New Project Alert! She Dreams-Rise Up for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)

We are so excited to partner with Wolfgang Mauch for Girls Foundation in Geneva’ (Switzerland) (WMFFG) on our new project; She Dreams-Rise Up for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The project will be implemented in Lilongwe Rural, Mtandilre. The project will ensure that Orphans and Vulnerable Children have access to education, and are given opportunities to unleash their potential.

Children particularly girls are the most vulnerable group in our society whose rights and freedoms are continually violated, have limited access to basic needs such as education, better nutrition and access to health services. Young girls and adolescents, remain the poorest and vulnerable group in our society. Young girls are most times victims of harmful cultural practices, valued less and victims of defilement and other forms of abuse.

In Malawi, 18% of children below 15 years are orphans, making it the highest rate in the Sub-Sahara region. HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death among adults leaving most children orphans.

Orphan hood increases the child vulnerability in so many ways. Orphans particularly girls are denied their right to education, exposed to child-labour and other forms of abuse and violence. Orphans are sometimes left in the care of elderly people (grandparents) who are not able to support them to grow and develop to become productive individuals. Some orphans are burdened with caring for sick relatives, they are stigmatized, excluded in the society and sometimes considered are outcasts. Girl orphans sometimes engage in piece work to support themselves and assume responsibilities as home care especially in child-headed household thereby missing out formal and informal education. The worse are forced into the streets and engaged in child prostitution. Orphan girls are at a high risk of child marriage and sexual gender based violence. As such losing the opportunity to attend school is particularly damaging for orphans, denying them a sense of continuity and security and an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills needed for adult life in the long run. With the COVID19 crisis, the situation of OVC has worsened.

We are happy to start working on a project that will give Orphan and vulnerable children an opportunity to stay in school and uplift their living standards.