WATERAID AND MBC JOIN FORCES TO AMPLIFY WASH ISSUES IN MALAWI

WaterAid Country Director, Peter Phiri (right) and MBC Director General, George Kasakula holding the MoU Document

Image: WaterAid/Henry Ngulinga

WaterAid Malawi’s 2023-2028 Country Program Strategy highlights that despite its importance, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has yet to become a top priority for communities to demand and claim their rights to these essential services. This lack of awareness and engagement makes it difficult to hold leaders accountable and drive meaningful change at the political and executive levels. A key obstacle is that many people in Malawi lack a deep understanding of WASH issues and their significance.

Considering this, WaterAid Malawi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) on 10 December 2024. This marked the beginning of a two-year collaboration aimed at promoting and amplifying critical messages on WASH across the country with mutual interest from both parties.

According to the MoU, WaterAid will provide logistical support to the MBC team in collecting WASH content, offer technical expertise to address any issues related to WASH and WaterAid’s work, and assist in building the capacity of MBC media teams on WASH topics. WaterAid will also support WASH-related programs to be aired on MBC.

MBC will provide a platform for disseminating WASH content from WaterAid’s work, consolidating materials for use on television, radio, and online/digital platforms. Additionally, MBC will organize a team to produce documentaries on WASH-specific topics, using evidence gathered from WaterAid’s projects. It will also develop and air programs that highlight WASH issues, showcasing real stories with a human face and voice from WaterAid’s work.

Peter Phiri, WaterAid Country Director said the MoU has a lot of value as it will magnify voices of those that are disadvantaged by not having good access to WASH facilities. The MoU will also profile the importance of WASH in as far as determining health in the country is concerned.

MBC Director General, George Kasakula, stated that by partnering with WaterAid, MBC will not only fulfil its mandate of informing, educating, and entertaining, but will also elevate its role to advocate for the basic human rights to WASH.

This MoU is a significant step towards empowering communities in Malawi demand their rights to WASH services. Through the content aired on MBC television and radio, people will gain a deeper understanding of WASH issues, enabling them to hold duty bearers accountable to provide these essential services.