Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance - CSONA Mw

What Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance - CSONA Mw does

CSONA (Civil Society Organization Nutrition Alliance) is a Lilongwe-headquartered coalition of over 200 local and international civil society organizations established to end malnutrition and promote nutrition equity in Malawi. Founded in 2013, the organization operates as a unified advocacy and coordination platform spanning all 28 districts of Malawi, with active programming concentrated across 15+ districts including Lilongwe, Mchinji, Mangochi, Mulanje, Thyolo, Dedza, Balaka, Nkhotakota, Karonga, Nsanje, Zomba, Salima, Mzimba, and Chikwawa. Its member base includes NGOs, community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), research institutions, and media houses. CSONA's core methodology centers on evidence-based nutrition advocacy, multi-stakeholder coordination, and community-level citizen engagement tools including Theatre for Development, Community Score Cards (CSC), and Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS).

CSONA's portfolio comprises six major multi-year programs: the Food Systems for Food Security project (Irish Aid, 2023-2027), the FOCUS Project on micronutrient fortification (European Union, 2023-2027), the Food Systems Transformative Initiative (BMZ/GIZ, 2024), the Nutrition Smart Communities project (BMZ/GIZ, regional scope across Malawi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone, 2024), the Nutrition for Health Activity (USAID, with LUANAR), and the Investing in Early Years Project (World Bank, with the Ministry of Gender). Additional smaller grants from UNOPS/SUN Pooled Funds, the Roddenberry Foundation, and the Tilitonse Foundation support communication, governance, and youth-focused initiatives. The organization is governed by a 7-member Board of Trustees chaired by George Kaunda, with day-to-day operations led by National Coordinator Joseph Gausi and supported by approximately 20 staff members in functions spanning programs, MEAL, finance, communications, gender, and field nutrition.

CSONA operates as a donor-funded non-profit with no commercial product revenue. Revenue derives from multi-year institutional grants (Irish Aid, EU, BMZ/GIZ, USAID, World Bank, UNOPS), supplemented by nominal membership fees from member organizations (MK 22,500–113,500 per year depending on category). The organization's go-to-market is coalition-led and event-driven: it builds membership to scale advocacy reach, coordinates district nutrition platforms (DNCCs, ANCCs, VNCCs), drives national policy engagement (notably contributing to Malawi's nutrition budget allocation rising from 0.5% in 2019/2020 to 3.7% in 2020/2021), and delivers community nutrition education through care groups and peer educators — reaching 26,423 households in Mzimba district alone under the UNOPS II project.

Name

Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance - CSONA Mw

Legal name

Civil Society Organization Nutrition Alliance

Website

https://csona.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CSONA is a Malawian coalition of 200+ civil society organizations coordinating nutrition advocacy and program delivery across all 28 districts, implementing multi-year donor-funded projects on food systems, micronutrient fortification, and citizen engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nutrition Advocacy and Civil Society Coalition Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition Governance, Policy & Coordination (SUN, National Plans) (BPADAJAL), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF), Nutrition & Population Health Integration (MCH Nutrition, Micronutrients) (BPADAIAF)

Keywords

• Nutrition advocacy
• Civil society coalition
• Food systems programs
• Community nutrition
• Nutrition governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Lilongwe

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donor Funding: CSONA operates as a donor-funded organization receiving grants from international development partners. Major funders include Irish Aid (Food Systems for Food Security), European Union (FOCUS Project), BMZ/GIZ (Food Systems Transformative Initiative, NSC), USAID (N4H), World Bank (IEYP), UNOPS/SUN Pooled Fund, Roddenberry Foundation, and Tilitonse Foundation. Revenue is project-based with multi-year grant cycles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CSONA is a coalition of 200+ civil society organizations that delivers evidence-based nutrition advocacy, coordinates member CSOs across Malawi's 28 districts, and implements donor-funded programs addressing food systems, micronutrient deficiencies, maternal and child nutrition, and early childhood development. Its offerings include multi-year donor-funded projects (FS4FS, FOCUS, NSC, N4H, IEYP), citizen engagement tools (Community Score Cards, PETS), advocacy and capacity-building resources, and convening of national and district nutrition platforms.

Product overview

CSONA (Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance) is a coalition of over 200 civil society organizations dedicated to ending malnutrition in Malawi. CSONA operates as a unified platform offering programs and resources rather than a traditional product company. Its portfolio includes advocacy programs (Food Systems for Food Security, FOCUS Project, Food Systems Transformative Initiative), community nutrition initiatives (Nutrition Smart Communities, Nutrition for Health Activity), early childhood development programs (Investing in Early Years Project), and knowledge resources (advocacy manuals, annual reports, training materials). These initiatives work together to advance evidence-based nutrition advocacy, foster collaboration, and support government efforts in scaling up sustainable nutrition across Malawi's 28 districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Systems for Food Security (FS4FS) Project A five-year donor-funded initiative that improves nutritional status and dietary diversity of women and children in vulnerable communities by promoting resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems in Lilongwe and Mchinji districts.
• Fortifying Our Communities' Undernutrition Status (FOCUS) Project A five-year European Union-funded initiative implemented in partnership with Self Help Africa that promotes inclusive, community-driven approaches to address micronutrient deficiencies in Mulanje, Thyolo, Dedza, and Balaka districts, focusing on fortified and biofortified foods.
• Food Systems Transformative Initiative A BMZ/GIZ-funded initiative implemented by CSONA, CISANET, and MWAPATA Institute in Dedza, Chikwawa, and Mzimba Districts to address persistent challenges within Malawi's food systems through advocacy, capacity building, and research.
• Nutrition Smart Communities (NSC) Project A regional initiative implemented in Malawi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone aimed at improving food and nutrition security at household and community levels through a multi-sectoral approach addressing agriculture, WASH, health, education, and livelihoods; implemented in Mangochi district.
• Nutrition for Health Activity (N4H) A five-year USAID-funded initiative implemented alongside LUANAR to strengthen Malawi's national capacity to respond to nutrition challenges impacting public health, implemented in Zomba, Salima, and Mzimba Districts.
• Investing in Early Years Project (IEYP) A World Bank-funded program implemented in 13 districts in Malawi aimed at monitoring nutrition and early stimulation through citizen engagement initiatives using Community Score Card tools, delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Gender.

