Art & Global Health Center Africa

What Art & Global Health Center Africa does

Art & Global Health Center Africa (ArtGlo) is a Malawian non-profit organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Zomba, Malawi. The organization applies participatory arts methodologies — most prominently Theatre for Development (TfD), Human-Centered Design (HCD), and the pan-African Umunthu philosophy ('I am because we are') — to catalyze reflection, dialogue, and social behavior change on issues including HIV/AIDS stigma, gender-based violence, LGBTQI+ inclusion, youth leadership, mental health, climate justice, and economic rights. ArtGlo runs a portfolio of programs including Umunthu, MASA (Make Art for Sustainable Action), the MAWA women's activism project, the Umunthu Healthcare Workers Project, the Umunthu Inclusive Society project, the Tiyambe estate-worker project, Zamumtima Sizawekha mental health initiative, and the Students with Dreams youth track, delivered across multiple Malawi districts through community performances, Umunthu Circle dialogues, broadcast media, and digital channels.

The organization does not sell products; its 'technology' is a methodological stack combining TfD, HCD, and culturally-grounded dialogue frameworks, anchored by a proprietary creative content library of films, radio dramas, and theatrical pieces. Programs are delivered through direct community engagement, broadcast media partnerships (MBC TV, MBC Radio 1, Timveni TV, Yoneco), and institutional channels such as Youth Connekt Africa in partnership with UNDP.

ArtGlo operates on a grant-funded non-profit revenue model with no pricing for end beneficiaries. Funding comes from a diversified portfolio of institutional donors including UN agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN Trust Fund), bilateral government donors (US State Department, Scottish Government/Trocaire), the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, Eastern Produce Malawi (corporate), Reprieve, and crowdfunding via GlobalGiving. The organization employs approximately 15 people and is registered with the Malawi NGO Board (NGO/L/15/011) and CONGOMA (C801/2014).

Name

Art & Global Health Center Africa

Legal name

Art & Global Health Center Africa

Website

https://artgloafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Art & Global Health Center Africa (ArtGlo) is a Malawi-based non-profit that uses participatory arts, Theatre for Development, and the Umunthu philosophy to drive social behavior change on gender justice, LGBTQI+ inclusion, mental health, climate, and youth issues across Malawian communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Social Justice Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPADAGAH

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYHLAJAKAM

Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYBPAGAHAL

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

Keywords

• Arts-based social change
• Community health advocacy
• Gender justice programs
• Social inclusion initiatives
• Youth leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Zomba

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: ArtGlo operates primarily through grant funding from institutional donors including UN agencies, international foundations, and government development programs. Funding supports specific thematic programs in youth engagement, gender justice, climate justice, and social inclusion.
2. Donations: Individual and organizational donations support project work. Currently fundraising for 'Zamumtima Sizawekha' mental health project for Malawian students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Art & Global Health Center Africa (ArtGlo) is a non-profit that designs and delivers participatory arts-based programs to catalyze reflection, dialogue, and behaviour change on social issues such as HIV, gender-based violence, LGBTQI+ inclusion, mental health, climate justice, youth leadership, and economic rights in Malawi. Core offerings include the Umunthu philosophical programme, MASA (Make Art for Sustainable Action), Youth & Community Engagement, MAWA, Umunthu Inclusive Society, Umunthu Healthcare Workers, Zamumtima Sizawekha, Tiyambe, the Tionenso radio drama, and the Umunthu Circles dialogue methodology.

