Project to track reintegrated kids

Blantyre District Council in conjunction with Save the Children Malawi plan to track children that were reintegrated into society from child protection institutions.

The project follows reports that the children returned to the streets as soon as they arrived home.

The children were sent back to their families as a precautionary measure to decongest child protection institutions  after the country registered its first Covid-19 cases in April 2020.

But speaking on Friday before Blantyre District Protection Cluster Committee, Save the Children child protection coordinator Daisy Chitimbe said the reintegration process was done in a hurry.

“We want to provide the children with basic needs such as blankets and soap so they can stay in their homes and not return to the streets,” she said.

In his remarks, Blantyre district social welfare officer Stephano Joseph said there was need for parents and the children to undergo psychosocial support.

“The child protection institutions did not follow government guidelines such as assessing the children’s early learning standards.

“Unfortunately, most institutions did not follow these procedures and they went ahead without the social welfare office,” he said.