No occupational therapy association in a young profession moves alone. OTAM's constitution makes cooperation a duty, not a courtesy — with other allied professions, with government, with training institutions and with the wider international OT community.
The network looks modest on an organisation chart. In practice, it is how Malawian occupational therapy gets its standards, its students, its wheelchairs and its voice.
Partnership is not an extra activity for a small profession. It is the profession's oxygen.
The global spoke: WFOT
OTAM keeps close contact with the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, the global peak body for the profession. The connection is more than symbolic: WFOT minimum standards anchor the education agenda, WFOT channels connect Malawian practitioners to international continuing development, and the federation's recognition matters every time Malawian qualifications travel across a border.
The regional spoke: education partners
Because Malawian occupational therapists have trained largely outside the country, universities in the region — including the University of the Western Cape — are woven into the profession's story. OTAM works to keep that relationship two-way: alumni returning as guest teachers, placement exchanges flowing both directions, and curriculum conversations that anticipate the day Malawi trains its own.
The service spokes: clinics & disability organisations
On the ground, the association works alongside the services and organisations delivering care: Kachere Rehabilitation Centre in the medical rehabilitation system, Sandi Rehabilitation, Assessment & Therapy Centre in paediatric and adult therapy, and Motivation in wheelchairs and assistive technology across the country.
Each partnership follows the same logic as the profession itself — stronger together, and always in service of participation for the people of Malawi. Organisations interested in working with OTAM are invited to make contact.
