To reduce the plight of children without parental care, the Minister of Gender, Jean Sendeza, has called for the finalisation and gazetting of a draft of the child-care protection and justice foster homes regulations.
Sendeza made the remarks in Lilongwe during the launch of the “No Child Should Grow up Alone” campaign, which was organised by SOS Children’s Village and other Non Governmental Organisations that fight for children’s rights.
In Malawi, over a million children out of 9 million live without parental care, according to a study by the Continental Study on Children without Parental Care in Africa and the 2022-2026 Malawi National Plan of Action for Vulnerable Children (The Plan).
Smart Namagonya, SOS Children’s Village National Director, said the campaign will help people take full responsibility.
“Having strong punitive actions and parenting programmes intensified by the government will help in persuading men to take full responsibility in providing care to their children,” Namagonya said.
NGO Coalition on Child Rights, Joining Forces for All Children, National Youth Network on Climate Change and others were among the organizations represented at the launch.
