WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN (WFFC) NATIONAL PROGRESS REPORT MALAWI GOVERNMENT

Transcription

1 WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN (WFFC) NATIONAL PROGRESS REPORT MALAWI GOVERNMENT DECEMBER 2006

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of abbreviations..3 Introduction...4 Major national actions taken for children since Resource trends for children.12 Development and use of monitoring instruments to track WFFC targets.19 Enhancing partnerships, alliances for children and participation...21 Achievement of WFFC Plan of Action and related MDG targets 23 Summary of lessons learned and initiatives undertaken since 2002 for accelerating the progress..35 Reference Documents.38 2

3 List of Abbreviations ARV Anti-Retro-Viral AU African Union CBCCC Community Based Child Care Centre CBO Community Based Organisations CCPW Community Child Protection Workers CHAM Christian Health Association of Malawi CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child DFID Department for International Development DSWD District Social Welfare Department DSWO District Social Welfare Officer ECCD Early Childhood Care for Development ECD Early Child development EHP Essential Health Package GFATM Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria Govt Government GP General Pool HBC Home Based Care HIV/AIDS Human Immune deficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HTC HIV Testing and Counseling IEC Information Education and Communication IGA Income Generation Activity ILO International Labour Organization IMCI Integrated Management of Child Illnesses LLW Lilongwe MASAF Malawi Social Action Fund MD Millennium Declaration MDG Millennium Development Goals MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MK Malawi Kwacha MOE Ministry of education MOG Ministry of gender NAC National Aids Commission NAF National Action Framework NAP National Action Plan NATCOM National Committees NGO Non-Governmental Organization OVC /CP Orphans and Vulnerable Children / Child Protection PLWA People Living With AIDS PWP Public Works Programme PMTCT Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV RR Regular Resources SPTC Special Protection Technical Committee STI Sexually Transmitted Infections TASU Technical and Advisory Support Unit TOT Trainer of Trainers TWG Technical Working Group UN United Nations UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Session UNICEF United Nations Children s Fund US$ United States Dollars VRS Vital Registration System VSO Volunteer Services Overseas WFFC World Fit For Children 3

4 1. INTRODUCTION A world fit for children is one in which all children get the best possible start in life and have access to a quality basic education, including primary education that is compulsory and available free to all, and in which all children, including adolescents, have ample opportunity to develop their individual capacities in a safe and supportive environment. The WFFC contributes to integrated community child care into development programmes to address 6 of the MDGs including eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child morality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases with an overall component of protection from abuse, exploitation and sexual and gender violence. This document is a progress report on Malawi s achievement of the WFFC targets from 2002 to Developed through a consultative process, the report draws from numerous documents recording processes of various reviews including the midterm review of the Country Programme of Corporation, various GOM programme components partner team reviews and annual planning retreat. Both local and international NGOs, Community Based Organisations and Faith Based Organisations contributed through their participation and contributions in documented planning and review processes and events through out the country. Rural communities with their traditional leaders contributed through mobilisation and local campaigns for enhancing participation and the effective implementation of child programmes at village and district levels. Children Parliament and other discussion forums were conducted and recorded in reports that have also been used in developing this report. One-on-one meetings with different officials from various government ministry departments and different government partners were conducted as part of the consultations for the preparation of this report. Media reports of major events celebrating international occasions were also used as contributions to the development of this report. The draft report was discussed at a half day gathering of representatives the government of Malawi and its partners for feedback and discussion; further refinement of the report took place after the workshop and the report was then finalised and submitted for circulation before the end of December The report has seven sections representing the major areas and themes for reporting the achievements and progress toward the WFFC targets. Information for the different sections is both qualitative and quantitative. The list of reference documents used for the desk review for developing this document is made available at the end of this report. 4

