Sociologists engage with youth in UNICEF project
The University of Malawi through the Department of Sociology has partnered with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a study aimed at creating space for children and adolescents to become involved in developing and implementing the new Country Program Document (CPD) for UNICEF Malawi (2024-2028). Through the partnership, the Sociology Department investigated the current status of children’s rights with children as main participants and key informants in fifteen (15) districts in Malawi: Karonga, Nkhatabay and Mzimba in the northern region, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Dedza, Salima and Dowa in the central region and Mangochi, Machinga, Neno, Zomba, Thyolo, Chikwawa, and Nsanje in the southern region. The investigation involved 528 children (242M, 286F) of which some were teen mothers, children in refugee contexts, in and out of school children, street connected children, orphans and vulnerable children and children in conflict with the law.
Following the exercise, the Sociology Department conducted regional workshops to validate the findings and enrich the data that was collected. The regional workshops attracted 56 boys and 71 girls from nine districts across the three regions. The conferences were held concurrently on 21st January, 2023 at Grace Bandawe Conference centre in Blantyre, Liwonde Sun Hotel in Machinga, Thope Lodge in Mponela, Dowa and Emmaculate Lodge in Mzuzu.
The conferences were graced by UNICEF Deputy representative, Gerrit Martiz; Chief of Section Community Development and Resilience, Bhawna M Vajpai; and Sydney Nhamo, Chief of Section, Programme Section. Speaking during the conference in Mzuzu, 14-year-old student from Katoto secondary school, Portia Lajabu, lamented the unfriendliness of communities which are infested with drug and substance abuse.
Principle Investigator for the study, Dr Phillip Kapulula, explained that the socio-cultural environment in which children are growing has been the key barrier for some children to enjoy their rights. “Some parents influence their girl children to withdraw from school and marry early due to poverty, while boys are discouraged from attending school in order to supplement household income through piecework”, he pointed out. “In many households, children are subjected to verbal, physical and sexual abuses. Children living with foster parents suffer the worst abuses.”
In her remarks, Dr. Edith Shame, representing the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, hailed UNICEF for coming up with the project, citing that it is very useful to hear from children on how unfriendly communities are towards their development, evidenced by lack of education facilities, and other social services, and as such there is need to develop interventions that suit them.
