A preliminary enquiry into the experience of foster care in Malawi

Bibliography: leaves 44-45.The spread of the AIDS pandemic has resulted in an increase in the number of orphans in Malawi. With a projection of 638,220 orphans by 1998, the traditional care systems are becoming overwhelmed and other alternatives need to be considered. One outcome of the pandemic is the need for the expansion of the foster care scheme run by the Government Department of Social Welfare. Amidst the paucity of research on foster care throughout the world, a lack of qualitative investigation into the experiences of foster care-givers also exists. Such an investigation would provide invaluable information in making foster care interventions more effective. This preliminary investigation into foster care in Malawi set out to provide information on the Malawi government foster scheme primarily through the qualitative experiences of the foster care-givers