1. THE PCV EXPERIENCE AT CICOD/
OXFAM IN THYOLO
AND
LOOKING AHEAD TO LUCHENZA
Theresa C. Sanchez
Peace Corps Malawi
August 2008-October 2008

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• The “Thyolo Livelihood Project” was introduced
in September 2007
• CICOD stands for “Circle for Integrated
Community Development”
• Primary funding is provided by Oxfam and
distributed on a quarterly basis
• Oxfam’s partnership began in 1999
• CARD and CICOD were the only NGO’s doing
the Livelihoods Security-type project

3. CATCHMENT AREAS
• The Thyolo Livelihood Project was allocated to
T.A. Thomasi and T.A. Bvumbwe
• CICOD increased its coverage by adding 15 more
villages in the catchment area over the course of
the past year
• Currently they assist 40 villages

4. CICOD’s PROJECT GOAL
• The goal of the project is to improve the
livelihoods and security of over 7,000 poor and
vulnerable people in households in TA’s
Bvumbwe, Thomas, Kwethemule, Nchilamwela,
and Kapichi in 40 villages in Thyolo district by
September 2010.

5. IMPLEMENTATION:
Food and Income Security
• Promote high value crops and small scale
business and savings
• Support integrated/mixed farming
• Advocate soil and water conservation
• Provide basic farm inputs
• Develop production of quality products and
marketing strategies

6. IMPLEMENTATION:
Emergency Management (natural
disasters, hazards, and risks)
• Encourage community-based response to
emergencies
• Train vulnerable households how to cope with
natural disasters
• Mainstream HIV/AIDS education and address
Gender-based Violence issues
• Provide follow up monitoring and evaluation

7. THE ROLE OF THE PCV
• Serve as HIV/AIDS officer
• Major duties included mainstreaming HIV/AIDS
education and Gender-Based Issues into every
aspect of village life: from food security to water
sanitation.
• Design and Launch a Website for CICOD
• Conduct case studies
• Create a quarterly newsletter to update
stakeholders and donors on CICOD progress

8. PARTNERS
• WAMI, DBU, CARD, MSH, CRECCOM, NAC
• Government Agencies such as Agriculture,
Fisheries, Irrigation, Hospitals, Community,
Social Welfare, Forest and the District Assembly

9. MONTHLY PROJECTS:
JULY
• Conducted initial site visit
• Met with Thyolo work team: Aubrey Kambewa,
George Zuma Zuma (also extension workers,
Chrissie, Christine, and Humphrey)
• Restructured my job description to match better
with my CV
• Started attending weekly Monday morning
meetings
• Procured furniture for residence

10. MONTHLY PROJECTS:
AUGUST
• Convened a major stakeholders meeting with members
of partnering NGO’s, CBO’s, and local and state
government to update them on plan implementation in
the community
• Held soil and water conservation awareness meetings
• Conducted PRA in 40 villages
• Attended PRA and Mapping at a village in Thomas &
took pictures and documented event
• Initiated the 2008/2009 Poultry Program
• Procured Mikolongwe birds for communities
• Met with Lilongwe management team

11. MONTHLY PROJECTS:
SEPTEMBER
• Attended Thyolo Agriculture Subsidy Meeting
• Assisted in facilitating the formation of small
scale business and savings for communities
• Trained several CBO’s in Business Management
and Accounting
• Registered poultry (black Australope)
beneficiaries
• Identified and registered maize seed
beneficiaries
• Distributed maize seed in Thomas

12. MONTHLY PROJECTS:
OCTOBER
• Conduct strategic planning workshop
• Train beneficiaries in fruit tree and seed
management
• Procure and distribute beekeeping materials
• Seek out new markets for beneficiaries
• Meet with CBO in Bvumbwe and initiate IGA
work and role of PCV there
• Identify youth clubs and potential projects
• Meet with executive director in Lilongwe to
better establish role with CICOD

13. ACTIVITY:
Conducting PRA in TA Thomas
August 2008
• Conducted PRAs in the following villages:
Mazinga, Naphiyo, Juma 2, Walani 2, Kwanjana,
Mpeni, Robert, Kapyepye, Thunga, Holesi, Mpaso,
Bvumbwe, Chimseu, Makwinta, and Laiti
• Major observations: High percentage of elderly-
headed households, child-headed households, and
single mother-headed households; high incidence of
orphans, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, poor leadership,
corruption, water sanitation, and food security

