Despite decades of robust government and donor investments in livelihoods, food security, nutrition, and resilience, over 50 percent of the population of Malawi lives below the poverty line.  Many activities have neither sufficiently reduced the number of chronically food and nutrition insecure households nor effectively enhanced the capacity of local and government structures to implement resilience-focused policies and actions.  To address these issues, the Government of Malawi has developed a National Resilience Strategy (NRS) to guide investments in agriculture, reduce impacts, improve recovery from shocks, promote household resilience, strengthen management of Malawi’s natural resources, and facilitate effective coordination between government institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners. 

In support of these efforts, USAID announced a new $70 million (MK 51.5 billion) award to CARE and a consortium of partners to implement the Titukulane Development Food Security Activity (“Let’s develop together” in Chichewa), which is directly aligned with NRS priorities.  Based on Government of Malawi and USAID analyses of food insecurity vulnerability, Titukulane will be implemented in 20 Traditional Authorities in Mangochi and Zomba districts with direct assistance to 723,111 people in 290,722 households.  Titukulane will achieve sustainable and equitable improvements in food and nutrition security by supporting the development of more accountable and gender-focused systems.  Success will require working at multiple levels, from the household, through the community, to the districts, and on to the national level. 

Integrated throughout the Titukulane design are three approaches that USAID believes are fundamental to eliminate of poverty and inequality.  First, ensuring that the principles of good governance – transparency, accountability, participation, and inclusion – are practiced at all levels.  Second, ensuring that activities across the program increase household, community, and government resilience capacities.  Third, ensuring greater gender equality, women’s empowerment, and youth opportunities at the household, community, and government levels. Titukulane’s best-practice approach to gender integration will ensure that gender analysis findings are used to implement programs that build local partner gender capacity, challenge men and boys, mitigate gender-based violence, and build participant skills.