Crosscutting Issues

With an improved health status for all Malawians as the main goal, MGHP addresses two particularly critical issues which tend to have a negative impact on the desired outcome. These two major challenges are gender inequity and HIV/AIDS.

In recent years the HIV prevalence among 15-24 year- old women has risen to 8.4% in Malawi with their male peers registering a prevalence of 2.4% in the same period (UNAIDS 2008). This feminisation of the epidemic can only be cured by making the global response to HIV more gender-sensitive.

In tackling both gender and HIV/AIDS, the MGHP is working hand in hand with the Malawi government and other development partners by encompassing gender and HIV/AIDS in all of its three components, integrating them into all regular activities.  This approach is known as mainstreaming.

All MGHP’s interventions – not only responses to these special challenges – have a sound basis, often obtained from operational research in the country.  Such research activities are led by national or international specialists working together with partners from MoH, the College of Medicine or NGOs, thus at the same time contributing to capacity development in conducting operational research.

MGHP’s policy advice is therefore strongly evidence based, and it follows that the implementation of decisions is guided by result based management . Read on for further details.