Malawi, Africa

The power of partnership

Local government and community team up

Communities need resilience to cope with the socio-economic pressures that feed and perpetuate child labor. Addressing these pressures requires a multi-faceted approach so that families are supported and empowered.

The Malawian community in Chitekwe, Lilongwe has become a role model for how ARISE relationships and links to government social programs can be effective in addressing child labor in rural communities. Early in 2014, ARISE embarked on child labor mainstreaming efforts, working with different community and district officials, encouraging them to incorporate child labor issues in their routine work. In April, the Lilongwe District Council designated Building Supervisor, Leonard Mbale, to deliver technical support to communities that were reinforcing roofs of their community-based childcare centers.

‘From the word go I could see that many of the community members in Chitekwe Village were living in houses that leaked during the rainy season, and that most of the children were not going to school because their books and other materials became water-logged. I could see that this was denying the children’s access to education, and was surely a catalyst for child labor.’

Leonard worked with the Chitekwe Village Community Child Labor Committee (CCLC) to identify the most vulnerable ARISE beneficiaries in the village, and linked them with a recently launched government Decent and Affordable Housing Scheme. The scheme provides building materials such as cement and iron sheets to vulnerable households, including child-headed households and children living with elderly parents or guardians. From a list of 24 households, one was that of Philemon Chakhuta, who cares for three orphaned children. He recounted, ‘The children would miss school most days during the rainy season as the rains would soak their books and food. This will be a story of the past now for my family.’

Leonard Mbale said, ‘Our department intends to work further with ARISE so that more of its beneficiaries are linked with our scheme… Decent housing is a strong child protection mechanism and is crucial in preventing children from becoming involved in child labor’.

During the ground-breaking ceremony of the repair and construction of the houses in Chitekwe Village, Justin Kathumba, Director of Planning and Development for Lilongwe District Council said, ‘This action demonstrates that child labor mainstreaming efforts are working… we want all our offices to be doing the same so that child labor reduction is fully integrated in all sectors of the council.’