Participant experiences from One Community program in Malawi

USAID/Malawi is supporting the five-year One Community (One-C) program (2015–2020), implemented by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Program (JHU-CCP), with Plan International and Project HOPE. The overall aim of the One-C program is to support the Government of Malawi’s efforts to reduce new infections and mitigate the impact of HIV, ultimately improving the quality of life for Malawians. Under Project SOAR, the Population Council in collaboration with the University of Malawi College of Medicine conducted quantitative and qualitative research in five districts (Blantyre, Chikwawa, Mangochi, Mulanje, and Phalombe), where One-C programs and activities are being implemented.

This brief focuses on the qualitative research. Project SOAR assessed the extent to which One-C is improving the well-being and decreasing the risk of HIV acquisition among the three priority populations: 1) orphans and other vulnerable children and their caregivers, 2) out-of-school adolescent girls and young women, and 3) other adult vulnerable populations, including fishermen, estate workers, and market vendors. The research also assessed the well-being of people living with HIV, including adolescent girls and young women living with HIV, and gathered insights on program implementation from community resource persons, volunteers who implemented One-C’s programs and activities.