In Malawi’s rural Lilongwe District, 80% of indigenous women and girls live in chronic poverty, and 36% of children experience stunting due to malnutrition.  Rapid population growth and climate change both place strain on the area’s natural environment in recent years, exacerbating poverty.  Despite having one of the smallest greenhouse gas emission footprints in the world, Malawi is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.  There is a strong need to spread awareness about reproductive health and family planning alongside awareness about climate-smart agriculture and livelihood opportunities.

ODW is partnering with Partners in Reproductive Health and Education (PRHE) to establish a women’s briquette-making and tree-planting enterprise in response to the economic and environmental strains of climate change in rural Lilongwe.  The project is promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation through community-wide awareness sessions, tree planting in water catchment areas, and promotion of smokeless stoves that use briquettes made of agricultural waste in place of firewood.  The women who participate are gaining skills to generate much-needed income, and the entire community benefits from reforestation efforts!