Malawi is a landlocked country in the southern part of Africa, bordered by Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia. The country has a diverse topography, with Lake Malawi, the third-largest lake in Africa, as one of its most significant geographical features. Much of the remaining landscape consists of high, well-watered plateaus interspersed with large hills (World Bank Group, 2021).   

The subtropical climate is characterized by two seasons: a rainy season from November to April and dry season from May to October. The country experiences high temperatures and humidity, with variations across regions and seasons. In recent years, however, Malawi has experienced an increase in climate-related hazards, including erratic rainfall, droughts, prolonged dry spells, and strong winds. These changes have affected key sectors of the economy such as agriculture, health, water, energy, transport, education, gender, forestry, wildlife, and infrastructure. Consequently, as the majority of Malawians rely on small-scale, rain-fed agriculture, livelihoods are highly dependent on the weather patterns, making communities particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events (Irish Aid, 2018).  

In response, the government has introduced adaptation and mitigation strategies including the Malawi 2063 Development Agenda, which emphasizes environmental sustainability as a key cross-cutting priority and it is committed to reduce by 52 percent its GHG emissions by 2040 across the three pillars:  (i) institutional framework, (ii) knowledge, technology and financing and (iii) strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable. 

CARE Malawi has been operating since 1998, working closely with government, civil society, and communities to address poverty, food insecurity, and increasing climate vulnerability. The country office has reached hundreds of thousands through integrated programming in climate-resilient agriculture, gender equality, health, and resilience, including flagship approaches such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and community-based adaptation. Key milestones include strengthening household resilience to recurrent droughts and floods, advancing women’s economic empowerment, and scaling up anticipatory action interventions that enable at-risk communities to prepare for and respond early to climate shocks.