Young adults, women of reproductive age and their partners, high-risk groups such as mobile populations, the
military, commercial sex workers, pregnant women, caregivers
of children under five.
2006 Estimated Health Impact:
Episodes of malaria averted: 3.3 million
(explained)
Chitetezo insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) since 1998
Thanzi oral rehydration salts since 1999
WaterGuardsafe water treatment since 2002
Chishango male condoms since 1994 (relaunched in 2002)
PUR safe water treatment since 2006
Care female condoms since late 2007
Oral and injectable contraceptives (brand to be decided, expected to launch early 2008)
Youth Alert! young adult targeted HIV/AIDS prevention
and life-skills behavior change communications (BCC) program since
2001
Pakachere health and development communications program (in collaboration with the South African NGO, Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communications) since 2002
Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communications
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Corporate foundations, e.g. Procter & Gamble
GTZ
Scottish Bible Society
Year Program Began:
1994
Project Activities and Highlights
PSI/Malawi is an affiliate of Population Services International, the leading social marketing organization in the world. It is a non-profit organization that harnesses the vitality of the private sector to address the health problems of low-income and vulnerable populations in Malawi. With programs in malaria, reproductive health (late 2007), child survival and HIV/AIDS, PSI/Malawi promotes products, services, and healthy behaviors that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. Products and services are, with a few exceptions, sold at subsidized prices rather than given away in order to motivate commercial sector involvement.
HIV/AIDS
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Condom Use Promotion
PSI/Malawi's Chishango ("Shield") brand condoms were introduced as part of an integrated HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in 1994. Initially aimed at a wide target - all sexually active Malawians, the condom was re-launched in May 2002 to appeal predominantly to sexually active Malawian males age 15-24. Sales of Chishango have grown from approximately 1 million in 1994 to a projected 9.5 million in 2007. This important growth has been achieved along side increasing distribution of free condoms (from virtually nil to over 22 million in 2007). While increased sales and distribution figures are very important indicators for estimating condom use, PSI/Malawi has shifted much of its focus during 2007 on improving the targeting of its condoms sales to high risk groups; a change driven by PSI/Malawi’s focus on maximizing health impact. The 2004 Malawi DHS and the 2006 UNICEF Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey showed an increase in males 15-24 using a condom at last sex with a non-cohabiting partner from 34% in 2000 to 47% in 2004 and 60% in 2006. In addition, among women aged 15-24, reported condom use increased from 32% in 2000 to 35% in 2004 and 40% in 2006.
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Chishango is promoted through several mass media channels to guarantee high levels of exposure as well as via time bound promotions with wholesalers and retailers. In addition, PSI/Malawi utilizes several non-traditional means to reach those with limited access to mass media. These channels include Targeted Outreach Communication shows utilizing videos and documentaries produced at PSI/Malawi’s in house Video Production Unit and targeting those at most risk and community drama groups.
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Youth Alert! Youth Alert! is a dynamic, life skills program that aims to prevent HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancies among young people in Malawi (aged 10-24, further segmented into 10-14 and 15-24). The strategy of the Youth Alert! program is to equip its target groups with relevant, age-appropriate life skills and correct, balanced HIV/AIDS prevention information in order for them to delay their sexual debut for as long as possible until they are ready to make an informed choice about becoming sexually active. Mass media and interpersonal communications channels such as radio (Youth Alert! Mix – voted Malawi’s Number 1 youth radio magazine show in the 2004 All Media Survey), school visits by education teams (Youth Alert! Schools Program operating nationwide), and radio listeners' clubs (Youth Alert! Mix Listeners Clubs operating in eight targeted districts to provide young people with weekly forums to engage in guided discussions on issues raised in Youth Alert! Mix) are used to promote Youth Alert!’s behavior change objectives. In October 2007, the Youth Alert! Real Man/Real Woman Delayed Sexual Debut Music Video Special was selected by the Washington D.C. based Population Institute as one of the winners of its prestigious Global Media Award for Excellence in Population Reporting. The production, funded by the Governments of the United States and Japan, was selected in the category of ‘Best Combined Media Effort on Behalf of Population’.
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Faith Communities Program
PSI/Malawi, in collaboration with Christian and Muslim organizations, has an established Faith Communities Program (FCP). The FCP program works with faith communities in two pilot districts close to Blantyre to reduce the incidence and mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS. The specific target populations are faith based youth 10-24 (including OVCs), faith based adults aged 25-49 and faith leaders.
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Pakachere Health and Development Communications
Pakachere program is a branded, mass-media communications initiative aimed at re-aligning social norms and attitudes to encourage the adoption of healthy behavior practices. Pakachere utilizes radio, television, print and advocacy to attain its objectives. Commencing in 2007, Pakachere is producing original mass media communications materials for the Malawian market. A robust evidence based approach is used to develop these materials to ensure their relevancy and acceptability to the Malawian audience. The new communications materials will focus on HIV/AIDS and pregnancy, VCT, nutrition and domestic violence and are expected to be launched in early 2008. In early 2008, PSI/Malawi and the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communications based in South Africa will work to support the launch of Pakachere HDC as a separate, local Malawi NGO in line with the goals of the PSI/Malawi and Soul City Institute partnership that began in 2002.
