text: To mark 16 days of activism, the UK Government has announced a new support package of up to £18 million (over MWK36 Billion) to support grassroots women’s rights organizations in Malawi, India, Pakistan, Somalia, Eswatini, Uganda, and Madagascar.
  The announcement was made by the UK’s International Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell, who highlighted that the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women has helped reach over 400,000 women and girls in 2022.
  He stated that the UK Government is stepping up support for grassroots organizations in more than 70 countries worldwide, and the new funding will go towards tackling gender-based violence to empower women and girls.
  Commenting on the development, the British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fiona Ritchie, said one in three women experience violence in their lifetime, but gender-based violence is preventable.
  “Together we can prevent all violence against women and girls. With this new funding, which targets organizations on the frontline of tackling violence against women and girls,” said Ritchie.
  She expressed that the UK is proud to mark the annual 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. Through renewed efforts and strong partnerships like these, we can help prevent violence and empower women and girls worldwide.
  Currently, the UK is supporting survivors of violence by addressing various financial and social barriers to seeking help and reporting through The Survivor Support Fund (SSF) under the “Supporting Survivors of SEAH (S2S) programme” in Malawi.