TOPIC 1: FAMILY
Family is a group of people related by blood or marriage or adoption and usually lives together and shares love.
TYPES OF FAMILIES
- Nuclear: Consisting of a mother, a father with or without children living together in one house.
- Extended: A family containing other relatives in addition to a nuclear family.
- Single-parent: Family headed by one parent, either a mother or father.
- Child-headed: Families headed by children in case both parents died.
- Adoptive/hybrid: Families which adopt children, especially orphans or those that are abandoned.
- Step-families: Where either a father or mother lives with non-biological children.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LARGE FAMILY SIZE
- Sex preference for children: Parents may continue having children until their preferred sex is born, leading to large family sizes.
- Cultural influences or practices: Practices like wife inheritance, polygamy, early marriages, divorce, and remarriage can lead to more children in a family.
- Religious beliefs: Some religions do not allow the use of contraceptives or birth control methods.
FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGE SMALL FAMILY SIZE
- Fertility rate and family planning methods.
- Prolonged education: Encourages late marriages, leading to fewer children.
- Introduction of population and family education.
- Urbanization and high cost of living.
- Modernization: Urban lifestyles tend to favor smaller families.
ADVANTAGES OF LARGE FAMILIES
- Assurance that some children will reach adulthood.
- Investment in the future as parents expect to be cared for by their children.
- Children provide cheap labor.
- Population growth aids the country’s defense.
DISADVANTAGES OF LARGE FAMILIES
- Parents may struggle to meet children’s basic needs.
- Less parental care due to large family size.
- Family conflicts as children compete for resources.
- Pressure on national resources from rapid population growth.
- Difficulty in providing quality education.
ADVANTAGES OF SMALL SIZE FAMILIES
- Easier to provide food and clothing.
- More attention, love, and care for children.
- No competition for resources.
- Better security for children from parents.
DISADVANTAGES OF SMALL SIZE FAMILIES
- No guarantee that a child will survive to adulthood.
- Children may not be able to support their parents in old age.
- It can lead to individualism and lack of support for relatives.
- Possible decline in population.
- Labor shortages affecting productivity.
GENDER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE FAMILY
A gender role is what society expects males or females to do based on their gender.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEN/BOYS
- Earning money.
- Building houses and other structures.
- Digging graves at funerals.
- Caring for animals.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WOMEN/GIRLS
- Growing food crops.
- Fetching water.
- Collecting firewood.
- Cooking and preparing food.
- Caring for the health of children.
CHANGES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE FAMILY
Many people now prefer nuclear families. These changes have affected family structure, values, size, and composition.
REASONS FOR MORE NUCLEAR FAMILIES
- Desire for a comfortable standard of living.
- More girls completing secondary education, delaying marriage.
- Rising cost of living influencing smaller family sizes.
REASONS FOR MORE SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
- Death of a spouse due to HIV/AIDS or other causes.
- High divorce rates or separation.
- Husbands working away from home.
- Some men and women prefer single life.
- Unwanted pregnancies.
- Desertion by a spouse.
REASONS FOR MORE CHILD HEADED FAMILIES
- Death of parents.
- High divorce rates.
- New partners rejecting existing children.
EFFECTS OF CHILD HEADED FAMILIES
- Malnutrition.
- Poor health and school performance.
- School dropouts.
- Street begging.
- Immorality and prostitution.
SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF CHILD HEADED FAMILIES
- Community-based care for orphans.
- Support from extended family members, adoption, and foster care.
TOPIC 2: HUMAN RIGHTS
These are basic entitlements of every person simply by being human. They are generally accepted principles of fairness and justice.
THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (UDHR)
Issued in December 1948, this document contains 30 rights that form the basis of human rights.
FACTORS THAT LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UDHR
- Holocaust/genocide, such as Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime killing over 6 million Jews.
- Inhumane conditions for prisoners of war during the world wars.
- Discrimination and segregation.
- Child labor abuse.
- The slave trade.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Some fundamental human rights include:
- The right to life.
- The right to liberty.
- Right to human dignity.
- Freedom of thought, conscience, and belief.
- Right to equality.
- Right to privacy.
- Right to education.
- Right to culture and language.
- Right to own property.
- Right to development.
- Freedom of association.
- Freedom of expression.
- Access to information.
- Right to form and join political parties.
- Freedom of assembly.
- Right to fair and safe labor practices.
RIGHTS OF DETAINEES
- The right to be informed of the reasons for detention.
- The right to humane detention conditions.
- The right to legal consultation.
- The right to communication with family and medical professionals.
- The right to challenge their case.
RIGHTS OF WOMEN
- Enter into contracts.
- Maintain equal rights in child upbringing.
- Fair sharing of jointly held property with their husbands.
RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
- The right to a name.
- The right to know and be raised by parents.
- The right to protection from exploitation.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN RIGHTS
- Acquisition at birth.
- Cannot be taken away, only violated or suspended.
- Universality, entitling everyone to the same rights worldwide.
- Interdependence, supporting each other.
- Indivisibility, meaning all human rights should be enjoyed at all times.
TOPIC 3; CITIZENSHIP
Citizenship is the status of belonging to a particular community or country. A citizen is a person who is a member of a particular country.
TYPES OF CITIZENSHIP
- Single Citizenship: This is the status of belonging to one country.
- Dual Citizenship: This is the status of belonging to two countries simultaneously.
WAYS OF ACQUIRING MALAWIAN CITIZENSHIP
- Birth: Anyone born in Malawi with either a Malawian mother or father is a citizen.
- Descent: Citizenship can be acquired by tracing where your parents originally came from.
- Marriage: A woman married to a Malawian man can become a citizen of Malawi.
- Registration: Citizenship can be acquired by submitting an application to the department responsible for citizenship registration. The applicant must meet the following conditions:
- They must have lived in Malawi for five years or more.
- They must be of good character.
- They must speak or understand one vernacular language or English.
- They must comply with the laws of Malawi.
- They must give up the citizenship of the other country.
- Naturalization: This refers to becoming a citizen after living in Malawi for a long period of time.
WAYS OF LOSING CITIZENSHIP
- Voluntary Renunciation: When a person willingly surrenders their Malawian citizenship in favor of another country.
- Deprivation: Citizenship may be taken away through an act of parliament.
- Death: Citizenship ends upon death.
INSECURITY OF CERTAIN TYPES OF CITIZENSHIP
Citizenship acquired by marriage, registration, and naturalization may be less secure due to several factors:
- Changes in policy or government.
- Lack of permanence.
- Vulnerability of children upon the death of parents.
- Possible seizure of property after being stripped of citizenship.
IMPORTANCE OF CITIZENSHIP
- Enjoyment of Certain Rights: Citizens are entitled to rights such as voting and freedom of expression.
- Promotion of Unity: Citizenship fosters a sense of belonging and unity within a nation.
- Promotion of Patriotism: Citizens are encouraged to be loyal and patriotic to their country.
- Enjoyment of Certain Privileges: Citizens may benefit from privileges such as access to public services and protection by the state.
