about

Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS) is a non-governmental organization that was formed in January 2000. It was initially established to tackle reproductive health issues affecting the youth (boys and girls), women and other vulnerable groups such as commercial sex workers. FOCUS got registered with the Trustees Incorporation Act (1962) in September 2001, with the National Youth Council of Malawi under the National Youth Council Act of 1996 in 2005 and with the NGO Board in September, 2007. FOCUS is a paid-up member of the Council for NGOs in Malawi (CONGOMA), Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organisations (MANASO) and the NGO Board; an executive member of Karonga NGO Network (KANGONE) and a founding member of the Forum for Non-Governmental Organisations in Youth Development (FONYODE). Currently FOCUS is the acting chair of Karonga District AIDS Coordinating Committee (DACC), deputy chair for FONYODE and also serves as the deputy chair of CONGOMA.

FOCUS envisages a self-reliant and healthy community with improved quality of life that is aware and able to demand for information and services. It is committed towards facilitating, advocating and implementing programmes in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Community Health and HIV/AIDS; Sustainable Livelihoods; Good Governance; Human Rights; Youth Development and Gender and Women Empowerment targeting vulnerable Malawian communities.

strategic objectives

1. 

   

   
   improve self-sustained livelihoods of communities through promotion of effective partnerships and empowerment of individual households.
2. promote greater access and knowledge of health care services for the most vulnerable individuals especially those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
3. promote ownership and participation of citizens in social and economic programmes by fostering effective engagement by policy makers and stakeholders at all levels more especially the affected communities.
4. promote community empowerment, social justice and the ability to demand services and rights especially for vulnerable groups such as children, OVCs, women, sex workers, and poor communities.