Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha says broken families alongside poverty are factors behind Malawi’s growing street children crisis.
Her sentiments come against a background of authorities grappling to contain what they warn could become a long-term social threat.
The minister said this after meeting street-connected children in Lilongwe on Friday, where visits to the Town Hall and Area 38 dumping site laid bare the scale of neglect and risk the children face. Some survive by scavenging and eating from the dump, sleeping in hazardous conditions.
Navicha described the situation as “very unfortunate and very sad,” warning it demands urgent, coordinated action to restore dignity and protection.
A 2015 survey estimated 4 165 children living on the streets while a 2019 government assessment found that 88 percent have parents.
“This clearly suggests breakdowns in family care rather than outright orphanhood. Many of these children are not without families, but are just living outside family care,” Navicha said.
She said her ministry now plans to scale up family-based care, strengthen child protection systems and expand reintegration programmes for children who can return home.
Navicha warned that the cost of inaction could be severe, saying: “My fear as a minister is that one day these children will be dangerous criminals. Some of them are already criminals because they have no hope.”
She pointed to the Lilongwe Social Rehabilitation Centre as proof, saying some former street children have progressed to university and secondary school, while others are pursuing vocational trades.
One of the street children, Lucy Simika, 19, said she has lived on the streets since age six after her parents separated.
“Life here is horrible, especially for us girls. Some men take advantage of our vulnerability. I have two children whose fathers I can’t tell… I wish I could be helped with capital to start a stable business,” she said.
One Step Foundation director Moses Mwalabu, himself a former street child turned graduate, said coordinated support is critical to keep vulnerable children in school.
A beneficiary Frank Mkwanda, now a university student, said while dozens have accessed higher education many remain under-equipped.
