CRECCOM Verifies Community Theatre Groups to Support Climate and Health Awareness in Rural Communities

CRECCOM staff engage a Community Theatre Group in TA Kuntumanje, Zomba District, during verification visits aimed at identifying theatre groups to support climate and health awareness through participatory drama.

The Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (CRECCOM) has commenced verification visits for Community Theatre Groups (CTGs) in Traditional Authority Kuntumanje in Zomba District as part of preparations to strengthen community engagement under the Climate Resilient Health and Wellbeing Project for Rural Communities in Southern Malawi.

The verification exercise, which is also taking place in Mangochi and Ntcheu districts, aims to identify and engage active and capable theatre groups that will support community sensitization using participatory drama and Theatre for Development (TfD) approaches.

CRECCOM team crossing a river en route to TA Makanjira in Mangochi District, highlighting the hard-to-reach terrain communities face in accessing development interventions.

Working closely with District Youth Offices (DYOs), CRECCOM initially identified potential Community Theatre Groups operating within the targeted Traditional Authorities. The current field visits involve assessing three CTGs in each area to determine their capacity, structure, and readiness to support community mobilisation efforts. From the assessed groups, one CTG will be selected in each Traditional Authority to partner with CRECCOM.

Once selected, the CTGs will undergo specialised training in Theatre for Development (TfD) concepts as well as key Green Climate Fund (GCF) messages related to climate resilience, health, and community wellbeing. The trained theatre groups will then use participatory drama performances and community dialogue sessions to mobilise and sensitize communities on climate-related health risks and adaptation practices.

Through this initiative, CRECCOM is leveraging the power of community theatre as a participatory communication tool to promote behavioural change, strengthen community awareness, and encourage collective action on climate resilience and health issues affecting rural populations.

Community Theatre Group members in TA Makanjira interact with the CRECCOM team during a verification meeting aimed at identifying groups to support climate and health awareness through participatory drama.

The Climate Resilient Health and Wellbeing Project for Rural Communities in Southern Malawi is co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation (Foundation S), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Government of Malawi.

The project is being implemented by Save the Children Malawi and the Ministry of Health as co-executing partners, in collaboration with local partners including the Catholic Health Commission and CRECCOM.

Through its Social Mobilization and community engagement expertise, CRECCOM continues to play a key role in ensuring that communities are actively involved in understanding and responding to the growing impacts of climate change on health and livelihoods.