POWER TO YOU(TH) MALAWI

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

WHERE WE WORK

OUR GOALS

HOW WE WORK

The Power to You(th) (PTY) programme is a five-year initiative (2021–2025) being implemented in Malawi under a global consortium. It focuses on empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and youth in all their diversity to claim their rights, challenge harmful social norms, and engage in decision-making processes at community, national, and regional levels.

In Malawi, the programme is being implemented in Dedza and Machinga districts, areas with high prevalence of child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and unwanted teenage pregnancies.

The programme seeks to:

  • Reduce harmful practices, especially child marriage.
  • Prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
  • Decrease unwanted pregnancies among adolescents and young women.
  • Amplify youth voices and civic space for meaningful participation.
  • Influence policy change at local, national, and regional levels.

PTY Malawi brings together a consortium of organizations with complementary expertise:

  • Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) – Programme coordination and rights-based advocacy.
  • Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) – Youth empowerment, child rights advocacy, and strengthening youth movements.
  • Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC) – Gender transformative and male engagement approaches.
  • Amref Health Africa – Malawi – Media engagement and awareness.
  • Malawi SRHR Alliance – Advocacy targeting state actors and policy reform.
  • Youth Wave Malawi – Youth-led advocacy, digital campaigning, and movement building.
TOGETHER, WE USE PROVEN STRATEGIES SUCH AS
OUR ADVOCACY AGENDA
  • Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM) scorecards
  • Transformative Dialogues
  • SASA! approach (community mobilization for change)
  • Youth Movement Building
  • Media campaigns & creative arts

Power to You(th) Malawi is more than a community programme, it is a movement for policy and social change. We:

  • Advocate for the full implementation of the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, ensuring child marriage is eliminated.
  • Push for youth-friendly health services (YFHS) and inclusive SRHR policies.
  • Influence district and national budgets to prioritize adolescents and young women.
  • Engage traditional and religious leaders to challenge harmful norms and create protective environments.
  • Connect Malawian youth voices to regional and global platforms like the Maputo Plan of Action and SADC SRHR Policy.
The Power to You(th) programme equips young people in Malawi with the knowledge, skills, and platforms to challenge harmful practices, prevent SGBV, and claim their rights, while holding leaders accountable for a safer and more inclusive future.

Who We Are in This Programme

The Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) is a key partner in the Power to You(th) consortium in Malawi. As a youth-led organization, CYECE drives meaningful youth participation, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and child rights advocacy. We serve as Partner B in the governance of the programme and work directly with out-of-school youth, youth clubs, and networks.

WHAT WE DO

Through the Power to You(th) programme, CYECE empowers young people to demand accountability, challenge harmful practices, and expand civic space. Our interventions focus on:

  • Youth Empowerment & Participation
    Mobilizing in- and out-of-school youth structures into movements that speak up against child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and unwanted pregnancies.
  • Capacity Strengthening
    Building the leadership and advocacy skills of youth clubs, youth-led CSOs, and networks so they can engage duty bearers in decision-making processes.
  • Advocacy & Social Accountability
    Using Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM) scorecards, Transformative Dialogues, and SASA models, CYECE engages young people and communities to track government commitments and policies affecting adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).
  • Community Engagement
    Working with traditional leaders, parents, schools, and service providers to break harmful cultural practices, build protective systems, and create safe spaces for girls and young women.
  • Partnerships for Inclusion
    Supporting marginalized groups—including youth with disabilities, LGBTIQ youth, and young people living with HIV—to participate meaningfully in SRHR and civic spaces.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

OUR JOURNEY

WWW.POWERTOYOUTH.COM

Advocacy Focus

CYECE pushes for systemic change by:

  • Advocating for stronger policies and by-laws at community, district, and national levels to end child marriage and harmful cultural practices.
  • Demanding greater government accountability in implementing SRHR and youth-friendly health services.
  • Supporting youth-led social movements to influence policy spaces such as the National Youth Policy, Marriage Act, and SRHR guidelines.
  • Building evidence through youth-led research and monitoring to inform advocacy at local, national, and regional levels.

Amplifying Our Efforts

To make our work more visible and impactful, CYECE is:

  • Showcasing youth voices and success stories from Dedza and Machinga districts.
  • Engaging media (radio, TV, social media) to raise awareness on SGBV, child marriage, and youth rights.
  • Hosting district and national youth symposiums where young people directly dialogue with policymakers.
  • Linking Malawian youth movements to regional and global advocacy spaces such as the Maputo Plan of Action and SADC SRHR Policy.