Children in Malawi experience many challenges requiring psychosocial support. Factors like HIV/ AIDS, poverty, social conflicts and family breakdown have psychosocial consequences for children. Promoting psychosocial support helps to instill hope in children. The project is committed to creating a safe environment to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation while mitigating the effect of the death of loved ones to ensure that children grow and develop to their full potential.
Many children continue to experience problems due to death of parents. 2 Million children have been orphaned and made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. Most of these live in difficult and challenging environments due to structural poverty. HIV/AIDS has also resulted in increasing number of children living in child- and- elderly- headed households. Others live in and on the streets, engaged in hazardous work, harmful work that compromise their holistic growth into adulthood.
To address some of the psychosocial consequences and promote child resilience among communities, the project will raise awareness on the psychosocial needs of children, strengthen provision of psychosocial support interventions to children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, create linkages and effective referral mechanisms and networks among psychosocial support services providers and enhance monitoring and reporting of psychosocial support activities relating to children in the community.
The project will create a safe environment to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation, while mitigating the effect of the death of loved ones to ensure that 300 children grow and develop to their full potential.
