Our Belief, Mission & Purpose

OUR BELIEF
We believe that the youth of Malawi, if equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, are a force of change to be reckoned with. We believe that our youths have the energy to create a more powerful and more united Malawi.

OUR MISSION
We empower youths in Malawi by offering access to relevant skills and knowledge that help them make more informed decisions that create better futures for them and their families.

OUR PURPOSE
We exist to create a more united Malawi, one where both men and women are equally active in building a better future for themselves and their communities.

OUR POINT OF DIFFERENCE
Three key factors set us apart from other youth led organisations and clubs. i. Our belief that ‘young people’ are the key to unlocking the key challenges that keep Malawi behind (dated beliefs / gender disparity / poor education) ii. Our belief that providing youth with relevant knowledge and skills addresses 3 key pillars (Decision making, confidence and leadership, new ideas and innovations) which inspire and equip young people to make positive change. iii. Our model methodology

Youth Leadership Scheme

NfYD is working towards creating an environment of self-reliant young people contributing and participating

Introduction The development of young people as leaders is core to the work of NfYD. Youth Leadership Scheme is an exciting programme that enables young people to develop the skills and qualities necessary to be effective leaders, as well as challenging them to use these skills for the betterment of society.

The Youth Leadership Scheme sets out to empower young people to make a positive difference to their community through practical actions and projects. Throughout the course of the programme, young people learn the core concepts of leadership and gain skills such as communication, public speaking, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, self-awareness etc. The programme sets about developing the leadership capabilities and potential of young people and gives them an opportunity to harness their skills and attributes to contribute to their society in a fun and encouraging environment.

NfYD call for interested young people who meets the standard criteria to apply for the training scheme, the training scheme will comprise an intense in class training and field work where each trained youth will have to utilize their acquired knowledge and skills and impart it to young people in Young Women Can Do It Clubs (YWCDI) in selected districts.

Cohots The first cohort will begin training on 1st November 2016 in Lilongwe Malawi; there is limited space for 20 young people. Below is the events calendar:

7 days intensive class training

6 days field work in selected sites (rural areas)

3 days evaluation

NfYD will provide learning materials, Transport, Meals and Accommodation where necessary

Face to face interviews to be conducted

Gender, Leadership and Women Empowerment

In Malawi, women and especially girls experience a lot of challenges than male counterparts on different fronts including literacy, secondary and tertiary education enrolment and completion, political participation, gender based violence (GBV), early and child marriages, sexual violence.

Women are very critical in agriculture sector. Despite their important role in role in food production for their household, women have less control over land even if it means their own resources.

The lack of access to productive economic resources is frequently cited as a major impediment to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and is a particularly important factor in making women vulnerable to poverty.

As a contribution in the area of gender, NfYD works with women and girl through an approach called Young Women Can Do It (YWCDI), it is an approach that strengthens both the protective environment for women and girls, gives space to young women to voice out against harmful cultural practices, provides them with the ability to stand up and be heard in order to improve their well-being and fulfill their rights. YWCDI is a means by which participants organize themselves to learn about the issues and take action as well.

YWCDI is becoming one of the premier local/community gender advocacy movements in Malawi which focuses more on rural women. It is a growing grassroots feminist youth movement with a long-term vision for women in Malawi. Men who usually suppress women in different ways are also part of the club in other areas where they only play a supportive role and women are the key players in terms of managing the affairs of the club. Men supporting women sounds strange in many communities and through this, the perception of gender is slowly changing, seeing a young woman being a leader where men are just mare member’s looks awkward but it has worked, activities that the clubs have conducted with leadership of young women have proved to be a success.

The clubs were established to empower young women across the country and recruit them to the struggle for gender equality and fight for recognition in their community. YWCDI members are all volunteers.