Community Empowerment Facility Profile

BACKGROUND

In 1994, Malawi adopted a new Constitution and Bill of Rights which incorporates women's rights. Women constitute 52 percent of the population but have in the main remained a silent majority. With their roles having been limited to household tasks and labouring in the fields, women did not expect to own land or make decisions on how the land should be used. Under the new land law, a number of local groups and NGOs, including the Nkhomano Centre for Development, have been raising awareness among women about their rights, in particular their right to own land and how this new law can empower them with greater ability to increase their family incomes.

Raising awareness means not only informing the population about the new Constitution, the Land Policy and the Wills and Inheritance Act, but explaining documents written in English, to women who have a low level of literacy even in their own language. Not only are they constrained by language and illiteracy, they need assistance to understand the implications of the laws and how to exercise and protect their rights from those more powerful who may abuse the new law.

Established in 1996, the Nkhomano Centre for Development is a partnership between marginalized rural and urban communities, other NGOs and relevant government/State institutions. Nkhomano provides educational and direct awareness-raising to communities to assist them in developing practical, community solutions to their problems. In parallel to its educational work, Nkhomano offers paralegal services; supports production, marketing and income activities as well as promoting human rights and democracy through the national radio and print media.

GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The overall project goal is to strengthen the capacity of the ten community groups, comprising Karonga District Women's Group in northern Malawi, in order to obtain clear titles to their lands and gain the knowledge and skills required to improve agricultural production and manage the land.

Through this Community Empowerment Project, the women will be be taught negotiation skills to allow them to either acquire lands that may be theirs by de facto right, thus assisting them in the process of taking title of the land, or resolving disputes over their legal rights of access to the land. They will also learn about;

(a) the issues likely to affect or challenge their land ownership;

(b) the pressures of powerful outsiders; and,

(c) how to improve productivity by improved production and management techniques.

The three specific objectives of this project are to strengthen the capacity and pracitical opportunities for poor women to:

• claim and sustain their land rights;
• increase their incomes and grain reserves as a result of becoming landowners and entrepreneurs;
• improve their skills in the production and marketing of rice seed and grains leading to the establishment of community-based grain and seed banks to increase both local food security and income from the sale of surpluses.

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WHO WILL BENEFIT?

The project will involve women's groups in four villages of Karonga District which has an estimated population of 200 000. The four villages comprise 16 000 people living in 900 households. While the project will directly target these villages, it is expected that it will have a catalytic effect in the district through dissemination of knowledge by those directly trained.

Each of the ten women's groups comprises 12 members. They will be involved in setting up the seed banks, carrying out seed multiplication exercises and operating Open-Day awareness-raising campaigns. By the end of the project, it is envisaged that not only will the women's groups be fully involved in these activities but traditional leaders and 100 head clansmen will be aware of the processes to strengthen access to land and the rights provided under the Land Laws. The traditional/clan leaders and members of the greater community, will be encouraged to participate in one of the 16 workshops to be conducted as part of the awareness-raising activities.

In addition to activities conducted by Nkhomano Centre for Development, the government Ministeries of Agriculture, Gender and Community Services will provide practical training and education to women and the communities.

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CONCLUSION

With a modest contribution of US$ 48 000, the International Land Coalition hopes to provide the catalyst to community groups, by working with the local NGO, to ensure that women benefit from the recent land law through a better understanding of it. A pre-requisite for increasing entrepreneurship and autonomy in traditional districts, such as Karonga, is through educating the population on their basic rights and how to use the law to allow individuals, households and communities to derive greater benefit from natural resources, particularly those under pressure from population growth, environmental degradation, desertification and misuse. The NGO which is implementing the project has already been involved in a number of similar activities in the country. It also has the advantage of having a solid popular base, as well as support from government, which will facilitate the implementation. If successful, the project could be replicated with relative ease, since the issue of overcoming illiteracy and lack negotiating skills, is very persuasive.

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