5 2. MAJOR NATIONAL ACTIONS TAKEN FOR CHILDREN SINCE LINKAGE TO MDGS Malawi translated the Millennium Development Declaration of the United Nations 2000 through two multi-sectoral policies. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) which evolved from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative with the aim of reducing external dept among world s poorest countries, and the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy The budget and expenditure are pro-poor based which means that resources are spent on interventions meant to boost the lives of the poor and other marginalized individuals including children. The Malawi Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and the Child Protection (CP) programme contributes to the realisation of the Millennium Declaration and to 5 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that includes MDG1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, MDG2 Achieve universal primary education, MDG3 Promote gender equality and empower women, MDG4 Reduce child mortality, MDG6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and MDG7 Ensuring environmental sustainability improving access to safe drinking water. Malawi has a special government ministry looking at children affairs and this is called Ministry of Women and Child Development. The coordination efforts from this Ministry, contribute either directly or indirectly to translating integrated community child care into development programmes to address 6 of the MDGs including eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child morality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases with an overall component of protection from abuse, exploitation and sexual and gender violence Linkages to international priorities Government of Malawi Programme of Corporation for children and women is based on the principles of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The objectives and strategic approach are consistent with the Millennium Development Goals that underlie the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) and with the Millennium Declaration (MD). The programme addresses the priority areas identified in the goals of the World Fit for Children, the African Union (AU) Resolution and commitment to Accelerated Child Survival, the Abuja Declaration. Malawi Government has ratified a number of protocols, treaties and convention, which help to promote and safeguard the rights welfare and advancement of women and children. These include: The Convention on the Right of the Child African Charter on the welfare of Children Convention on the Elimination of domestic Violence Against Women Bulging Platform of Action SADC Protocol on Gender and Development with its Addendum on Violence Against Women African Charter on Human and People Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa The Malawi Government developed the strategic for the Ministry of Women and Child Development, for a period 2003 to The strategic plan provides direction for implementation of the following programmes: Women Affairs, Child Development, Community Development and Social Welfare among others which are aimed at boosting the welfare and advancement of women and children. 5

6 2.2 PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLES a. Health Care Services Malawi Government in accordance with the Global protocols and agreements realizes that access to quality health care is a fundamental human and child right. Major health care services are provided by Government mainly through the Ministry of Health (60%), Ministry of Local Government, (1%), but also through the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) (37%) and the rest is covered by commercial companies, private practitioners and NGOs. Maternal and child morbidity rates and mortality rates are among the highest in sub-saharan Africa. There has been improvement in maternal and child health the past five years (see section under achievements). The Malawi Government has put in place several initiatives: policies, programmes and targeted interventions to uplift the health status of its population and these are paying dividends. b. National Health Plan and National Health Policy The Malawi Government has implemented two Health Plans under the period of this report, first, covering the period 1999 to 2004 and the current Programme of Work covering the period 2004 to The overall objective and desire of the health sector is to deliver a health service which is responsive to prevailing needs as well as addressing current and foreseeable health, disease and health care management issues. Specifically the Health Plan focuses on: Provision of essential health package Institutional strengthening by supporting human resources, medical supplies and financial management Increasing the financial resource base Decentralizing health systems to plan, budget and deliver quality health services at district level. Community empowerment on decision making regarding their health The programme of work is implemented through the Essential Health Package (EHP) Policy. This package includes: Prevention and treatment of: vaccine preventable diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, schistomiasis, acute diarrhea, common injuries and trauma. Prevention and management of reproductive health problems including STI, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, eye, ear and skin infections. Provision of supportive services such as provision of drugs, laboratory services, health education, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation and patient management systems. There has been a significant shift in the management of finances on health. Previously government resources were provided through cash budget. Government has resorted to Sector Wide Approach where the health services and delivery package is cost and all financial resources and expenditure are managed from one basket. The benefit of this approach has brought accountability, control and management of resources as well as timely delivery of services. c. Child Survival and Development To target, prevent and control common childhood illnesses, the Government has developed an Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) Policy whose goals are to reduce childhood 6

7 morbidity and mortality by two thirds between 2000 and 2015, thereby directly contributing to the MDG goal number 4 of reducing childhood mortality by 2/3 by The policy focuses on holistic and integrated delivery of health package to children where all interventions on childhood illnesses converge and has been developed in the context of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy. The policy encompasses the major IMCI approaches namely, effective case management, pre-service training, health systems support and promotion of key family and community key child care practices. To effectively implement the child survival and development policy, a strategic plan has been development to ensure that all childhood illnesses are managed using an integrated approach and that all health facilities are supplied with essential drugs, adequate transportation and that all health personnel are trained in management of child hood illnesses Community Dialogue has proved to be an effective means of reaching out communities to get their feedback. The outcome of community dialogues has bee community health plans by members of the community 2.3 PROMOTING QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION a. National Early Childhood Development The Malawi Government is making significant efforts to improve access to ECD services to ensure they target both urban and rural children as the situation has for along time favoured children in the urban areas. ECD is regarded as a comprehensive approach to policies and programmes for children from birth to 8 years of age. The Malawi Government developed and launched an Early Childhood Policy in The Policy states that children below the age of 5 are eligible for free programmes prioritizing early childhood physical, psychological and development needs. It is aimed at protecting the child to develop his/her cognitive social, physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Major interventions focus on health, nutrition, education, water and environmental sanitation in homes and communities. The policy seeks to provide guidance, support and enhance coordination of interventions on children. Apart from emphasizing on early learning and stimulation, the policy also looks at provision of quality services to the early life stages of a child. Areas supported include antenatal care, prenatal and postnatal care. An important development in ECD delivery has also been the establishment of Community Based Child Centres. This has tremendously improved access to ECD especially by children in the rural communities, from 2.6 percent in the year 2000, to about 22.4 percent in Notable achievements have been registered through the National ECD Programme in the areas of capacity building for care givers, ECD parent committees, proprietors of preschools; development of training and instructional materials, mushrooming and growth of centres, provision of quality utilities, among others. The Ministry of Women and Child Development coordinate ECD activities through the National ECD Network which is chaired by an independent person. These committees filtrate into the communities where community based existing district, community committees as well as parent committees. Early Child Development promotes quality of education by exposing the child to preliminary exposing the child to preliminary principles of learning and stimulation and prepared the child for basic primary learning. 7

