Projects in progress: a UK Aid Match team visit to Nepal to visit five grant holders
In May, the UK Aid Match team travelled to Nepal to visit grant holders and their delivery partners – EMMS International, PHASE Worldwide, Practical Action, United World Schools and WaterAid.
The visits were an opportunity to deepen our understanding of project progress and challenges and to offer support, for example, with safeguarding, reporting expectations, and financial management.
Below is a brief summary of the visits:
EMMS International are supporting people with holistic palliative care through cost-effective and sustainable health and social care services, and empowering family members and groups to provide support, improved healthcare and engender more caring societies.
Our team visited the Palliative Care Centre of Excellence based at the Green Pastures Hospital (GPH) in Pokhara. Here they observed remote mentoring sessions for the Palliative Care Doctors and Community Educators, through the ECHO tele-mentoring system (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a crucial forum for shared learning, identification of new palliative care patients and improving quality of patient care.
Visiting one of the rural health posts, our team met Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) who highlighted the growing awareness and value placed on palliative care as a holistic approach, which is a significant achievement in a country where the concept of palliative care is still very new.
Photograph: EMMS International, their delivery team and UK Aid Match team members Emma and Bridget outside one of the hospitals
PHASE Worldwide are improving maternal health and reducing malnutrition for 1,000 women and their children in Bajura, Far West of Nepal. This is a difficult location to access, requiring a seven-hour drive on rough terrain, followed by a seven-hour hike, which the Phase team undertake often as part of their work. The region is also prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides, and these can severely impact delivery of healthcare services.
Despite the contextual challenges and remoteness of the project PHASE is meeting and surpassing many of its project goals, and it was great to discuss this with them. The team has delivered safe motherhood training to 891 women and is seeing increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding as a result (amongst other changes). The project also supports a range of agricultural skills training to help increase food production and dietary diversification for pregnant women and new mothers.
Photograph: A mother feeding her child a nutritious meal
Practical Action are working with women and marginalised groups in three rural districts in Nepal to build climate adaptive farming opportunities and improve livelihoods.
Having visited some of the project sites previously (in 2022), our team utilised this second visit to meet Practical Action project staff in their offices in Kathmandu. The project team shared updates and explored ways to further communicate the positive impacts of the project as it moves into its final stages.
The project has improved water access through innovative solar-powered irrigation systems, and has helped establish climate field schools which provide farmers with training on commercial vegetable farming, agroecology and regenerative agricultural practices. Some of the climate schools have introduced labour-saving devices such as electric corn shellers and farm rakes, helping women feel more empowered as they save valuable time and labour.
The project also has strong connections with district and regional private sector actors and traders which is a significant strength of the design. These linkages will be crucial for ensuring sustainability as the project comes to an end.
Practical Action are sharing more about this project at the COP29 talks in November, using it as a working example of how to achieve systematic change at scale.
United World Schools (UWS) are supporting children to enrol and stay in school in remote regions of Nepal, while developing education facilities, school management structures and supporting teacher employment and training.
During the visit it was clear that the positive collaboration between local government stakeholders (education offices) and the UWS team is a key strength of the project and the broader work of UWS, helping facilitate innovative educational initiatives.
The school communities appeared vibrant and supportive, with strong engagement from mothers, School Management Committees (SMCs), and Student Representative Councils (SRCs). These groups play a pivotal role in fostering a positive learning environment and nurturing the holistic development of students. The investment in infrastructure was also evident, with well-maintained school buildings, well-equipped classrooms, and productive teacher spaces, all contributing to an enriching educational experience.
Photograph: Members of our team visiting UWS Koksha School, Tumlingtar
WaterAid is enhancing the quality of learning environments for adolescent girls and children with disabilities in targeted schools of Bardiya. They are collaborating with schools, the broader community and authorities to improve access to sustainable, inclusive WASH services and menstrual health.
