Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms. Doreen Mwamba, has called for renewed commitment to family-based child care.

Addressing delegates at the Care for Children Global Summit held at the Langham, in London yesterday Ms. Mwamba emphasised that Zambia regards the family as the cornerstone of cultural identity, moral values, and community resilience.

She underscored that families provide the first lessons in respect, responsibility, and tradition, serving as a protective environment against neglect, abuse and exploitation.

“Ensuring that Zambian children grow up in families is not only a core cultural value, but a national imperative,” the Minister stated. “Family-based care is fundamental to children’s holistic development and to the long-term stability of our nation.”

She acknowledged that while residential care may sometimes be unavoidable, it must only be a temporary, last-resort measure.

With Zambia currently having 160 care facilities supporting nearly 7,000 children, Ms. Mwamba however reaffirmed that family reunification remains a key policy priority.

Highlighting new legislative progress, the Minister noted the enactment of the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022 which prioritises family care, prohibits corporal punishment, and sets clear frameworks for kinship, foster care, adoption, and reunification.

The Minister also identified poverty as a main driver of family separation and revealed Zambia’s efforts to address this through an expanded social protection agenda.

She disclosed that in the past four years, over 10 million citizens in 2.2 million households have been reached by the Social Cash Transfer programme, preventing family breakdown and keeping children in school.

“Our social protection policy links child welfare with empowerment of families and women, ensuring no vulnerable child is left behind,” she declared. “Through shared learning and collaboration, we can secure a future in which every child grows up nurtured within a family.”

The Summit also featured remarks from UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who urged global action to reduce the number of children in institutional care and promote safe, loving family environments worldwide.

This is according to a statement issued by the First Secretary Press at the Zambia High Commission in London, Mr Speedwell Mupuchi.