8 b. Basic Education Malawi Government continues to implement basic education policy, which aims at equipping students with basic knowledge and skills to allow them function with competence and become productive citizens. The policy delivered free primary education as a commitment to contribute to the MDGs poverty reduction policy. Basic education aims at improving access, equality, quality, relevance, management, planning and finances of education. For instance, equality is promoted by striving to reach a 50:50 ratio between rural and urban areas in terms of male and female mix of students. The ratio is now heavily in favour of urban areas. Malawi has missed the MDG goal of closing the gender parity on basic education which was supposed to be met by However, efforts are in place to try to address this issue. Malawi Government implements a National Adult Literacy Programme to improve the literacy levels of women and men literacy classes are offered country wide covering 90% women. Literacy lessons are also linked to business management skills and livelihood interventions. Vocational skills are provided to the youth in schools and in technical colleges in the country to improve employment rates Quality of education in Malawi is adversely affected by inadequate classrooms, inadequate learning and teaching materials, inadequate number of qualified teachers and overall inadequate resource allocation to the education sector. With financial support from DFID, EU, CIDA, USAID and the Norwegian government the Malawi Government is constructing school blocks and increasing the availability of teaching and learning materials in schools. 2.4 COMBATING HIV/AIDS Malawi Government National Response To HIV/AIDS The Government of Malawi has responded to the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the following ways: The National AIDS Strategic Plan was launched in October In 2005, Malawi developed a new national HIV and AIDS strategy for , the National Action Framework (NAF). NAF focuses on eight priority areas of activity. The plan is broad based and includes a) the provision of an enabling environment, b) a behavior change intervention and advocacy strategy, c) mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in the public and private sectors, d) a prevention programme and e) a comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and support programme. Malawi s development partners pledged to support the implementation of elements of the National Strategic Plan over a five-year period, key partners being DFID, USG, the European Union, the UN Family, Canadian CIDA and Kingdom of Norway. In addition, Malawi started to receive funds from the Global Fund for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (GFATM) in 2003, and these funds are being used to support a strengthened AIDS care and support programme. The biomedical aspects of the HIV/AIDS response include HIV testing and counseling (HTC), promotion of blood safety, infection control, PMTCT, control and management of sexually transmitted infections (STI), prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections (including tuberculosis), and the provision of antiretroviral drugs to patients with AIDS. 8

