Key programmes and operations

The National Society has long-term programmes focusing on Community Health Care, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) promotion, Community Resilience, Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC) interventions, First aid and Blood donor mobilization, Restoring family links, and Community-integrated disaster risk reduction interventions.

What We Are Doing-MRCS is currently implementing a number of ongoing programmes including Community Resilience Project in Mangochi, Mwanza and Chikwawa with funding from a consortium of Danish Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross and Italian Red Cross.

Community-based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme supported by Swiss Red Cross in Salima and Mzimba), Community based health and care programme and First Aid supported by Belgian Red Cross in Kasungu, a DRR programme in Chikwawa, Nsanje and Zomba with support from European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), Japanese Blankets for Africa Campaign, Blood Donor Recruitment in partnership with MBTS with funding from Swiss Red Cross. Scale Up Nutrition Project in Chikwawa, Mangochi, Mulanje and Neno with funding from UNICEF. In addition, MRCS has a refugee programme offering Restoration of Family links in partnership with ICRC. Malawi Red Cross offers first aid services and Commercial First Aid (COFA) services and training to many organisations. MRCS also has a residential training facility in Dowa which is equipped with all the necessary facilities for trainings and conferences.

Malawi Red Cross gets its funding for Projects, core costs and emergency response through donations from the general public and donor partners. Most of the donors are partner National Societies like Danish Red Cross, Belgium Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross, and the Japanese Red Cross. Some of these channel their support through International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). MRCS is also working with UN Agencies in many areas. These include UNDP, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP. In order to maintain transparency and accountability each donor has separate bank accounts which are audited by most reputable audit companies in Malawi including KPMG and Graham Carr. MRCS also raises funds internally through membership fees, the flag week (also known as Red Cross week) which occurs in May every year, payment of First Aid trainings from companies and rent realized from its buildings in some parts of the Country and at the Headquarters. The funding that MRCS receives does not meet the demand that is there. The Malawi Government used to support the Malawi Red Cross Society but stopped providing subvention in 1994. This has led the national society to be donor dependent for the running of its core activities.

UNFPA Malawi