Diana Malikebu, 21, is a stay-at-home mom from Nguluwe village, Rural Lilongwe. She has two beautiful boys; 5 and 2 years old; both differently-abled with cerebral palsy. Her husband is a bicycle taxi operator in a nearby peri-urban community. His job afforded them meals and payment of hospital bills for their sons’ frequent medical care. When COVID-19 hit, his income significantly reduced because of the restrictions in movement and the shift to working from home which meant fewer customers.
Diana and her family’s quality of life started to decline; daily meals dropped to two from three. There was an increase in stress and frustration straining Diana’s marriage. Her husband blamed her for not having a job to support the family and having children with special needs he felt were now a burden draining resources. This was only echoed by her in-laws who accused her of witchcraft.
Overwhelmed, Diana reached out to Fount for Nations for support. Diana worked with our Family Support Officer, a trained psychologist, who counselled her and her husband on coping with stress, stopping emotional abuse, identifying ways to cope with their situation, and educating them on their children’s condition to demystify the witchcraft theory. The children were enrolled in the Fount for Nations Stay and Play program where they have since started therapy and early years learning support.
Following this and more cases similar to Diana’s it became essential to offer longer-term support beyond the COVID-19 relief packages of food and hygiene items. Through our partnership with GiveDirectly, Diana, along with 499 other beneficiaries received social protection cash transfers to improve livelihoods and food security. Diana invested the money in a small business she runs from home which allows her to still care for her sons. She is also part of the second cohort of caregivers receiving financial literacy training to learn how to run a sustainable business.
Fount for Nations further partnered with St John of God, a community-based organization that offers mobile healthcare services, her sons now receive home-based physiotherapy which is providing promising results.
