PKN STUFF EQUIPPED WITH SURVIVOR SUPPORT FUND SKILLS

Members of the What Works 2 Malawi Consortium participated in a comprehensive training on the Survivor Support Fund (SSF), a key strategy under the Pamodzi Kuthetsa Nkhanza (PKN) project aimed at responding to violence against women and girls in Balaka and Lilongwe.

Around 20 staff members from the implementing organizations; WOLREC, WAG, and GENET engaged in the training to strengthen their ability to support survivors of gender-based violence. The sessions equipped them with knowledge and skills necessary for the successful implementation of the SSF component of the project.

The Survivor Support Fund served as a practical response mechanism designed to meet the immediate needs of women and girls affected by violence. With support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the fund covered essential expenses such as transport, lodging, legal support, and access to other vital services for survivors pursuing justice and healing.

The training was co-facilitated by Technical Advisors from Social Development Direct, Ms. Lusungu Kalanga and Ms. Amanda Bangura. They led discussions on core concepts including the dynamics of power, types and drivers of violence against women in the Malawian context, and the broader impact of such violence on individuals and communities.

Participants also developed practical skills in survivor-centered support, including making safe and accompanied referrals, understanding referral pathways, and upholding safeguarding principles within the project. Kalanga emphasized the importance of leading with compassion and maintaining empathy when working with survivors, noting that such an approach was essential to meaningful and respectful strategy