Resources / Before parliament, President of Malawi highlights important role of GSF in his country

On 23 May, during the state opening of the 2011/2012 budget meeting of parliament in Lilongwe, President Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, singled out the country's new WSSCC-funded Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) programme for the support it will provide for implementation of the country's national sanitation policy. 

"In the area of sanitation, Government obtained a grant of $5 million from the Global Sanitation Fund Facility of the United Nations to support the implementation of the National Sanitation Policy from 2011 to 2015," he said to the assembled parliamentarians. "The initial phase will cover Rumphi, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Balaka, Phalombe and Chikhwawa districts."  The president also noted the Government's development of policies on health care waste management and environmental health. He also said that for the 2011/2012 financial year, the Government has established a number of programmes to ensure safe access to sanitation facilities. 

The implementation of the Global Sanitation Fund programme is proceeding smoothly in Malawi, where Plan International Malawi is the Executing Agency charged with overall programme implementaiton. Proposals from potential sub-grantees have been received by Plan International Malawi, which is currently reviewing them. It is expected that this first round of funded organisations will begin on the ground work in July after grant agreements are signed this month.

The sub-grantees will be part of the $5 million/5-year programme in Malawi that has the following aims:

• To decrease open defecation and increase the use of improved sanitation and hygiene through approaches such as Community-Led Total Sanitation.
• To develop and implement national sanitation and hygiene awareness camapgins, including promotion of private sector investment in hygiene and sanitation.
• To build capacity for government, community organizations and the private sector. 
• To develop strong district-level investment plans.
• To document and share lessons learned from the GSF implementation.

Learn more about the GSF programme implementation in Malawi here: http://www.wsscc.org/countries/africa/malawi/global-sanitation-fund