Costing of Community Health Service Packages - The Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) Experience

The Malawi Government designed a 12 year project as one of the policy instruments in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The project is managed by the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF). MASAF was designed as a platform for the implementation of multi-sectoral community Driven Development (CDD) interventions in the areas of Education, Health, Water, Transport, Communication, Natural Resources, Energy, Agriculture, Irrigation and Community Services. These interventions have been placed in five Community Service Packages (CSP) such that community demands to meet local needs must be within these Service Packages in order to get funding from MASAF. Each of the Service Packages has elements that are meant to address specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). The five Service Packages are health, education, water and sanitation, transport and communication and household food security.