9 NAC and the HIV/AIDS Unit in the Ministry of Health (MOH) have made considerable progress in developing national guidelines and training materials for the implementation of several of these activities: HTC, PMTCT, and community home-based care, use of antiretroviral therapy and treatment of HIV-related diseases. In 2005, Malawi developed a 5-Year Counseling and HIV Testing Scale-Up Plan ( ) as a planning tool to lay out the framework and strategies within which HTC services would be massively scaled up. Within this plan is a two-year, cost operational plan ( ). This plan has formulated seven strategies, which if realized, can lead to nearly three million Malawians accessing HTC services from 2006 to These include: Enhancing equitable access to HTC by all Malawians Strengthen Quality of HTC Services Development of Human Resource Capacity for delivery of HTC Services Creation of Demand of HTC Services Development and Dissemination of HTC Resource Materials Research Exchange of Experiences In 2005, the second national ARV scale up plan, for , was approved by the government and endorsed by stakeholders. With the aspirational goal of establishing universal access to ART, the aim is to start 35,000 new patients on ART in 2006, 40,000 in 2007, and 45,000 each year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, reaching a total of 245,000 patients ever started by the end of These numbers will be achieved by continuing current scale up in the 60 sites in Round 1, by bringing 38 new sites in Round 2 into service delivery by April 2006, possibly having more sites in Round 3 delivering therapy by 2007, and by involving the private sector. Plans to reduce the burden of work in established clinics include less frequent follow-up, use of a lower cadre of health worker to follow-up patients, and decentralising to health centres. As one of the major opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS, the National TB Control Programme (NTP) developed a 5-Year TB Control Plan ( ), which was approved and funded by the Government of Malawi and DFID, NORAD and KNCV as the interested development partners. Nested in this plan is a 3-year plan ( ) for expanded HIV/TB activities, supported and funded in addition by USAID, CDC and WHO. The main elements of this plan are: voluntary counseling and HIV testing services for TB patients, provision of isoniazid preventive therapy for HIV infected individuals who do not have TB, adjunctive CTX preventive therapy to HIV positive people with TB, and provision of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to patients with HIV-related TB. Approximately 30,000 out of the 100,000 new HIV infections in Malawi every year have been attributed to mother to child transmission. An estimated 18.3% of the 540,000 women giving birth every year are estimated to be HIV infected, representing 98,000 women in need of access to PMTCT. A five-year plan for the provision of PMTCT for has been drafted; aiming to dramatically improve upon the 2.7% of HIV infected women who had received ARV prophylaxis in The milestones of this plan are: to increase the number of pregnant women tested for HIV from over 100,000 in 2006 to over 400,000 in 2010; to provide ARV prophylaxis to 10,000 women/child pairs in 2006 and over 65,000 in 2010; and thereby to prevent 40,000 infections in infants over the next 5 years. 9

10 2.4.1 Malawi Government Response to the Problem of Orphaned Children In response to the HIV/AIDS orphans crisis the Malawi Government embarked on a number of initiatives including the following: a) Development of National Policy on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children The aim is to facilitate support for care, protection and development of OVCs in a coordinated manner and create an environment for OVC to grow and realize that full rights and potentials. The policies provide guidance on five key areas: provision of assistance, coordination, institutional and legal framework, transparency and accountability, and monitoring and evaluation. b) The National Plan of Action for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children This is a strategic document that was developed to ensure OVCs rights are fully met through mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS. The Plan of Action was developed in 2004 and was launched by the Malawi Head of State. The document clearly demonstrates government of Malawi s commitment to implementing the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) goals on HIV/AIDS for OVCs and essentially attempts to translate the millennium goals into reality. The plan provides guidance to government, NGOs and all partners to promote the rights of all children and it was developed out of a National Rapid Assessment, Analysis and Action planning process which culminated in all OVC interventions being packaged into one plan. The plan focuses on 6 strategic areas as follows:- Improve access by OVCs to essential quality services in education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation Build and improve capacity of households and communities to cope and care for OVCs Provide the legal framework and coordination Build the capacity of government to implement OVC interventions Social mobilization Monitoring and Evaluation c). Social protection The second main theme (of a total of five themes) of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) -the successor to the Poverty Reduction and Strategy Paper (PRSP) - is named Social Protection and Disaster Management. This chapter defines the goal of Social Protection as follows: The long-term goal under this sub theme is to improve the socio-economic indicators for the most vulnerable. This is designed to ensure that the most vulnerable with limited factors of production are sufficiently cushioned. This encompasses the expectation for improved health and nutritional status of under five children, school age children, orphans, pregnant and lactating mothers as well as destitute families. To address the challenges and constraints outlined, a goal has been designed to decrease income inequality. To achieve this goal the MGDS states: Protecting the most vulnerable will require action on four fronts: These are: Caring for the most vulnerable with limited factors of production (malnourished under five children, school going children, orphans, pregnant, lactating mothers, destitute families) Preventing the vulnerable from slipping into poverty due to economic shocks 10