Product overview

ArtGlo (Art & Global Health Center Africa) is a non-profit organization based in Malawi that harnesses the power of the arts to catalyze social change. The organization operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single product. Core programs include Umunthu (a philosophical framework for dialogue), MASA (Make Art for Sustainable Action), the MAWA (Make Art for Women's Activism) project, Umunthu Healthcare Workers Project, Umunthu Inclusive Society Project, and the Tiyambe Project. Supporting initiatives include Students with Dreams (youth entrepreneurship), Zamumtima Sizawekha (mental health), and the Zamumtima Sizawekha mental health project. The organization employs methodologies including Umunthu Circles dialogue, Theatre for Development (TfD), Human-Centered Design (HCD), and participatory arts approaches. ArtGlo's work spans thematic areas including youth engagement, gender justice, social inclusion, climate justice, economic justice, and innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Umunthu A pan-African philosophical program ('umunthu' meaning 'humanity') that uses the arts to catalyse reflection and discussion on issues of stigma and discrimination, providing a platform for community dialogue.
• MASA (Make Art for Sustainable Action) Uses participatory film, theatre and performing arts to inspire bold conversations and actions on HIV, gender-based violence, nutrition and other pressing social challenges in Malawi.
• Youth & Community Engagement Programme Youth leadership programme providing young people with training, mentorship and seed funding to develop innovative projects that creatively address pressing social issues, while also engaging communities for mindset change using the arts.
• MAWA (Make Art for Women's Activism) Project Three-year project using participatory arts to end violence against women and girls by challenging patriarchal social norms and mainstreaming women's empowerment across Malawian communities.
• Umunthu Inclusive Society Project Project that addresses access to justice systems and social services for LGBTQI+ persons using the Umunthu philosophy to foster inclusion across target districts.
• Umunthu Healthcare Workers Project Project that addresses health access disparities by fostering understanding and empathy towards LGBTQ+ individuals within healthcare systems across seven Malawian districts.
• Zamumtima Sizawekha Mental health project empowering Malawian students (particularly through the University of Malawi) to promote positive mental health and awareness.
• Students with Dreams Program that supports young people to start social impact projects, businesses and contribute to sustainable development through arts-based and innovation-driven approaches.
• Tiyambe Project Theatre for Development project addressing gender-based violence, human trafficking, and economic justice in estate communities in Mulanje and Thyolo.
• Tionenso Radio Drama Radio play series created with Reprieve to open conversation and reflection on the death penalty in Malawi, airing on MBC Radio 1.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 CSOs strengthened in capacity over 3 years through MAWA project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNDPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNDP and Ministry of Youth and Sports to conduct Umunthu Circle dialogues engaging youth leaders in Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu. Also partnered on Youth Connekt Africa platform for youth innovation and development.
• ReprievecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman rights NGO collaboration on death penalty awareness through 'Tionenso' radio drama series. Partnership on Malawi Resentencing Project supporting approximately 170 prisoners on death row.
• Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM) LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner funding Tiyambe project for Theatre for Development on tea and macadamia estates in Mulanje and Thyolo. EPM also constructed Victim Support Units in the districts through its Women Empowerment Initiative.
• GlobalGivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFundraising platform for 'Zamumtima Sizawekha' mental health project for Malawian students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hivos: Dutch international NGO that funds and operates arts, culture, and rights programs across the Global South. Directly comparable as a peer that uses arts and culture as instruments for social justice and inclusion in similar geographies.
• Restless Development: A global youth-led development agency headquartered in the UK with deep African operations. Highly comparable because both organizations center youth leadership, training and mentorship, and project-based social innovation funding as core delivery models.
• Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK): Coalition advancing LGBTQI+ rights and access to inclusive health services in Kenya. Directly comparable to ArtGlo's Umunthu Inclusive Society and Healthcare Workers projects in mission and operating context.
• Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAF): Zambia-headquartered regional organization using media and the arts for development across Southern Africa. Comparable in combining creative methodologies with health, gender, and rights themes on the same regional footprint.
• Access Chapter 2: Zimbabwean LGBTQI+ rights organization working on health access, legal literacy, and community empowerment. Highly comparable to ArtGlo as a Southern African LGBTQI+ inclusion peer using arts and community mobilization.

Broad incumbents

• Mama Cash: Amsterdam-based international feminist fund supporting women's rights and LGBTQI+ organizations globally. Comparable as a funder-side peer operating in the same institutional donor ecosystem as ArtGlo's MAWA portfolio.
• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African feminist grantmaker and capacity-builder for women's rights organizations. Comparable as a peer in the gender-justice funding ecosystem that ArtGlo's MAWA project competes with for institutional donor funding.
• Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC): Existing funder and operational partner of ArtGlo. Comparable as a regional peer supporting access to justice and LGBTQI+ rights through litigation, training, and community engagement across Southern Africa.
• Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria: Pan-African academic center that conducts advocacy, training, and research on human rights including LGBTQI+ rights. Comparable to ArtGlo in advancing inclusion through both documentation and community-driven programming.
• CIVICUS: Global alliance of civil society organizations focused on strengthening citizen action and protecting civic space. Broad peer comparable in mission to defend space for advocacy and community organizing in restrictive environments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artgloafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artgloafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Art & Global Health Center Africa