Chipembere Community Development Organization

Powering Justice Through Law: SRHR Litigation Skills Boosted

This week, our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager, Victor Mnoniwa, joined an elite cohort of African human rights defenders at a high-level training on litigating Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) claims before national and regional mechanisms. 🌍 ⚖

Organised by the Centre for Human Rights , University of Pretoria, and held at the Golden Tulip, Nairobi, Kenya, the intensive two-day session equipped participants with cutting-edge tools for strategic litigation, including:
✅ International & regional normative frameworks for SRHR
✅ Forensic evidence gathering & documentation for court
✅ Building strong cases for national & regional human rights bodies
✅ Turning violations into actionable legal claims that drive change

This training strengthens our commitment to using the law as a powerful tool for justice, accountability and the protection of SRHR across Africa.💪📚

Proud of this step towards deeper impact in our communities! 🙌

The week may be ending, but the conversation is not...

Football unites people, makes them selfless and responsive. ⚽

In the dust-kicked fields of Thyolo, where drums beat louder than conflict and hope runs faster than fear, something beautiful happened.

Women, girls and young men stepped onto the pitch not just to play, but to lead. Peacebuilders gathered under the sun not only to cheer, but to change narratives.

Through the Football Bonanza held across Traditional Authorities Maganiza, Bvumbwe, Nchiramwera, Maggie, and Changata, communities came together united by the game, awakened by the message.
The message was clear and powerful:
“We are not waiting for peace. We are building it with every pass, every goal and every stand against violence.”

This initiative is part of CCDO’s progressive peacebuilding and conflict prevention among girls and women in rural Thyolo project supported by Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) through UN Women Malawi.

Together, we are turning the pitch into a platform for peace, empowerment and lasting change.

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund UN Women Malawi UN Women Africa - ONU Femmes Afrique UN Women African Collaborative AmplifyChange Masana wa Afrika National Youth Council of Malawi Hivos Regional Office Southern Africa Hivos Hivos Malawi

From 18–20 August, young leaders are participating in the National Youth Summit at BICC, Lilongwe, convened by the National Youth Council of Malawi

Representing Chipembere Community Development Organization as an affiliate, our Project Officer, Mrs. Sandrina Chaplain Chisusu, joined young voices from across the country to share ideas, build partnerships and shape solutions for a brighter Malawi.

When youth connect, ideas become action and voices become change. We look forward to learning from her experience and bringing the summit’s inspiration back to our communities.

The Nation, Wednesday 19 August 2026

Hivos Regional Office Southern Africa Hivos Malawi AmplifyChange African Collaborative Masana wa Afrika UN Women Malawi SRHR Community Café Family Planning Association of Malawi

https://www.facebook.com/100064493957817/posts/1469418468551271/?app=fbl

Twenty female s*x workers from Bvumbwe and Goliati hotspots in Thyolo have been trained in solar entrepreneurship to help them generate income while continuing their s*xual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) peer education work.

The two-day training, conducted by Chipembere Community Development Organisation (CCDO), covered installation and distribution of solar lights, panels and batteries, as well as customer service skills to enable the participants to work as Sun King agents.

The training was conducted under the “Amplifying Adolescents and Young People’s Voices on SRHR in Thyolo” project, funded by SIDA through Hivos SRHR Regional Fund.

Bvumbwe hotspot chairperson Margaret Davie said the skills acquired would provide the women with a lasting opportunity to generate income while Goliati chairperson Shina Bisiasi said the training had also boosted the women’s confidence to pursue economic opportunities while continuing peer education.

CCDO executive director Dalitso Chiwayula said the initiative would equip female s*x workers who also serve as peer educators with income-generating skills and contribute to the sustainability of the project.

He said the initiative is also expected to expand access to clean solar energy in rural communities while strengthening the women’s ability to advocate for SRHR without stigma.

(Report by Ted Likombola-Correspondent)

https://www.facebook.com/100064493957817/posts/1469337338559384/?app=fbl

NationOnline

Chipembere Community Development Organisation (CCDO) has reached 8,319 people with s*xual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services in Thyolo and Mulanje under the Hivos Regional SRHR Fund project.

According to CCDO’s project results, the beneficiaries included 3,600 young people, 2,210 women, 1,460 girls, 1,790 men, 719 boys and 26 people with disabilities. The project also enabled 1,379 young people to access SRHR services.

CCDO executive director Dalitso Chiwayula said the organisation used community mobilisation, awareness campaigns, peer engagement and dialogue sessions to improve young people’s access to SRHR information, while working with local leaders and other stakeholders.

The project also supported efforts to address gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriage, with 236 GBV cases resolved through established response mechanisms.
CCDO further supported vulnerable young people and s*x workers through economic empowerment and education initiatives.

Seven adolescent girls and five former s*x workers were supported to return to school.
One beneficiary, Sharon Maulidi, said the intervention had given her another chance to continue her education and pursue a better future.

CCDO said partnerships with community victim support units, civil society networks, area development committees, health workers, media institutions and s*x workers’ associations were key to the project’s success.

The organisation has recommended increased investment in youth- and community-led SRHR programmes, as well as scaling up integrated interventions that combine SRHR awareness, GBV prevention, economic empowerment and education support.

(Report by Ted Likombola-Correspondent)

From hotspots to solar hubs: 20 female s*x workers in Thyolo trained in solar entrepreneurship

CCDO trained 20 female s*x workers from Bvumbwe and Goliati hotspots in Thyolo in solar entrepreneurship covering installation and distribution lights, panels and batteries.

The two-day training, under the project “Amplifying Adolescents and Young People’s Voices on SRHR in Thyolo, funded by SIDA through Hivos SRHR regional fund” equipped participants with technical and customer-service skills to operate as Sun King agents and earn income alongside their SRHR peer education work.

“These skills will remain with us,” said Bvumbwe hotspot chairperson Maggret Davie. Goliati chairperson Shina Bisiasi added the training boosted the women’s confidence to earn while continuing peer education.

CCDO Executive Director Dalitso Chiwayula said: “This project will help the female s*x workers who are also peer educators to have skills for economic income generation and further provide the project sustainability.”

The initiative advances SDG 13 by expanding clean energy access in rural Thyolo while strengthening the women’s platform to advocate for SRHR without fear or stigma.

Hivos Regional Office Southern Africa Hivos Malawi Hivos Masana wa Afrika AmplifyChange African Collaborative UN Women Malawi UN Women Africa - ONU Femmes Afrique Family Planning Association of Malawi Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund National Youth Council of Malawi Centre for Conflict Management and Women Development Affairs - Cecowda

As a youth and women-serving organization, CCDO is celebrating resilience, hard work, energy and creativity everywhere young people are making change happen.

Young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow they are change-makers of today. From community mobilization to peacebuilding, from climate action to innovation, from SRHR to economic empowerment and Education. Youth across Malawi and beyond are shaping a better future with courage and vision.

Today, we honor their contributions and recommit to creating spaces where every young person can thrive, lead and be heard.
To all the young change-makers: Your voice matters. Your ideas count. Your leadership is needed.

Happy International Youth Day!