While the project experienced some delays in its first year, it was encouraging to learn about the progress being made and the positive direction of activities. The team highlighted that good coordination is developing with key stakeholders, such as The Ministry of Education. Menstrual health awareness training for teachers and local government staff has also started.
In the coming period, the project plans to install a new school water system, including a deep borehole, a water pump with bio sand filters, and dedicated handwashing and drinking stations.
Photograph: Sandhya, a participant in the project
A thank you
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and individuals involved with these visits. We really appreciated all your time and continued hard work.
Since 2021, through its Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK Aid Match project, UNICEF has been building safe, inclusive and resilient communities for women and children in Malawi.
A key focus of the project is the establishment of ‘children’s corners’, spaces where children can go to play and learn outside of school, in their communities. The project has trained community volunteers to become facilitators at the corners. These facilitators teach children about their rights, supporting them to stand up for themselves and work out any problems they may encounter at home or school.
“Children’s corner is a centre where children play, where we go to take away our stress. It’s a place where we learn and share knowledge”. Charles, 12 years old.
Photograph: 14-year-old Billy outside the children’s corner at a village in Blantyre, southern Malawi. Photo credit: UNICEF/Chikondi.
The project has also focused on installing solar powered water systems at the children’s corners and in the wider community in Malawi. These provide safe water that children can drink, wash and cook with. Previously women and children would have to spend up to an hour walking to fetch water from rivers and open wells, carrying heavy containers to bring the water back home. This water would often be contaminated, making them and their families sick.
The water systems have also improved attendance at school and the children’s corners. Children can get to school on time and feel healthy while they are there, which helps them stay focused.
Other community volunteers have been trained in management of the solar water systems, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to monitor and fix any issues that may arise.
Watch this video on YouTube to hear first hand from the children supported through the project, as they take you to visit one of their corners.
In May, Gem Clark, Fund Portfolio Manager for UK Aid Match, and Emma Hayward, Performance and Risk Manager for UK Aid Match travelled to Malawi to visit four grant holders: CBM Global, Sightsavers, UNICEF and World Child Cancer.
One term that was used by all grant holders throughout the visits was ‘poly-crisis’. In recent months and years, Malawi has suffered from multiple crises such as ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the global economic crisis, a cholera outbreak, and most recently a devastating cyclone. These issues are in addition to the already challenging Malawi context, where road quality/access, fuel shortages and increased cost of living are real barriers to organisations delivering projects.
During these visits, the team had a chance to see how the grant holders’ projects were progressing, learn more about how the ‘poly-crisis’ is affecting them, and hear from the communities on how the projects are positively impacting them.
Below is a short write-up for each project the team visited.
Improving access to quality, inclusive and comprehensive eye health services for marginalised rural communities in Central-Eastern Malawi – CBM Global
Through its three-year UK Aid Match project, CBM Global is improving access to eye health services in rural districts in Central and Eastern Malawi. In particular, the project is looking to enable people who are blind from cataracts with sight-restoring surgery. By partnering with the Malawi Network of Older Persons’ Organisations (MANEPO), the project is able to focus its efforts on older people, for whom cataracts are a particular problem.
Only 45% of blind people have access to cataract surgery due to reasons such as lack of eye health workers, services and access. Specialist hospitals are often long distances away from people living in rural areas, meaning there is no option for them to receive the care they need. CBM Global is working to change this by providing training and equipment to eye health workers, and running cataract outreach camps where people can attend and receive specialist treatment.
During the visit, the project delivery team explained that fewer people than expected were attending eye health screenings and surgical camps due to fuel shortages and the cholera outbreak, as people were not wanting to attend large gatherings. Despite this, the team is continuing to reach out to remote communities, ensuring that health workers are trained and have access to specialist equipment in order to treat patients who are able to access community hospitals. These workers will remain in their communities and continue to raise awareness of, and identify, eye health issues once the project ends. Through its partnership with Nkhoma Eye Programme, the project is also supporting two trainee ophthalmic surgeons to complete their qualifications, which will give a boost to the eye health system after the project has ended.
