This article describes some of the hardships faced by orphaned children in Malawi, including the harms and stigma of being placed in an orphanage, and the need for reform in the care system in the country. According to the article, the government's policy is to prioritize family-based care and use institutional care only as a last resort, and for the shortest possible time. UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) head of child protection in Malawi, Afrooz Kaviani-Johnson, was interviewed for this article and states that most children living in institutions in Malawi have at least one living parent. "Kaviani-Johnson argues that in the case no parents are alive or where it is unsafe for a child to be in the care of their parents, other family-based options—including kinship or foster care—should be considered."
