Malawi Accelerate Programme
What is the Malawi Accelerator Programme?
The Malawi Accelerator Programme (MAP) brings together government, civil society organisations, community leaders, funders and other key stakeholders to strengthen commitment, investment and action to end child marriage in Malawi – and ultimately speed up progress.
Launched in February 2025, MAP is the first programme to pilot Girls Not Brides’ innovative Accelerator model (through which we work intensively with actors across a country’s ending child marriage ‘ecosystem’). And MAP’s already proving to be a blueprint for future Accelerator Country Programmes, with a string of early successes, including a revived national coordination committee that convenes government, civil society and other actors.
Rather than trying to duplicate or compete with existing efforts to end child marriage in Malawi, MAP instead works to bolster and energise them. It is aligned with Malawi’s existing National Strategy to End Child Marriage – which aims to reduce child marriage prevalence from 38% to 20% by 2030 – and is currently working to deepen implementation of the national strategy in two districts: Mzimba and Machinga.
MAP is co-created and co-implemented by Girls Not Brides and Girls Not Brides Malawi – a coalition of nearly 100 civil society organisations working to end child marriage in Malawi.
IMAGE ABOVE: Members of Girls Not Brides staff are pictured alongside trainers and speakers on the Movement Building, Advocacy and Leadership Programme (MBALP) in Malawi in April 2026.
Launched in February 2025, MAP is the first programme to pilot Girls Not Brides’ innovative Accelerator model (through which we work intensively with actors across a country’s ending child marriage ‘ecosystem’). And MAP’s already proving to be a blueprint for future Accelerator Country Programmes, with a string of early successes, including a revived national coordination committee that convenes government, civil society and other actors.
Rather than trying to duplicate or compete with existing efforts to end child marriage in Malawi, MAP instead works to bolster and energise them. It is aligned with Malawi’s existing National Strategy to End Child Marriage – which aims to reduce child marriage prevalence from 38% to 20% by 2030 – and is currently working to deepen implementation of the national strategy in two districts: Mzimba and Machinga.
MAP is co-created and co-implemented by Girls Not Brides and Girls Not Brides Malawi – a coalition of nearly 100 civil society organisations working to end child marriage in Malawi.
IMAGE ABOVE: Members of Girls Not Brides staff are pictured alongside trainers and speakers on the Movement Building, Advocacy and Leadership Programme (MBALP) in Malawi in April 2026.
Tracking MAP’s progress: key achievements so far
MAP is already turning Malawi’s national commitment into real action. Since its launch, the programme has:
1. Brought national leadership on ending child marriage back to life
MAP worked with the Ministry of Gender and partners to revive the National Taskforce on Ending Child Marriage, now renamed the National Technical Committee on Ending Child Marriage.
Participation almost tripled, from 38 to over 100 organisations. And Malawi now has an active national platform to coordinate action against child marriage.
2. Taken the National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage to nearly every district in the country
MAP helped share the National Strategy with 27 of Malawi’s 28 district councils. This lay the groundwork for districts to plan and budget for ending child marriage in their own areas.
“Our role is to amplify the voices of girls who are too often unheard.”
Thandizolathu Kadzamira, Girls Not Brides Malawi member and MBALP participant
3. Strengthened the Girls Not Brides Malawi civil society coalition
Not only has the coalition received increased funding to strengthen its capacity and infrastructure, but members have received training through Girls Not Brides’ Movement Building, Advocacy and Leadership Programme (MBALP). This will help the coalition to become more autonomous and, in the longer-term, increase the sustainability of the ending child marriage ecosystem in Malawi.
4. Helped lay the groundwork for the mobilisation of financing
With increased funding needed to successfully implement the National Strategy, MAP is supporting the creation of a credible, costed implementation plan. This plan will show potential funders where money will be spent and how it will contribute to the goal of halving child marriage prevalence.
“Ending child marriage is not optional – it is a responsibility we all share.”
Emma Kaliya, Girls Not Brides Malawi member and MBALP participant