11 Increasing the assets of the poor to enable them to engage in growth Preventing disasters where possible and reducing the negative impact of disasters of the vulnerable. According to the MGDS the following key challenges have made it difficult to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable: Several key challenges and constraints have made it difficult to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable. These include clear lack of focus in implementing cost-effective interventions especially in the area of preventing and reducing the high prevalence of stunting and wasting in children less than two years of age. Inadequate planning and lack of integration regarding data on the country s development and growth strategies on the one hand and the risks and obstacles to these strategies on the other hand, posed by structural weaknesses and fluctuating resource needs for the chronically poor. Poor targeting has also been a constraint mainly due to insufficient data regarding the characteristics, location, challenges and needs of the vulnerable. Other constraints include inadequate knowledge regarding processes, transfer mechanisms, power dynamics, and incentive structures of target communities. In order to overcome the difficulties listed above and in order to achieve the Social Protection objectives of the MGDS, in 2007, a national Social Protection Steering Committee (SPSC) and a Social Protection Technical Committee (SPTC) have been established. The secretariat of both committees is hosted in the Department of Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs (DoPDMA). Both committees are charged with the task of developing and coordinating a National Social Protection Framework and a Social Protection Programme by July In order to achieve this, the committees will evaluate the ongoing types of safety net programmes such as: Direct Welfare Transfer Programmes Targeted Input Programmes (TIP) Public Works Programmes (PWP) Disaster Management and Preparedness Targeted Nutrition Programmes. They will also identify new and innovative approaches to Social Protection such as Social Cash Transfers and will determine the role of such approaches in the evolving Social Protection Programme. For this reason the Government of Malawi (GoM) decided to start a pilot scheme to test the feasibility, cost-effectiveness and impact of social cash transfers targeting ultra-poor and labour constrained households implemented through District Assemblies. By the end of December 2006, the government-led Social Cash Transfer Scheme will cover 1,703 households in 158 villages in 9 Traditional Authorities in Mchinji District. 2,503 children are hosted in these households out of whom 80% are orphans. Preliminary results of these cash transfers on household member show improved coverage of basic needs such as food, education, health and clothing small investments in housing, seeds, fertilizer and livestock. The Social Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme has been designed in such a way that if successful - it can be scaled up and serve as a component of the emerging National Social Protection Programme. 11

12 2.4.2 National HIV/AIDS Policy, National Strategic Framework (NSF) on HIV/AIDS The National HIV/AIDS Policy serves as an important milestone in fighting HIV/AIDS. Incorporating most of the current international policy principles, the policy lays down the administrative and legal framework for all programmes and interventions to reduce infections and vulnerability, to improve provision of treatment, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) and to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the epidemic. The corresponding NSF, launched in 1999 has been succeeded by an updated National Action Framework (NAF) on HIV/AIDS which is for the period and it incorporates elements on OVC under impact mitigation. Government has implement different interventions such as PMTCT with cites opened, voluntary counseling and treatment 380 cites and to date 72,000 people have been covered with ART (102 cites under public sector facilities and 32 under facilities and 32 under private clinics) The Ministry of Health is also implementing community home based care to support patients with HIV/AIDS. Training manuals and guidelines have been developed for CHBC. VCT, PMTCT and ART programmes Coordination with NGOs, GBO, CBOs who are implementing impact mitigation programmes at amounting levels have also been strengthened Education Sector National Strategy for Combating HIV and AIDS In 2005, Government established the Educational Sector National Strategy for Combating HIV and AIDS. This identifies relevant HIV/AIDS prevention methods, mitigation initiatives, treatment, care and support, work place programmes and mainstream related activities essential to the Education Sector Youth reproductive Health Programme Government coordinates Youth Programmes under the guidance of National Youth Participating Programme is being implemented to promote participation and involvement of the youth in decision efforts have concentrated on reproductive health, vocational, life skills and livelihood interventions. Over 3000 clubs have been established and 1500 peer education on youth and health were trained. To prevent further HIV/AIDS infection youth friendly VCT centres were opened and the youth have access to ART National Plan of Action on children In response to the global call to implement the World Fit for Children, Malawi government in collaboration with its stakeholders has developed a draft National Plan of Action covering a period of 2003 to Funds have been sourced to finalize the document. The plan covers key thematic areas under MDGs Water and Sanitation (MDG 7) Malawi Government ensures that access to clean water improves to control infection and water born diseases. A National Water Policy was developed in 2004 whose goal is sustainable management and utilization of water resources in order to provide quality and sufficient quality water and sanitation services. 12

