NEWS, REPORTS, EVENTS
Training for Post-Intervention Data Collection Held in June
From June 15–18, 2026, 11 data clerks participated in a hands-on training to prepare for the upcoming endline data collection. During the training, they were introduced to the study objectives, data collection procedures, and the three data collection tools, which targeted caregivers, healthcare workers, and hospital records. A pilot data collection exercise using real hospital registers, such as the Outpatient Department (OPD) Register and cardiac logs, provided practical experience, helped…
Training of Trainers in May - 3rd cohort training
Thirty-two healthcare workers from across Malawi have successfully completed a five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on Paediatric Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), held from 18th to 22nd May 2026 at Ekhaya Beach Resort in Mangochi. The training was organized by the Paediatric and Child Health Association of Malawi (PACHA) under the Malawi–Else Kröner Child Health Programme, a collaborative initiative aimed at improving the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of…
The Paediatric & Child Health Association and Partners Launch Else Kröner Global Child Health Center in Malawi
Developing Information Education & communication (IEC) materials for paediatric NCDs in Malawi
As part of the process of developing Information Education & communication (IEC) materials for paediatric NCDs in Malawi, the Paediatric & Child Health Association (PACHA) in conjunction with the NCD directorate and the Health Education Unit conducted a series of workshops namely: Message Development, Prototype Development, Input Feedback and IEC Vetting. In addition, a practical session of Prototype pretesting was conducted after the creative workshop by conducting Focus Group Discussions (FDG)…
Annual Meeting in Blantyre 2026
Lancet highlights Malawi’s push on paediatric NCDs — EKC-backed “Umoyo wa ana athu” supports national rollout
A correspondence in The Lancet (14 Feb 2026) underscores the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among children in Malawi, noting that disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 0–14-year-olds nearly doubled between 2000 and 2021.
Within this context, the Umoyo wa ana athu (Our Children’s Health) initiative—developed by the Paediatrics and Child Health Association in Malawi together with the Global Child Health Group at Universität Witten/Herdecke under the Else Kröner Center for…
Finalization of patient mastercards
Paediatrics and Child Health Association has developed standard patient mastercards to improve how health facilities record and use patient information.
Emmanuel Mpehpo, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Second Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop on Paediatric Non-Communicable Diseases Conducted in November 2025
With funding from the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, the Paediatrics and Child Health Association (PACHA) conducted the second five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on paediatric non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Malawi. Healthcare professionals—including nurses, clinical officers, and medical doctors—from ten pilot districts (Blantyre, Dowa, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Mwanza, Mzuzu, Nkhata Bay, Nsanje, Phalombe, and Zomba) received practical training in the diagnosis and management of common…
Desk Review Manuscript Published
Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop on Paediatric Non-Communicable Diseases Held in July 2025
In the beginning of July, we conducted a certified five-day Trainer of Trainers (ToT) training for Paediatric non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Salima, where nurses, clinicians, and doctors working in ten pilot districts of our project (Umoyo Wa Ana Athu – Our Children’s Health, funded by Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung) were capacitated with practical skills for managing paediatric non-communicable diseases. The participants were also oriented on the use of the Paeds NCD MW Android…
Annual Conference of the German Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health 2025 in Gießen, Germany
Finalization and endorsement of the guidelines
Finalisation of Training of Trainers (ToT) Materials
From 30 November to 1 December, a three-day workshop was held at Game Haven Lodge near Blantyre to finalise the Training of Trainers (ToT) materials. The workshop brought together 10 participants (four women and six men), including members of the Paediatrics and Child Health Association (PACHA) project team and paediatricians from across the country.Participants worked intensively and collaboratively to complete the training materials. The main outcome of the workshop was a comprehensive set of…
Guidelines Development
In September, the Paediatrics and Child Health Association (PACHA) project team, together with paediatricians from across the country, met for a guideline finalisation workshop. Over several intensive sessions, the draft paediatric NCD guidelines were reviewed and refined page by page, resulting in a strong final working draft.
The draft guidelines were then presented to the Technical Working Group for Health Service Delivery at the Ministry of Health (MoH). The working group provided valuable…
Project Dissemination at Hospital Partnerships and Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung Conference
Annual Visit to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
Midterm Audit and Annual Review Meeting
Annual Conference of the German Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health in Eisenach, Germany
(Chifundo Mchawa, presenting the child NCD guidelines project)
Our Project Manager, Ms. Chifundo Mchawa and colleagues of Friede-Springer Endowed Professorship for Global Child Health attended the Annual Conference of the German Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health in Germany from 12–14 April 2024 which was themed “Children with disabilities and chronic illness in global health.” She presented on the topic “Development of Paediatric NCDs guidelines in Malawi”.
By…
Baseline Data Collection
(Emmanuel Mphepo and data collection officer performing a data quality assessment)
Paediatrics and Child Health Association (PACHA) conducted baseline data collection for the EKC Project between October 2023 and January 2024 across 16 pilot health facilities, including central hospitals, district hospitals, and health centres to give a full picture of service delivery across different levels of care. Ten trained research assistants used standardized tools, with supervision and quality checks to…
Data Collection Training Held in Dedza Ahead of Baseline Survey
Annual Conference of the German Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health in Bonn, Germany
In April, our team consisting of colleagues from Friede-Springer-endowed Professorship for Global Child Health participated in the Annual Conference of the German Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health in Bonn. The conference brought together clinicians, researchers, and global health experts to discuss current challenges and innovations in paediatric global health.
Our Malawian project lead, Dr Yamikani Chimalizeni, presented the Child NCD Guidelines Project, outlining…
District Hospital Management Team & District Executive Committee Meetings
As part of district introductory protocols, we conducted District Hospital Management Team & District Executive Committee meetings in Phalombe, Mwanza Dowa, Mchinji, Nkhatabay and Nsanje districts and meeting held in Phalombe and Mwanza districts held between September & November 2022 to introduce the EKC project to the relevant district structures for approval and familiarity. Both the District Health Management Team & District Executive Committee approved the project in the mentioned…
M&E Indicator Development Workshop Held in Mangochi
In November 2022, we had an M&E indicator development workshop in Mangochi to support the EKC Project. The workshop was attended by the M&E Officer from Paediatrics and Child Health Association (PACHA), Mwai Gidala (Central Monitoring and Evaluation Department), Dickson Sumphi, and Dr. Malangizo Mbewe from the Ministry of Health.During the workshop, participants developed monitoring and evaluation indicators for pediatric NCDs under the EKC Project. In total, we developed 78 indicators covering…
Guideline Development Workshops in Monkey Bay
App Development Consultations
Support for Paediatric Registrars at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
Establishment of the Else Kröner Malawi Child Health Center
Project Launch and Guideline Development
Desk Review of Existing Paediatric NCD Guidelines
In June, our four paediatricians conducted a desk-review assessment of nationally and internationally available paediatric NCD guidelines relevant to child health in Malawi. They are based at Malawi’s central hospitals, all actively involved in clinical care and training, and were engaged as consultants for this work.Supported by a Programme Advisory Board comprising representatives from Paediatrics and Child Health Association, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Witten/Herdecke University,…