The UNOPS I-SUN Pooled Fund project, implemented by CSONA with funding from the SUN Pooled Funds Window I Cycle II grant through UNOPS, aimed at enhancing the role of non-state actors in Malawi’s national and sub-national multi-stakeholder platforms to accelerate the implementation of the country’s Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) plans. Running for 21 months from May 2019 to December 2020, the project operated at both the national level and in the districts of Karonga and Nsanje.

At its core, the project sought to contribute to improving the nutrition status of Malawians, with a particular focus on women of childbearing age, adolescent girls, youth, infants, and young children. It aligned with Malawi’s long-term goal of reducing all forms of malnutrition as a means to unlock human productivity and drive economic growth. At the national level, the initiative focused on building political will and accountability around nutrition. CSONA worked closely with the Parliamentary Committee on Nutrition and HIV/AIDS, training 16 Members of Parliament to serve as nutrition champions and empowering an additional 18 to advocate for the inclusion of key provisions within the Food and Nutrition Bill. These efforts directly contributed to a significant increase in national budgetary allocation to nutrition, which rose from 0.5 percent in the 2019/2020 budget to 3.7 percent in the 2020/2021 fiscal year.

The project also saw the successful development of a new five-year strategic plan for CSONA, designed to guide the Alliance’s programming and fundraising efforts. At the sub-national level, CSONA supported the inclusion of adolescent nutrition in the District Annual Work Plan (DAWP) and national budget for Karonga. In Nsanje, nutrition and food security were elevated as the second-highest priority area in the District Development Plan (2017–2022). Capacity-building efforts were central to the project’s success, with 30 CSONA members in Nsanje trained on nutrition advocacy and 20 in Karonga trained in public expenditure tracking.

The project also responded to the emerging needs during the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting preventive and safety measures in six health facilities across Karonga and Nsanje. This included the distribution of essential personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, handwashing soap, and buckets. In addition, the project actively promoted youth engagement by strengthening their participation in nutrition-related decision-making at both community and district levels through targeted training sessions.

Overall, the UNOPS I-SUN Pooled Fund project significantly strengthened the capacity and influence of non-state actors in Malawi’s nutrition landscape, laying the groundwork for sustained, inclusive, and accountable nutrition governance.