Ministry of Gender urges development partners and NGOs to develop family-oriented policies

Lilongwe, Malawi - The Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare has called on the country's development partners and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop family-oriented policies that would help strengthen and safeguard families in the country, writes Moses Nyirenda.

This call was made by the Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, during a press briefing on Friday to commemorate the International Day of Families.

Sendeza emphasized that the government alone cannot manage to safeguard families. She stated that the government has programs in place to safeguard families, such as social cash transfers and public works, but cannot do it alone.

Therefore, she called upon developing partners and NGOs to make deliberate efforts towards implementing family-oriented policies and interventions for the benefit of children and future generations.

"Malawi needs family-oriented social programs, including psychosocial support. My ministry is confident that by strengthening the family, all issues related to child protection, gender, and community development will be history, and we will be able to achieve Vision 2063," said Sendeza.

Senior Chief Chadza from Lilongwe also spoke at the press briefing, stating that the country needs to consider the significance of family if issues affecting families are to be addressed.

"For a long time in Malawi, we have sidelined the importance of family. "Consequently, if we want to deal with issues affecting our families, as a country, we need to put the family into consideration," said Senior Chief Chadza.

International Day of Families is commemorated worldwide annually on May 15, and Malawi will celebrate the occasion locally on that same date in 2023 at Nathenje in Lilongwe.

Working in partnership with NGOs and international development stakeholders is critical to meeting the complex needs of families in Malawi.