13 A strategy for mainstreaming gender and HIV/AIDS in water and sanitation has also been developed to ensure women and girl child access clean water. Government has also advanced in promoting water harvest systems such as damning and irrigation to improve food security Gender (MDG3) Malawi Government promotes gender equality and equality and ensures that gender in mainstreamed in all sectors through the Ministry of Women and Child Development. A national policy is undergoing reviews to meet gender demands. A national gender programme is being implemented countrywide. To combat gender based violence, National Strategy on Gender Based Violence, training Manual on Gender based violence were developed. Every year, 16 days of Activism have been commemorated since 1997 with a focus on eradicating gender based violence. 2.5 LEGISLATION The Malawi Government has over the last 5 years, made some efforts to review legislation affecting children as follows: a) Children and Young Persons Act: This Act was reviewed in 2005 to make it more relevant to the current situation and issues and to provide for the domestication of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The new revised bill is called Child Care, Protection and Justice Bill) and is awaiting enactment by parliament as of December b) Penal Code: During the last five years, there have been increased reported incidences by the media of general child abuse and exploitation. Unfortunately a large proportion of these incidences involve some form of sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The government has consequently reviewed the Penal Code and introduced a comprehensive provision for the protection of children against sexual abuse. For instance, the age of criminal responsibility has been raised from 7 to 10 years and child trafficking penalty has been stiffened to life imprisonment. Other changes include criminal procedures and evidence code, where in the revised version; provisions on the protection of child witness have been made. A child friendly court has been opened in Blantyre, the commercial city of the country, to keep children separate from where adult cases are being heard. Other child courts will be constructed and opened in the cities of Lilongwe and Mzuzu by c) The Employment Act 2000 The Employment Act 2000 has also made provisions for the protection of fundamental child rights and principles, in tandem with ILO 1998 Declaration. In the Act, elimination of all forms of forced labour, abolition of child labour and elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation have been included. d) The Review of the Constitution of Malawi The Malawi Government is currently (2006) reviewing its constitution to make it relevant to current trends of issues and make it tandem to global and regional protocols and instruments. To supplement the overall review process, the Ministry of Women and Child Development commissioned a special task force to screen the constitution further from children and women perspectives. General principles of the CRC were provided for, such as best interest of the child, trafficking, alternate care, birth registration etc. Furthermore, issues of domesticating the CRC were also provided for. In 2006 a special position paper on the constitutional review was developed. 13

14 e) Drug Trafficking Bill This bill was drafted in December 2006 ready to be presented to parliament during one of its subsequent sittings. This will help curb the drug trafficking practice which is reportedly on the increase. This bill, when implemented will, be of great benefit to children and youth as it will make it more difficult for them to be exposed to and access drugs. f) National Registration Bill In 2003, the country introduced the Vital Registration System (VRS) in 9 of the 28 districts. From the 409,227 households included in the exercise, 126, 670 orphans and 373 child headed households were identified. This initiative led to an increased awareness and understanding of the importance of a registration system especially for OVC, and contributed to a demand for a systematic, sustainable method of registering births in the country. The VRS ultimately provided the catalyst for preparing the National Registration Bill. g) Wills and Inheritance Bill The Wills and Inheritance bill was drafted and is yet to be discussed and passed by Malawi National Assembly as of December the The Wills and inheritance bill is very important to children in particular because it guarantees children to share or benefit from deceased estate. The bill among other things provides distribution of deceased estates, streamlines beneficiaries of deceased estate promote will writing. Government has also passed prevention of domestic violence act which has include provision for other parties to interrogate and control any domestic violence. CONCLUSION Government has made progress to review Acts that affect children and women. However many more acts are out dated, hence do not apply to current scenarios. Further it has shown that the process of reviewing these laws is detours and takes long time. There is need to urged parliament to come up with strategies to speed up enactment procedures. Government has also created a department under the office of President and Cabinet. It is hoped that the process of reviewing and monitoring policy implementation will improve h) Property disposition i) Domestic violence bill j) The Education Act is under review k). Various parliamentary bi-laws and policies under review or being developed 14

15 3. RESOURCE TRENDS FOR CHILDREN IN MALAWI a. General trends According to records on donor type and by year, there are different sources of funds for the Malawi children programmes. Regular resources funding has been steadily increasing over the years since General Pool funding declined significantly in 2004 but steadily increased in 2005 and United Nations contribution declined sharply in 2004 and showed an increasing trend in 2005 and NGO funding was highest in 2002 and declined significantly each year and only showed an increase in Thematic contributions have been increasing each year since Funding contributions from National Committees for Malawi in various countries have been increasing each year. Government funding has oscillating over the years with a sharp rise in the 2006 contribution. Total donor contributions have increased over the years as shown in the graph below Proportion by Donor Group: 2002 to All Donor Types RR GP UN NGO THEMATIC NATCOM GOVT Notes: RR = Regular Resources, GP = General Pool, UN = United Nations, NGO = Nongovernmental Organizations, NATCOM = National Committees, Govt = Government 15

16 90% Trends by Donor Group 2002 to 2006 Contributions 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% GOVT NATCOM THEMATIC NGO UN GP RR b. Nongovernmental Organisations Funding NGO total contributions as percentage of the total funding available for children has been steadily declining since Trends by Donor Group 2002 to 2006 NGO Contributions as a percentage of Total Funding 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0%