Improved access to affordable, quality eye care services for people with and without disabilities in South-West region, Malawi – Sightsavers
Sightsavers’ UK Aid Match project aims to improve access to eye care services in Malawi over a three-year project period. As well as providing cataract surgery to avoid blindness, the project has a specific focus on reaching people who traditionally face barriers to accessing much needed eye health care, including people with disabilities.
In addition to providing eye examinations, and offering treatments and operations which will contribute to overall eye health, the project is working with the Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (FEDOMA) to improve accessibility of several health facilities for people with disabilities.
During the visit the team learned that Sightsavers was investigating ways to reach more vulnerable people, such as older people and people with disabilities, through running eye health awareness raising activities and screenings at social protection camps. This has worked well in the Uganda part of this multi-country project, and it was good to see an example of shared learning within the project.
It was clear that the project was transforming people’s lives. At one home visit, a patient and his wife explained how their lives were badly affected by his disability (below leg amputation related to diabetes), as well as visual impairment prior to his cataract surgery. Since the surgery their lives have improved dramatically, and the patient is scheduled for further eye surgery on his other eye.
Building safe, inclusive and resilient communities for women and children in Malawi – UNICEF
Through its UK Aid Match project, UNICEF ensures that women and children are safe, happy and healthy.
In rural communities in Malawi, UNICEF has established Children’s Corners, where children can learn about their rights and play safely. The project is training child protection workers and supporting structures such as Community Victim Support Units to identify and respond appropriately to child protection issues and cases of violence. The project has also brought safe water and sanitation to communities. As well as improving everybody’s health, this reduces the security risks faced by children and women when leaving the relative safety of their homes and villages to use communal facilities or collect water. Families can access sanitation loans to upgrade latrines, in a model that creates economic opportunities for shop owners and pit emptiers.
From the visit, it was clear that displacement and loss of livelihoods caused by the cyclone has increased the urgency of child protection needs. Children face exploitation in return for food and shelter, and malnutrition is rising due to the cholera epidemic. UNICEF has responded directly to these issues by extending psychosocial support and psychological first aid to survivors of the cyclone and ensuring children have access to safe corners within their communities. In addition, through the sanitation loans, families have reduced the impact of the cholera epidemic in their communities.
Reducing child mortality in Malawi whilst increasing wellbeing and quality of life – World Child Cancer
In Malawi an estimated 1,100 children develop cancer every year. Due to the lack of health care knowledge and training on identifying early warning signs and symptoms (EWSS) of childhood cancer, only a quarter of children diagnosed will survive.
Through its two-year UK Aid Match project, World Child Cancer is delivering training for health workers and supporting families to ensure that cancer can be diagnosed early, and that treatment is completed. The project is working across 14 Districts in South and Eastern Malawi to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of children and their families affected by cancer.
Often when there is detection of cancer in a child, the first point of contact is a community hospital, where staff lack advanced knowledge and means of diagnosis and further treatment. Now that they have been trained in EWSS, community health workers are able to quickly refer families to District or Central hospitals for further tests. In addition, the project is supporting Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) via outsourcing an independent pathology lab, which allows for immediate, free testing for families and significantly speeds up diagnosis and treatment. Although the current ‘poly-crisis’ has increased the cost of transport, immediate travel to QECH is essential to ensure children can get the treatment they need. The project is offering support to families through transport grants and providing welcome packs on being admitted to the hospital. This is perceived as essential psychosocial support to families who commute from long distances without the basic items they need to stay in hospital.
Another important part of the project is the provision of play therapy sessions, designed to reduce the fear and anxiety children often feel when undergoing treatment. Through UK Aid Match, Malawi’s first paediatric oncology Play Therapist is now trained and offering support to children and families on the ward at the QECH.
By removing some of the economic and psychological barriers to seeking treatment, World Child Cancer is making sure that treatment isn’t abandoned, which increases the child’s chance of becoming cancer free and living a healthy and happy life.
A thank you
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and individuals involved with these visits. We really appreciated all your time and continued hard work.
