The Gender and Justice Unit

03/06/2026

01/06/2026

A proud and deeply significant moment for the Gender and Justice Unit.

On Friday, 26 May, we gathered at the Bingu International Conference Centre to formally sign MOUs with key partners for the rollout of EmpowerLine Plus, a three-year project supported by the Irene M. Staehelin Foundation that will expand our work across 11 districts in Malawi.

This milestone brings together GJU, the Women Judges Association of Malawi, the Legal Aid Bureau, NICE Trust and Trust Psychosocial Malawi in a shared commitment to strengthening access to justice for women, girls and survivors of violence.

Through EmpowerLine Plus, we will deepen access to simplified legal information through our digital platforms, while also integrating legal clinics, mobile courts, legal representation, community paralegal support, psychosocial services and survivor-centred referral pathways at grassroots level.

For us, this work is about more than information. It is about building a stronger framework through which women can move from silence to justice, with support at every step.

We are grateful to all our partners, friends and supporters who made this milestone possible. A special thank you to the Irene M. Staehelin Foundation and the Segal Family Foundation for standing with GJU and giving this work such strength during the evening and signing ceremony.

We look forward to sharing more from the rollout as the work continues across Malawi.

Malawi

18/05/2026

Happy Monday from GJU 🥰
Sending you a cheerful hello from our little corner of the world, and hoping we get to welcome you here someday. Wishing you a bright, grounded and beautiful week ahead.

Thank you for visiting us and capturing these candid moments !

11/05/2026

We are on air! 📻✨

The Gender and Justice Unit is excited to begin a new 30-part radio series with Police FM, under our Memorandum of Understanding, focused on gender justice, legal empowerment and access to justice in Malawi. To open the series, our Board Chairperson, Lynda Ndovie Jere , joined Police FM in studio to speak about GJU’s work, trends in gender-based violence, and the importance of free, accessible legal empowerment tools that help people get information safely, privately and in languages they understand.

Tune in, listen, learn and share.

EmpowerLine Malawi GenderJustice

06/05/2026

Thirty new community liaisons in Dedza. Five days of onboarding. One powerful song - composed and performed entirely by the women themselves.

After training with the Gender and Justice Unit team on psychological first aid, Malawi’s legal framework, gender-related laws, trauma-informed survivor support, identifying legal issues, and using EmpowerLine 4285 our toll-free IVR tool, these community liaisons turned what they learned into a joyful call to action:

"When you experience violence, come to us.
We will help you.
We will go with you to the police.
We will support you in finding a way forward."

For us, this song was more than a performance. It is a sign of ownership, courage, and deep investment in the work ahead across the three new villages where the Gender and Justice Unit will be expanding EmpowerSafe our GBV response project with support from Trócaire.

Community liaisons are where technology becomes justice. They are the bridge between tools, law, care, and real outcomes for survivors at the community level.

We are so proud to witness and support this commitment.

28/04/2026

Onboarding 30 new Community Liaisons in Dedza! 🧡

Yesterday, kicked off one of the most important parts of starting our work in a new community: recruiting and training 30 community leaders who will act as connectors, linking victims and survivors of GBV with our services, as well as the support offered by frontline GBV responders in the area.

These women are the bridge between the law and the communities it is meant to protect. When she knows her rights, everything changes, and our Community Liaisons are the ones who make sure she does.
An encouraging step forward as we begin a new year of our supported project.

Watch this space.

13/04/2026

A big milestone for GJU. We are heading to Skoll Week 2026 for the first time. Our Founder and Executive Director, will represent GJU as we connect, learn, and share our work with a global community committed to justice and equality. We are excited, grateful, and ready.

07/04/2026

Proud to have contributed to a dynamic partners meeting under the Irish Aid funded ICSP programme, bringing together organisations to reflect, challenge, and plan ahead. From the Gender and Justice Unit, we shared our Dedza model, demonstrating how community based legal empowerment is strengthening prevention and response to GBV, and improving access to justice for survivors.

Through coordinated work with community focal points, paralegals, and district justice actors, the model is bringing services closer to women, strengthening referral pathways, and supporting survivors to navigate the justice system. We also highlighted how tools like frontline training and accessible legal information are building confidence at community level to respond to GBV.

The discussion focused on what it takes to sustain and scale these approaches, ensuring women and girls can claim their rights and live free from violence.