Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) Malawi

The Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) project aims to reduce the adverse health effects of climate change—specifically malaria, cholera, malnutrition, and heat-related stress—across the districts of Ntcheu, Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe, and Zomba. The project employs a multi-pronged approach: establishing a climate-informed Health Early Warning and Response System (EWARS), upgrading 79 health facilities and 400 schools with solar energy and climate-resilient WASH infrastructure, and training healthcare staff and community members. It specifically targets marginalized groups, including pregnant women and children under two, to address gendered vulnerabilities and food insecurity. The project is implemented by Save the Children Australia (Accredited Entity), the Malawi Ministry of Health, and Save the Children International.

• Southern Malawi is highly vulnerable to climate change, characterized by increasing mean annual temperatures and decreasing mean annual rainfall, with a high exposure to floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones.
• Climate change is projected to further increase temperatures and precipitation-based extremes in southern Malawi, with temperatures expected to rise by more than 4°C under the RCP8.5 scenario by the end of the century.
• Climate hazards in the region drive specific health risks, including increases in malaria, diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera, heat strain, and malnutrition, which disproportionately affect women, children, and marginalized groups.
• Existing healthcare and WASH infrastructure in southern Malawi is inadequate for climate extremes; for example, Tropical Storm Ana in 2022 destroyed 47 community health facilities in the Southern Region.
• The project will establish a climate-informed Health Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) by identifying alert triggers for four climate-sensitive conditions: malaria, cholera/diarrhoea, heat-related diseases, and drought-linked malnutrition.
• The project will upgrade 79 health facilities (75 government-funded and 4 CHAM-funded) and 400 schools with solar energy systems and climate-resilient WASH infrastructure, such as rainwater harvesting and solar pumps.
• The project targets six specific districts in southern Malawi: Ntcheu, Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe, and Zomba, aiming to reach 1,798,878 direct and 2,359,162 indirect beneficiaries.
• To address malnutrition, the project will support 35,000 households with pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under two to adopt integrated homestead farming and climate-resilient nutrition practices.
• The project addresses gendered climate impacts, including the link between climate shocks and increases in gender-based violence (GBV), child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), and reduced access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.
• The total project financing is USD 37,068,208, consisting of a USD 33,000,000 GCF grant and USD 4,068,208 in co-financing from GSK, Foundation S, FCDO, Moondance Foundation, and the Government of Malawi.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2024). Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) Malawi. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp244.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) Malawi. 2024. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp244.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) Malawi |date=26 November 2024 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp244.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2024climate, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Climate Resilient Health and Well-Being for Rural Communities in southern Malawi (CHWBRC) Malawi}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp244.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }