Traditional Healers Recognised as Key Partners in Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems

Traditional healers participate in a group discussion during the CHWBRC engagement meeting.

Traditional healers remain the first point of contact for many rural communities seeking healthcare, yet they are often excluded from formal health systems. As climate change continues to alter disease patterns across Malawi, strengthening collaboration between traditional healers and the public health sector is becoming increasingly important.

To bridge this gap, the Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (CRECCOM) conducted engagement meetings with the Malawi Traditional Healers Umbrella Organisation (MTHUO) across Phalombe, Zomba, Machinga, Balaka, Mangochi and Ntcheu, reaching more than 151 traditional healers.

The meetings explored how traditional healers are observing climate-related changes in disease patterns, documented their existing role in community behaviour change, and discussed practical ways of integrating them into climate-sensitive disease surveillance, early warning and referral systems.

The initiative forms part of the Climate Resilient Health and Well-being Project for Rural Communities in Southern Malawi (CHWBRC), a five-year programme that seeks to strengthen community health systems and reduce climate change-induced diseases in vulnerable rural communities.

CRECCOM Machinga District Coordinator, Edenzio Nsangwa, leads discussions during the Traditional Healers Engagement Meeting.

Speaking on behalf of traditional healers, Beatrice Kondanani Kalua, Vice President of the Malawi Traditional Healers Umbrella Organisation (MTHUO), welcomed the initiative, saying:

"Traditional healers are trusted by communities and are often the first people consulted when someone becomes ill. By working together with the

CRECCOM SBCC Coordinator, Thomas Chimwaza, engages participants during the Traditional Healers Engagement Meeting.

Ministry of Health and partners like CRECCOM, we can strengthen disease surveillance, promote timely referrals and help communities respond better to the health impacts of climate change."

In Phalombe, Dr. Action Nampuma, Chairperson of MTHUO, said the engagement had created an important platform for collaboration between traditional healers and the formal health sector.

MTHUO Vice President, Beatrice Kondanani Kalua, addresses participants during the Traditional Healers Engagement Meeting in Phalombe District.

"For a long time, traditional healers have served as the first point of contact for many rural families. This initiative gives us an opportunity to work hand in hand with health workers so that communities receive the right care at the right time while strengthening trust between traditional and modern health systems."

According to CRECCOM Senior Project Officer, Lughano Gondwe, engaging traditional healers is critical to building climate-resilient health systems because of the trust they enjoy within rural communities and their ability to identify emerging health threats early.

"This engagement is about recognising and strengthening an existing community resource. Traditional healers have long been trusted by rural communities, and integrating them into climate-sensitive surveillance, risk communication and referral systems will help ensure that vulnerable populations receive timely information and appropriate healthcare."

Participants pose for a group photograph following the Traditional Healers Engagement Meeting in Balaka District.

The CHWBRC project is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Health and Save the Children Malawi, in partnership with CRECCOM and the Catholic Health Commission. It is co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation (Foundation S), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Government of Malawi.

Through partnerships such as these, the project is strengthening climate-resilient health systems by ensuring trusted community actors are equipped to contribute to disease surveillance, early warning, risk communication and timely referral, helping protect vulnerable populations from the growing health impacts of climate change.