Othakarhaka Foundation

Girls & Women Empowerment

Enriching Lives, Defying Challenges – Othakarhaka Foundation’s Journey of Transforming girls and women’s lives and their communities’ future.

At Othakarhaka Foundation, our primary goal under our Girl and Women Empowerment Programs is to enrich the lives of girls and young women, empowering them to overcome the challenges that impact their destinies. 

Girls' Art Empowerment Camp

Held during school holidays, our camp provides girls with the opportunity to explore various artistic disciplines, including poetry, dance, music, English storytelling, and education on Sexual Reproductive Health. We also focus on girls’ sanitation, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to boost their confidence and resilience in our often challenging society.

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Over 1,000+ Girls empowered through diverse arts, education, and enhanced confidence.
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Sponsored and supported 400+ girls with their various secondary and tertiary education needs.

Girls Educational Sponsorship

We sponsor girls’ secondary and tertiary education, covering tuition, exam fees, and essential school materials. Additionally, we distribute bicycles to girls who face long journeys to school. Thanks to our partnership with idemandaccess.org, we support more than 400 girls attending government schools in Malawi. As a result, 156 girls have escaped forced marriages and returned to school, while 48 girls have been accepted into public universities, pursuing fields such as medicine, chemistry, and engineering.

Empowering Teen Mothers through Fashion Design

Othakarhaka Foundation established a sewing school dedicated to providing tailored training for teen mothers who face challenges returning to traditional schooling. These young women are given the opportunity to learn the art of fashion design. Upon completing their training, they are equipped with a starter pack that includes a sewing machine, allowing them to kickstart their own tailoring businesses.

Our unique approach includes an agreement where these empowered teen mothers commit to repaying our organization over 10 months. This funding is then used to support the next cohort of aspiring students.

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Trained over 400+ teen mothers as fashion designers to kickstart their own businesses.
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Supported girls forced to drop out of school get back to school.

Menstrual hygiene initiative

Our Menstrual Hygiene Initiative focuses on educating and supporting girls in primary and secondary schools across Mulanje district. Our approach includes training these girls in the craft of creating reusable sanitary pads, providing them with the knowledge and skills to manage their menstrual hygiene effectively. In addition to training, we also distribute sanitary pads to selected girls on a monthly basis. We understand the importance of both disposable and reusable sanitary pads in ensuring girls’ comfort during their menstrual cycles, enabling them to attend classes with confidence.

Gender-Based Violence Awareness Initiatives

Our organization is dedicated to ending the cycle of abuse, forced marriages, and gender-based violence against girls and women. We actively follow up on cases of abuse and violence through collaborative efforts with community leaders, school teachers, our committed volunteers, girls from our community, and their family members. These collective efforts help us address the unique challenges these girls face.
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Over 10+ gender based violence awareness campaigns and follow ups initiated.

Get Involved

Othakarhaka Foundation is working with hundreds of volunteers to strengthen healthcare, education, agriculture systems and empower various members of the communities through various initiatives.