Quantifiable outcome

• National nutrition budget allocation increased from 0.5% to 3.7% (2020/2021 fiscal year)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Self Help Africa (SHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Implementing partner on the FOCUS Project alongside CSONA. SHA brings expertise in agriculture and community development to the partnership.
• CICODmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Food Systems for Food Security project implementing community-based interventions alongside Concern Worldwide.
• Concern WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead implementing partner on the Food Systems for Food Security project in Lilongwe and Mchinji districts, focusing on resilient and inclusive food systems.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner on UNOPS II SUN Pooled Fund project, implementing community-level interventions including care groups and community education reaching 26,423 households.
• Bwalo InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Urban Governance project in Zomba City, focusing on promoting inclusive urban governance and citizen participation in urban planning.
• KusamalamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Nutrition Smart Communities (NSC) project in Malawi, contributing to coordination and implementation.
• Welthungerhilfe (WHH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Nutrition Smart Communities (NSC) project, providing support for food and nutrition security interventions.
• CISANET (Civil Society Agriculture Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementer of Food Systems Transformative Initiative, bringing agriculture network expertise to food systems advocacy and capacity building.
• MWAPATA InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementer of Food Systems Transformative Initiative, providing research capacity for food systems analysis and transformation.
• Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner on N4H project, focusing on building sustainable nutrition and dietetics capacity, enhancing teaching and research.
• Early Childhood Development Coalition (ECDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on IEYP, collaborating on Community Score Card Administration through Citizen Engagement Initiative across 13 districts.
• Government of Malawi (Ministry of Gender)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGovernment implementing partner for IEYP program, with CSONA supporting citizen engagement components.
• SUN Civil Society NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal nutrition movement network providing platforms, resources, and coordination for civil society nutrition advocacy.
• SUN MovementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal movement funding youth nutrition participation grants and providing strategic framework for CSONA's work.
• Cloud9MediaminorOthersMedia production partner producing video content on CSONA's budget advocacy experience for the SUN Civil Society Network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German federal development agency that funds and provides technical capacity building to CSONA; comparable as a much larger international development organization with overlapping nutrition, food systems, and governance mandates in Malawi.
• UNICEF Malawi: UN agency operating a national nutrition program in Malawi that overlaps with CSONA's maternal, child, and adolescent nutrition focus; comparable as a broad incumbent in child nutrition and food security with multi-donor funding at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Welthungerhilfe (WHH): German development NGO partnering with CSONA on the Nutrition Smart Communities (NSC) project; comparable as a multi-country food and nutrition security NGO working through multi-sectoral consortium models in Malawi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone.
• Save the Children: International NGO partnering with CSONA on the UNOPS II SUN Pooled Fund project reaching 26,423 households; comparable as a child-focused NGO delivering maternal and child nutrition interventions in Malawi through donor consortia.
• Self Help Africa: Implementing partner alongside CSONA on the EU-funded FOCUS project; comparable as an agriculture-nutrition NGO operating in Malawi with EU grant-funded micronutrient and food fortification programming.
• Concern Worldwide: International NGO and lead implementing partner on CSONA's Irish Aid-funded FS4FS project in Lilongwe and Mchinji; directly comparable as a humanitarian/development NGO delivering nutrition and food security programs in Malawi through donor-funded consortia.
• SUN Civil Society Network Malawi: Global CSO network that CSONA is explicitly a member of; comparable as a civil society nutrition coalition platform engaging in multi-stakeholder advocacy, policy influence, and donor coordination around national nutrition plans.
• CISANET (Civil Society Agriculture Network): Malawi-based CSO network that co-implements CSONA's Food Systems Transformative Initiative; comparable as a civil society coalition advocating on food systems and nutrition-sensitive policy with district-level membership and donor-funded programming.
• MWAPATA Institute: Local Malawian policy research institute that co-implements the Food Systems Transformative Initiative with CSONA; comparable in operating environment and donor-funded nutrition/food systems research mandate.
• Early Childhood Development Coalition (ECDC) Malawi: National coalition partnering with CSONA on the World Bank-funded IEYP program across 13 districts; comparable as a Malawian civil society coalition advocating on early childhood development and nutrition with district-level reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSONAMalawi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@csonamw_suncsn?si=tu7SUP_UK-9Ly7RS
• Facebookfacebook.com/Civil-Society-Organisation-Nutrition-Alliance-CSONA-100064563467425
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civil-society-organisations-nutrition-alliance-csona
• Instagraminstagram.com/csonamalawi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance - CSONA Mw