transformation.
In Nkhotakota, many girls have historically faced rejection the moment they become pregnant. Yet, change is beginning to take root. For example, Abiti, now 16 and seven months pregnant, is living at home with her parents instead of being forced into marriage. She plans to return to school next year, a decision made possible by the guidance and counselling of mother groups trained through our adolescent girls’ support initiatives.
A key component of this work is our support for Village Savings and Loan (VSL) groups. These savings groups have proven instrumental in empowering mothers with the financial means to support their children’s education, especially girls returning to school after early pregnancies or marriages. With access to small loans and a reliable saving mechanism, women are now able to buy school supplies, pay tuition, and provide a stable environment for their children’s continued learning.
Umunthu Plus is also empowering young people to confront stigma and misinformation around HIV and reproductive health through peer-led one-on-one and mobile clinics. For instance, reaching out to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and Adolescent Boys and Young Men (ABYM) with HIV prevention messages and services around semi-urban industrial areas like Dwangwa in Nkhotakota district has been quite successful, working together with our trained peer educators. From 2021 to this year, 2025, we are still registering results, though the project phased out in October 2024, and since inception, we now boast of reaching AGYW and ABYM with HIV prevention messages and service
What makes our approach community-led?
Our work is rooted in participatory processes and local leadership. We actively engage traditional leaders, youth clubs, women’s groups, school committees, and local authorities to co-design solutions that reflect the community’s priorities. By strengthening local structures, we ensure sustainability and ownership that lasts well beyond the traditional project cycle.
We advocate for a shift in power to communities, enabling them to identify the challenges they face and take the lead in proposing and implementing their solutions. This community-driven approach fosters local ownership, builds resilience, and delivers lasting impact.
Being Part of the Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD)
Umunthu Plus joined the Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD) in 2022, inspired by its alignment with our belief in putting communities at the center of change. As a grassroots-born organization now nationally registered, we saw MCLD as a powerful platform to help bring our development vision, both rural and urban, to life.
We joined to collaborate, recognizing that civil society organizations cannot operate in silos. Through MCLD, we’ve connected with local and global partners, exchanging knowledge, building capacity, and advancing a shared agenda of shifting power and resources to the community level. Being part of this collective has strengthened our resolve to drive sustainable, people-centered development.
Lastly, we wanted to be part of a collective that champions community-led development. We envision ourselves as pioneers in shaping a landscape where power resources and authority is shifted to communities. This approach aligns with our long-term mission of creating sustainable, people-centered change.
Lessons from Movement for Community-Led Development.
Over the past three years, our work through MCLD has deepened our advocacy for localization and gender equality. Together with other local organizations, we’ve championed innovative strategies to secure resources and build lasting partnerships, including a key collaboration and support from Tilitonse Foundation in partnership with UK Aid and Comic Relief.
Thus, networking through MLCD, we now boast of opportunities like the civil society capacity strengthening fund that will help us enhance our policy and program capacity while also supporting a vital new initiative: the construction of a victim support shelter in Nkhotakota for survivors of gender-based violence. The funding will also be used to strengthen referral systems, train community paralegals, and support mobile court sessions across Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Nkhatabay, Karonga, and Mulanje districts, making justice more accessible in underserved areas.
In general, through MCLD, we’re helping build a safer, more just Malawi, where communities actively support one another in driving development
About Promise Msampha:
I am a dedicated development practitioner with over five years of experience in youth empowerment, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. My expertise spans project design, community engagement, resource mobilization, and building strategic partnerships. Currently, I serve as Program Manager at Umunthu Plus, where I lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of community-based programs that empower vulnerable populations. In addition to my professional work, I proudly represent Malawi as the National Youth Delegate under the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), where I continue to advocate for meaningful youth participation and leadership across development spaces
Featured Photo: Umunthu Plus staff, the dedicated team behind the success and meaningful impact of the interventions