Malawi Scorecard: Responsiveness to Women in Development Planning and Financing at the District Council Level

In an effort to ensure gender equality in development and that women's and girls needs are mainstreamed and deliberately focused on by local governments, NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGOGCN) developed a scorecard to determine whether select district councils respond to needs of women and girls in their District Development Plans, budgets and in Area Development Committee (ADC) structures. Through the project supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) through the National Democratic Institute (NDI), NGOGCN is advocating for gender needs to be addressed in development projects administered by district councils. NGOGCN network members engage with local government officials, policymakers and CSOs to promote gender responsiveness in development planning, budgeting and implementation. The project targets nine district councils: Chiradzulu, Dedza, Karonga, Luchenza, Mzimba, Mzuzu, Neno, Lilongwe and Thyolo. The scorecard is rapid assessment on the progress of these district councils and provides several recommendations for ministries and local governments in Malawi.