PSI/Malawi distributes two versions of the Chitetezo brand (“Protection”) ITN. A green rectangular net is distributed for free in partnership with the Government of Malawi to pregnant women and caregivers with newborn children through antenatal health clinics. Urban residents are targeted with a higher-end blue conical net sold exclusively through commercial outlets at market prices. Insecticide retreatment kits are also sold under the brand name M'bwezera Chitetezo (“Restore Protection”). In 2007, Malawi began the free distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) under the Chitetezo brand nationwide targeting pregnant women and newborns, as well as rural populations, as an implementing partner under the US Government’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). Special IEC materials have been developed to promote the consistent use of ITNs every night, all year round. The 2004 DHS data showed the percentage of children under five sleeping under an ITN the night before the survey had increased from 7.6% in 2000 to 26% in 2004. In late 2007, the Government of Malawi, with PMI finding, will introduce new ACT anti-malarial drugs. PSI/Malawi is supporting this initiative with the development of high quality and evidence based communications materials.
In Malawi, the prevalence rate for modern contraceptive methods has increased from 7.4% to 28.1% among Married Women of Reproductive Age (MWRA) between 1992 and 2004. This increase is likely to continue, driven by political will, high intention to use and natural population growth. The combination of population growth and higher demand for contraceptive products will result in more and more people requiring access to high quality and affordable contraceptive methods. Since a large majority of these people (66%) use the public sector as their main source of supply, the financial and logistical pressure put on the public sector to meet these needs will increase substantially over the next decade.
In response to this increased demand, in early 2008 and in order to complement the undergoing efforts carried out by the Ministry of Health and various NGOs, PSI/Malawi will introduce a range of new social marketed contraceptive products (oral and injectable) available at low prices for private sector providers. The new products will be available through licensed pharmacies and other authorized outlets, who are interested in offering contraceptive products at affordable prices. In addition, in late 2007, PSI/Malawi will be introducing a social marketed female condom as a dual protection method against unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. PSI/Malawi, drawing from PSI’s global organizational experience in female condom promotion, will develop a new highly targeted distribution network consisting of hair dressers to effectively and efficiently distribute this product to users. Hair salons will be the project’s main distribution outlets together with other retailers capable of providing consumers with consistent support and information on the female condom. The project will therefore invest heavily in private providers training and interpersonal communications.
PSI/Malawi's Thanzi (“Health/Vitality”) brand of oral rehydration salts (ORS) was introduced in 1999. In April 2007, the Thanzi ORS brand was upgraded to the new WHO-recommended low-osmolarity formulation. New materials promoting the low-osmolarity formula ORS have been developed and distributed to commercial and community-based partners. Materials included a special diarrhea prevention brochure featuring Thanzi, point of sale posters, outdoor media, and other promotional items. These materials featured the new Thanzi packaging which was developed to improve the perceived quality of the “new formulation” ORS. In addition, a Thanzi radio spot and jingle, a local drama, and a short video documentary were produced in the local language. The short documentary encourages mothers to keep “emergency” sachets of Thanzi in their homes so that they are prepared if their child falls sick with diarrhea.This concept reinforces the notion that mothers have the power to treat their child’s dehydration caused by diarrhea and emphasizes the importance of early treatment. The short documentary is being shown through PSI/Malawi’s Targeted Outreach Communication activities at pre-natal and antenatal/under five clinics and to the general community to effectively reach the target group members.
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WaterGuard, a bottled solution of liquid sodium hypochlorite, was launched with PSI support in 2002 as the first POU water treatment product marketed in Malawi. In March 2006, PSI/Malawi launched a second safe water product, PuR, manufactured by Procter & Gamble, under the local brand WaterGuard Wa Ufa (‘WaterGuard Powder’). Since October 2006, the program has received funding from the USAID Child Survival Health Grant mechanism, which has allowed the program to significantly scale up the provision of WaterGuard and related behavior change communications activities. Consistent, year round use of WaterGuard, is promoted via an advertising campaign that includes the use of radio, billboards, Targeted Outreach Communications activities and village theatre groups. In January 2008, PSI/Malawi, will launch an improved-quality liquid WaterGuard product using a new stronger bottle with a higher concentration formula of WaterGuard that will treat 67% more drinking water than the previous bottle. The new bottle will be more durable and feature a 1ml pilfer-proof/reinforced cap.
PSI/Malawi's YouthAlert! held a music video contest highlighting the Real Man/Real Woman Delayed Sexual Debut campaign.See more of PSI's work from around the globe.
PSI/Malawi products, like Thanzi oral rehydration
salts, are sold by local vendors throughout the country.