17 c. Government funding Government funding contribution has been declining over the last 5 years. Overall funding showed an upward trend between 2005 and Trend 2002 to 2006: GOVT Contributions $ 14,000,000 12,000,000 10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000, GOVT 7,991,332 11,645,511 11,414,727 5,128,740 12,124,012 d. Funding for the Ministry of Women and Child development The Malawi government s treasury recurrent budget especially ORT allocation to the Ministry of Women and Child Development has been steadily declining for the past five financial years. The overall recurrent budget declined from K412 millions in 2002/03 to K173 million in 2005/06. ORT funding declined from K312 millions in 2002/03 to MK73 million in 2005/06. For the 2006/07 financial year, the Ministry has been advised that its recurrent funding ceiling has been pegged at K207 million and ORT at MK81 million. The figures below show a tabulated and graphical trend of the funding against the estimated ORT requirements and ORT approved ceiling in nominal and real terms. Table 1: ORT Funding Trends Since 2002 Financial Year Approved Recurrent Approved ORT Approved ORT Ceiling in Real Budget Ceiling Ceiling Terms (Million) 2002/ / / / /

18 Ministry of Women and Child Development Funding Trends Since 2002/03 The Funding (millions) / / / / /07 Financial Years Series1 Series2 Series3 Notes: Series 1 shows the levels of approved funding allocation to the Ministry in nominal terms Series 2 shows the minimum funding estimates that the Ministry ideally requires for meaningful impact on the ground. Series 3 shows the actual purchasing power value of the approved ORT funding allocation to the Ministry compared to prices of This is the real value of goods and services that the approved funding can actually support at constant prices of This means that the MK81 millions ORT earmarked for the Ministry for the 2006/07 financial year can only purchase MK49.3 million worth of goods and services at 2002 prices. To maintain the same activity and expenditure levels of 2002, the Ministry would require an extra MK 263 millions ORT allocation and therefore the total required allocation is MK344 million. e. Implications for declining funding for the Ministry of Women and Child Development The declining trend in the ORT funding to the Ministry has had far reaching implications Staff capacity: The Ministry is highly constrained in terms of personnel. Service delivery and targeting: The financial constraints have greatly compromised effective service delivery. Lack of financial resources means that monitoring and evaluation and supervision are usually erratic so much so that the Ministry is not able to provide guidance and take stoke of all the activities that are being implemented by the different stakeholders on the ground. f. The 2006/07 Budget for Ministry of Women and Child Development In developing this budget, the Ministry was guided by the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) and its own Strategic Plan. According to the MGDS, the Ministry was supposed to implement several activities under the following sub themes. Economic Empowerment Protecting the vulnerable Education and; 18

19 Gender To implement the priority activities under these sub themes, the Ministry estimated its ORT funding requirements at a minimum of about MK 153 million for the 2006/07 financial year. However the Ministry has been advised that its ORT funding ceiling will be pegged at about MK 81 million, which is less than 50% of the required funding. As is evident from above, the Ministry is doing a lot and has all the intention to do even a lot more but the major challenge is funding. As long as the downward trend continues, the Ministry will continue being seen as under performing in areas not supported by development partners. 19

20 4. DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF MONITORING INSTRUMENTS TO TRACK WFFC TARGETS 4.1 Demographic Health Survey The major government source of data in Malawi is the National Statistics Office. So far three sets of data have been compiled in the years of 1992, 2000 and Through these surveys, demographic data on the whole population and with emphasis on children and reproductive women age group is collected, analyzed and published as DHS. The objective of DHS is to provide up to date information for policy makers, planners, and researchers and programme managers providing guidance in development, monitoring and evaluation of health programmes in Malawi. Unlike the other two surveys the 2004 survey included new variable, and all of them touch on children. These are use of mosquito nets, domestic violence, anemia and HIV/AIDs. 4.2 Integrated Household Survey These surveys are also conducted by the National Statistics Office and they are national representative sample surveys designed to provide information on aspects of welfare in the country. Since 16 years ago, three series of surveys have been conducted, namely: - Household Expenditure and Small Scale Economic Activities in 1990, and two Integrated Household Surveys of 1997/8 and Qualitative impact monitoring of poverty alleviation and programmes in Malawi The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development conducted a survey to assess impact of sectoral policies and programmes as a measure of poverty reduction process. Key sectors in the analysis included health, agriculture, and education. Government, with the Malawi Growth and Development Policy has also launched a decentralized monitoring plan in all districts. Each district has a monitoring officer who compiles and analyses data from all sectors. 4.4 Sectoral Data Monitoring Tools a. The country also collects different data sets at sectoral level. In the health sector one such survey is on key community childcare practices. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Women and Child Development jointly conducted a baseline in 2000 and a follow up survey in 2004 in Key Care Child Practices as a measure to target childhood illnesses. The objective of these surveys is to measure household and community knowledge, attitudes and practices and potential constraints to change in 16 known care practices. Variables in these studies sorely focus on infants, under five children and mothers. b. Ministry of Education developed a comprehensive data bank to monitor school systems. Data is categorized by school zones, districts and divisions. Through this systems data enrollment ration, drop outs rates and other variables are made available at all levels. c. Malawi Human Rights Commission is instituted to collect and monitor information on human and child rights and progress on children programmes. The Ministry of Women and Child 20