15. ACTIVITY:
Seed Fair Village Tamkukula TA Dowa in
Thambwe, September 25, 2008
• Encouraged organic farming and growth of
indigenous crops for sustainability
• Addressed need to increase crop diversification and
promoted use of manure as fertilizer
• Partnered with Malawi Plant Genetic Resources
Center
• Worked with 7 villages, 25 farmers participated
• Held a similar fair in Nchisi the next day covering 10
villages
• Gave the priority to women in the villages

17. ACTIVITY:
Seed Distribution in Thomas
• Distributed maize seeds to at-risk and
vulnerable adults/families in TA Thomas
• Met with recipients on the ground and discussed
their needs
• Interviewed 68-year old chief Ellena Thomas,
who was the 1st female chief there
• Identified village’s major challenges as having a
lack of capital for running small scale businesses
and the lack of husbands (due to deaths)

19. ACTIVITY:
Strategic Planning Workshop
October 7-8, 2008
• A 3-year strategic plan was
developed in 2005 to guide
CICOD
• CICOD embarked on a
strategic planning process for
a new 5-year plan from
2009-2013
• Worked with stakeholders,
Oxfam, and CICOD staff
• Addressed socioeconomic,
global, environmental, and
logistical changes and the
impact (positive or negative)
on the program

20. ACTIVITY:
BVUCCO CBO Attachment in Bvumbwe
• Assist orphans and
vulnerable children
• Write and report and
proposals
• 11 villages in all: would
ideally target those who
were vulnerable in these
areas
• Focus on nutrition and
mainstreaming HIV/
AIDs
• Assist in creating and
implementing IGA’s
• Goals are to compliment
each other’s work and see
progress

21. ACTIVITY:
Planning and Implementation of HTC
Week November 9-16
• Theme of this year’s program: “A Key to Care – HIV
Testing As a Family”
• Its purpose is to mobilize men, women, and children
to know their status (TARGET: 10,000 people in
Thyolo)
• Attended planning meetings to strategize the best
way the event should be conducted
• Balanced program budget of MK 1,956,342 for 150
NGO participants, 10 supervisors, and 250
counselors for 7 days
• Ensured adequate coverage of over 31 static sites,
with 2 counselors at each site

22. LOOKING AHEAD: WORKING WITH THE
TOWN OF LUCHENZA
• Left Oxfam in October because although it was a great NGO, it just wasn’t
the right fit and transportation was an issue
• Met with the CEO, Director of Planning, and Director of Data at the
Luchenza Town Assembly
• Established the town’s highest priorities as being 1) sanitation, 2)
environment, 3) HIV/AIDS and orphans, 4) poor infrastructure and 5) lack
of capital for small businesses (sustainability)
• After IST, I will be meeting with the directors of the various government
agencies, CBO’s, and NGO’s and will hopefully start work as the town’s
AIDS Coordinator
• I also have started working with a youth club on an IGA to build a roof for
their church. I am currently waiting to get T-shirt designs back in order to
print them and sell them for funds
• Work twice a month with the private health center doing under 5 clinics,
water safety, and life skills

23. Challenges
• Malawi’s “office atmosphere” was very different than
the professional environment I was accustomed to
in the U.S. It was somewhat difficult to assimilate
• Directness/Indirectness hard to distinguish
• Expectations of myself and my counterpart, i.e.
funding, work load, transportation, and overall role
were unclear
• Having to restructure my understanding of success
and readjusting my goals
• Lessons Learned: patience, perseverance,
acceptance, constant self-evaluation, and diplomacy

24. A LOOK AT LUCHENZA
• Has 7 villages
• Under TA Nanseta (Lolo, Chiromo,
Kanthawire)
• Under District Mulanje, TA
Mnthiramanja (Chonde, Njete,
Mwarama, Kulu Lira)
• 8 schools (primary, secondary,
private)
• Founded in 1987
• Population 15,000-20,000
• 14% of the population has
HIV/AIDS: “It’s a small
town but very active”
• Over 10 CBO’s & NGO’s
• 2 Private Health Centers
• Closest Hospital is in
Thyolo