
The concept of CLTS was introduced in Mzimba district through the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development (MoIWD) and Plan in November 2007. This was followed by a stakeholder meeting organised by UNICEF in April 2008. In June 2008, a national training was facilitated by Kamal Kar. In December 2008, the Government of Malawi launched their sector-wide approach for water and sanitation, adopting CLTS as one of the official approaches for sanitation. The approach is currently being implemented by a number of actors in the water and sanitation sector including Plan, UNICEF, and various NGOs. Twelve districts have utilized the approach since 2008, and 8 more have been trained in the approach. Since the beginning of its implementation, over 2000 villages have been triggered, with over 800 declared ODF (37% success rate). In October 2010, the Government of Malawi decided to adopt CLTS as the nationwide strategy for eliminating open defecation. The remaining 8 districts in Malawi will be trained in the approach by April 2008. A CLTS scale-up strategy was developed in March 2011 by key stakeholders in the country in order to accelerate its adoption and progress.