Case Study: Making Noise Malawi

The aim of this kit is to help you generate an ‘action plan’. For each part of the action plan there are some tools and ideas you can use to inform your decisions. Everyone needs to have a shared understanding of the ‘context’, which will help pick and choose ‘ideas’ to adapt them into the context and further assess how to ‘monitor, evaluate and learn' from the activities.

Making Noise is a practical tool developed from action research in Malawi that experimented with community engagement approaches for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Action research Collaborative action research is a cyclical process that involves stakeholders and policymakers in advocating for disability sports through media narratives, legitimizing Para sports and driving social change.

The African Union Region 5 Youth Games, involving neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Lesotho and Namibia, hosted by Malawi in 2022 included sanctioned Para sports competitions for the first time. Making Noise was piloted as an approach to increase conversations and exposure. It saw community based activities, including theatre and Para sports demonstrations and Para athlete stories in the media. The media's role in covering Para sports events became more mainstream and commercially valuable. The increasing coverage led to calls from the public, parents, and companies wanting to support Para sports. The government's involvement in promoting Para sports was initiated.