YouthNet and Counselling (YONECO)

YONECO has the following organisational objectives:

• To promote positive youth, women and child development through counselling, life skills, leadership and entrepreneurship development
• To safeguard, promote and protect human rights with particular reference to the rights of youth, women and children
• To conduct civic education on HIV/AIDS, human rights, gender, democracy, and good governance among the general population
• To enhance youth, women and children participation in democratisation process and socio – economic development of the nation
• To provide social and economic support services for abused and victimised women and children at community level

YONECO's strategies are organised under four main programme areas. These include:

• The Care and Support Programme, which offers ongoing support and outreach services, volunteer home care, and community centre services. This also includes a kindergarten programme that provides elementary education to orphans and vulnerable children. The Care programme engages in art therapy where children express their thoughts and feelings in drawings, paints, clay, and batik. The outreach programme conducts health education on HIV/AIDS and other diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, cancer, etc., so that communities can encourage health seeking behaviours. Activities include workplace initiatives, and training community care givers, guardians, and parents on healthy living and how to support members of the community.
• The Youth and Development Programme, which promotes active participation of youth, children, and communities in reducing the spread of HIV infection and mitigating the impact of AIDS. This includes training and awareness-raising about life skills and HIV/AIDS, as well as mobilising community support for youth development, including recreation. It also includes mentoring and support of youth organisations.
• The Women and Children Programme, which is designed to empower women and children to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and sociocultural injustices at community level. This includes strengthening community structures and civic education for the rights of women and children, as well as mobilising community support systems to include these rights. It also involves increasing the functional literacy levels and life skills education for women and children.
• The Human Rights and Democracy Programme, which is intended to empower communities to understand, respect, defend, and demand their fundamental human rights responsibly. This includes conducting civic education on human rights, democracy, citizenship, and responsibilities, along with training and capacity building for community members. YONECO also conducts community public debates on community development; organises national and international forums on youth, women, and children’s development; and establishes community information and resource centres in the rural areas.

Health, HIV/AIDS, Youth, Children, Women.

YONECO registered with National Youth Council of Malawi under the National Youth Council (1996) Act, under the Trustees Incorporation Act (1962) in October 1999, and with the Non-governemental Organisation (NGO) Board in 2003. YONECO is a member of a number of networks, including Council for Non-Governmental Organizations in Malawi (CONGOMA), Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE), Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organization (MANASO), and Human Rights Consultative Committee. YONECO became a member of the Human Rights Consultative Committee in 1998.