THE FAMILY While in Balaka District , I had the opportunity to conduct an evaluation and intervention in collaboration with local authorities. We visited a family living in a hard-to-reach rural community. The family has three children with profound mental disabilities and, until now, have never received any form of support. Since the birth of their first child, they have faced heavy discrimination from the community, and no relatives have been willing or able to help. I met the family three times. My recent studies, previous degrees, and professional experience proved invaluable in this situation. Together, we were able to raise the parents’ awareness about disability - especially mental disabilities - and provide much-needed psychosocial support. The family lives far from basic services: the nearest health centre is about 15 km away, and the district hospital is around 30 km - both out of reach for them without reliable transport. FIELD WORK ...