Malawi

Iceland and Malawi started bilateral development cooperation in 1989. From the outset, support has been focussed on the district of Mangochi in the southern part of the country, one the poorest districts in Malawi. Initially ICEIDA mostly supported projects in the fisheries sector, and in 2009 a fisheries project at Lake Malawi was concluded. Through time, emphasis has changed toward a broader support for poverty reduction, through delivery of basic services in health, education and water supply, notably in poor fishing communities. The support to the health sector is the most extensive, whereas ICEIDA has been providing a wide array of support to the health sector in Mangochi district. Support to the education sector has also been provided, both towards primary and adult education. A large water and sanitation project has also been implemented in the area, with the main objective to prevent the spreading of diseases caused by unsanitary drinking water. All those projects have now come to an end and ICEIDA's emphasis in Malawi has shifted from direct project support to a more broad based programme support on a district level. In a new Country Strategy Paper for Malawi, written in 2011, ICEIDA commits to support the District of Mangochi in three specific areas of social services: education, public health and water and sanitation, as well as in strengthening administrative capacity.