The Ministry carries out its policies and programmes through the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) whose mission is to implement government policies by providing rehabilitation programs and services and promoting public interest for the empowerment and integration of people with disabilities in order to achieve an inclusive society.  The Council’s programmes and services are aimed at empowering people with disabilities in the areas of education, health, training and employment. 

According to the provisions of the Handicapped Persons Act, the Council’s designated functions are to:

·         Advise the Minister on all matters related to the care and welfare of persons with disabilities

·         Design and implement rehabilitation programs and services for the social economic empowerment and integration of persons with disabilities

·         Considering that disability is a cross cutting issue, to interest other government departments, public and private service providers and the general public to be actively involved in the rehabilitation process

·         Run vocational training centres for persons with disabilities

·         Regulate the work of service providers whose key mandate is to support the disability cause and to

·         Raise and invest funds in rehabilitation programs and services. 

MACOHA uses three main approaches in the delivery of rehabilitation programs and services, namely, community based, institutional based and community outreach strategies. The following are the rehabilitation programmes and services that are run by the organization: 

1.  Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programs and Projects 

q       MACOHA/ Norwegian Association of the Disabled (NAD) Blantyre Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Project

q       MACOHA/ Norwegian Association of the Disabled (NAD) Machinga CBR Project

q       MACOHA/ Norwegian Association of the Disabled (NAD) Balaka CBR Project

q       Nsanje CBR Program

q       MACOHA/Sight Savers International Comprehensive Eye Services Program

q       Lilongwe CBR 

q       Mzimba CBR Programme

q       MACOHA/Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM) Salima CBR, Nkhota-kota and Chintheche CBR Programs

q       MACOHA/NAD/TEVETA Community Based Vocational Skills Training Project (Blantyre and Machinga)

q       MACOHA/Action Aid Malawi Msakambewa Community Based Rehabilitation Program

     2.     Institutional Based Rehabilitation

q       KamuzuVocational Rehabilitation and Training Center (KVRTC)

q       Lilongwe Vocational Training Center (LVTC)

q      MACOHA/NAD/Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Vocational Skills Development Program (Soche Technical College)

     3.     Community Outreach/Extension Services

q       Support to Blind Farmers in Agricultural Resettlement Schemes (Ndakwera in Chikwawa, Rivi Rivi in Balaka and Chinguluwe in Salima)

q       Support to persons with disabilities through extension services to Nkhata-Bay, Rumphi and Mzuzu

     4.   Production Units

q       Bangwe Factory

q       Optical Workshop

q       KVRTC Wood Workshop

q       LVTC Tailoring Workshop and Wood Workshop