Programme Overview
The Malawi government, together with different developmental partners, has been implementing cash transfer programmes to improve livelihoods of the poor. To complement these efforts, AICC Africa is implementing the Tiwatukule Project with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Malawi Government through Financial Access Rural Markets and Smallholder Enterprise (FARMSE) Malawi.
The programme helps individuals on the government's cash transfer programme graduate from poverty, moving them from dependency to self-reliance through a holistic approach combining social protection, livelihood promotion, financial inclusion, and social empowerment.
Community-based caseworkers play a central role, working directly with households to assess needs, deliver training, facilitate savings group formation, and broker market linkages that enable ultra-poor families to build sustainable livelihoods.
Project Objectives
- Help ultra-poor households graduate from the government cash transfer programme into sustainable self-reliance
- Promote livelihood diversification through skills training and market-based enterprise development
- Strengthen financial inclusion through savings group formation and access to credit services
- Build social empowerment through community mobilisation, psychosocial support, and behaviour change
- Facilitate access to viable market opportunities for ultra-poor households in Dedza and Ntcheu
Target Group & Location
Who We Target
Ultra-poor households currently on the Malawi Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), with a priority focus on women-headed households, people with disabilities, and the most food-insecure families in project districts.
Districts of Operation
- Dedza District — Central Region, Malawi
- Ntcheu District — Central Region, Malawi
- Salima District — Central Region, Malawi
- Balaka District — Southern Region, Malawi
- Mangochi District — Eastern Region, Malawi
Programme Approach
Tiwatukule uses a proven graduation model with four mutually reinforcing pillars:
- Social Protection: Complementing government cash transfers with additional social support and linkages to government services
- Livelihood Promotion: Skills training, productive asset transfers, and enterprise development tailored to local market opportunities
- Financial Inclusion: Village savings and loan association (VSLA) formation, financial literacy, and linkages to formal financial institutions
- Social Empowerment: Psychosocial support, community sensitisation, gender training, and building beneficiary confidence and agency
Partners & Funders
The Tiwatukule Project is implemented by AICC Africa with support from:
- IFAD — International Fund for Agricultural Development (primary funder)
- FARMSE Malawi — implementing partner and coordination platform
- Malawi Government — through the Ministry responsible for Social Welfare and the SCTP