“The situation of children demands intensified and focused action by a variety of duty-bearers at different levels. District commissioners play a key leadership role for Malawi to meet the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs].

“Investing in children will help Malawi meet the MDGs as six out of eight MDGs directly concern children,” Director of Local Government Services Stuart Ligomeka told journalists during a press briefing in Blantyre on Thursday.

The briefing was convened on the sidelines of a Transformational Leadership and Children Rights Training for district commissioners and chief executives drawn from all assemblies in the country.

Ligomeka was in the company of Unicef’s Chief of Social Policy in Malawi Mayke Huijbregts, Social Welfare Officer in the Ministry of Gender Reagan Kaluluma and Lilongwe DC Charles Kalemba.

“We realised an existing gap in understanding of issues of child rights not only with DCs but also in the private sector and other sectors and even in homes. So we felt we start with DCs so that it tickles down to all sectors,” said Ligomeka.

According to Kalemba, the training had widened the scope of the DCs and it would make them responsible that issues related to children’s rights are part of district development plans and other policies at assembly level.

“When we go back to our responsible assemblies we will change our scope and look at children as vulnerable and an entity.

“We previously took it for granted that when we target adults — for instance, on provision of relief and safety nets — then we were equally targeting children, but now we realise the society has changed and we have to actually prioritise child headed households,” he said.

During the briefing, Unicef committed its assistance to government on issues of children through provision of technical and financial assistance.

“Because of the vulnerability of children, there is need for putting children at the centre of development hence district [assembly] plans should integrate a holistic package of issues of children.

“Unicef is excited to be part of this national drive to have issues of children being given prominence in such plans,” said Huijbregts.

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