USAID/Malawi's Experiment in Integration to Foster Collaboration and Improve Programmatic Decision-Making

After fifty years of development work in Malawi, it was clear that traditional development structures were failing to lift Malawians out of the poverty trap. So the Mission asked, if we change the way we work, could we achieve better, more sustainable results? To answer this question, the Mission devised its "integration experiment" as the central innovation of its 5-year strategic plan. The Mission defines integration as working jointly together with others on a common goal that is beyond any person/group can accomplish alone. Integration includes joint planning, leveraging resources, evaluating outcomes together, and a holistic coordinated response that meets district development objectives.

This case study was submitted as part of USAID's CLA Case Competition, held in August 2015. This collection of examples illustrate the diversity of ways collaborating, learning, and adapting approaches are being operationalized in the field. To view more CLA cases like this one, visit the CLA Case Competition page.