COPE's economic interventions are reaching 36 percent of the targeted households. It is not yet clear whether these interventions have made sustainable improvements in the economic situation of the primary-target households. During interviews, GGLS members and dimba gardeners said the quality of the food they were able to buy had improved as a result of their joining the program. In comparison with other NGO credit programs in Malawi, GGLS appears to be reaching the deepest into the survival economy. Through contacts with village leaders COPE staff identify households with seriously ill members and invite caregivers to participate in a three-day group training session.
Staff make regular home visits to assess the quality of care and suggest improvements.
They have also built village-level networks of caregivers and trained volunteers, through which participants support each other and share resources. Leaders and residents in target villages indicated that the skills gained through this training are highly valued. At present, training for home-based care addresses only physical care issues. The home-based care training provided by COPE appears to be having a very positive impact. Patients in households with a trained caregiver are able to live more comfortably and with greater dignity, which should have positive, indirect benefits for their children.