During my time with Ntha Foundation, I had the opportunity to contribute to the Muzi Ecosystem Initiative — a tourism-focused programme designed to support youth- and women-led enterprises in Malawi. The initiative, implemented by Mzuzu University’s Faculty of Tourism, Hospitality & Management in partnership with the Malawi Institute of Tourism and supported by GIZ under the “More Income and Employment in Rural Areas (MIERA II)” project, aimed to build sustainable income and employment in districts such as Rumphi, Salima, and Zomba. Ntha Foundation played a key role through its Kwathu Upgrade – Tourism Edition, providing training, digital skills, and incubation support to local entrepreneurs.
What It Offered & Who Was Involved
- Tourism Business Training & Incubation for youth, women, and marginalized communities in tourism-related fields.
- Entrepreneurship & Digital Literacy Support through Ntha Foundation’s Kwathu Innovation and Creative Centre.
- Business Development Grants to help SMEs scale and innovate within the tourism sector.
My Role: Monitoring & Evaluation
In my role as Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Officer, I was responsible for ensuring that every activity under the initiative aligned with its objectives and delivered tangible results. This meant:
- Developing a Results Framework to connect planned activities with expected outcomes.
- Tracking Indicators & Collecting Data to measure progress against targets.
- Conducting Ongoing Monitoring to ensure actions stayed on course.
- Evaluating Outcomes to assess effectiveness, relevance, and impact, while providing recommendations for improvement.
Through careful monitoring and structured evaluation, I helped ensure that the Muzi Ecosystem Initiative not only met its goals but also created lasting change for the communities it served.
To get a detailed look at the Muzi Ecosystem Initiative and its outcomes, feel free to click the link below to read the full project closure blog. In that post, you’ll also find a summary report, capturing key achievements, lessons learned, and stories from the journey.
Enjoy Exploring!