21 Development and Malawi Police through Ministry of Home Affairs also compile data on cases and incidences of child abuse in the country. d. Currently the Ministry of Women and Child Development is collecting data in a baseline survey on child abuse, Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children to determine their numbers and problems in Malawi. e. HIV/AIDS sentinel survey f. HIMS Health Information Management System g. EMIS h. MASEDA i. Baseline studies carried out on children issues National media survey Malaria survey Annual reviews by Ministry of Health, National Aids Commission Annual programme plans of action Field visits j. Annual midterm reviews k. Overall annual country programme reviews 21

22 5. ENHANCING PARTNERSHIPS, ALLIANCES FOR CHILDREN AND PARTICIPATION 5.1 Collaborating Institutions Various Malawi Government ministries and departments, UN agencies and civil society organizations collaborate, participate and contribute to the enhancement of the WFFC targets. Below are some of the collaborating institutions: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Department of Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, National Juvenile Justice Forum, international and local NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, UN agencies, National AIDS Commission, MASAF, District Assemblies, DSWOs and key development partners. The coordination structures are closed linked form communities to districts and then national levels where policies are formulated. The Ministry of Women and child Development has an effective and functional structures with trained staff from central to village level where grassroots members live. Parliamentary Committee have been very instrumental to lobby for women and children issues in parliament and in the constituencies. The parliamentary committees includes : Social Welfare and community Services, Legal Affairs, Education, Health among others. The Parliamentary Committees on Legal Affairs, Social Welfare and Community as well as parliamentary caucus on women have been oriented on women and children issues 5.2 Child participation and Partnerships Malawi has gained reputation globally on promoting child participation through child parliament. Parliamentary sessions are held annually since These sessions are facilitated by Malawi National Assembly and Ministry of Women and Child Development. Through the sessions, children propose and discuss thematic areas that affect their lives. Resolutions are made and action points proposed for child parliamentarians to share with other children. Other forms of child participation are alliances through children corners or clubs. 5.3 Coordination of Child Rights Activities There has been notable progress towards setting up an effective coordination at various levels. The department of Child Development in the Ministry of Women and Child Development coordinates child protection and child rights programmes. The coordination work is managed by setting a number networks, some of which are child protection, orphans and childhood development, and child labour. Each network is composed of government departments, NGOs, UN and International NGOs. The function of technical working groups is to provide technical input on children matters. These committees report to steering to steering committee on children, which is composed of Principal Secretaries and Directors from government departments and directors of International and local NGOs, FBOs and EBOs, and representatives from UN and donors. The Steering committee on children is chaired by the Principal Secretary from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This committee oversees and provides advice on policy matters affecting children as well as mobilizing and coordinating resources. 22

23 As district level child rights committees are coordinated by district social welfare officer. At community level child protection workers provide child rights linkage by working with communities, households and community based organization through village child rights committees. The coordination of child rights activities still faces a number of challenges: the district level coordination committees need to be strengthened to become functional. There are also competitions among committees set up under various sectors at local levels. Overlaps in the implementation of activities at local level create duplication 5.4 Coordination through Child Protection Programme The child protection community workers under the office of social welfare have managed to mobilized communities to establish child protection support groups to monitor, support and report issues that relate to the well being of the child. This process however is also done by NGOs and other Community Based Organizations which have resulted into the creation of numerous community support groups at grassroots level. To ensure coordination in areas of Early Childhood Development, Child protection, Orphans and other Vulnerable Children and Child Survival, Technical Working Groups were formed to ensure good coordination among the partners working on each of the above listed areas. Above the TWG, the Ministry of women and Child Development chairs another structure called the Steering Committee composed of controllers and heads of organizations from various government ministries, NGOs and United Nations Organizations in Malawi. 23