Published by the government of Zimbabwe
13 July 2007
Harare — THE European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department yesterday injected U.S.$800 000 into child and youth improvement and protection programmes.
United Nations Children's Fund country representative Dr Festo Kavishe said in view of the significant amount, his organisation would ensure the support reached a greater number of Zimbabwe's children.
"With the growing challenges related to vulnerable children and limited resources, it is vital that we get maximum impact with every penny we spend," Dr Kavishe said.
Zimbabwe is faced with mammoth challenges in the area of HIV and Aids and the need to sustain orphans who have lost one or both parents.
The contribution is set to improve lives of orphans and other vulnerable children through enhancing peer education and outreach to vulnerable young people by youth volunteers. HIV and Aids, said Dr Kavishe, remains a critical area that demands regular programmes on awareness and prevention.
"This contribution is a unique donation, as it will assist in co-ordinating nationwide activities within the nutrition, water and sanitation sectors.
"The funds came at a time when many families and communities continue to struggle with the consequences of economic challenges and the aftermath of successive years of drought," Dr Kavishe said.
The funding will also incorporate a youth programme that encourages and trains young people to buoy their communities by working alongside home-based carers for the chronically ill and orphans.
Since 2004, the humanitarian organisation has donated up to 8,15 million euros through Unicef's programmes.
The livelihoods of some households with chronically ill adults, orphans and vulnerable children had improved drastically as a result.
Zimbabwe, however, needs vibrant interventions, which included the establishment of children's homes where vulnerable children and orphans can be well taken care of and accorded the chance for a better education.
But the less money spent on awareness programmes the better, a child expert said yesterday.
"The children we are talking about need to be housed in comfortable environments where they can go to school, access medical attention and be able to live normally. Outreach programmes without providing the critical needs, such as food and school fees, will do very little to improve the lives of the children," a child specialist, Dr Elizabeth Chakanyuka, said yesterday.
A few weeks ago, the Department of Social Welfare announced it had run out of homes in which to place underprivileged children.
As a result, some children were crowded in some "dubious" homes while efforts were being made to place others in the smaller towns outside Harare and Bulawayo.
"With so much money coming in just for the sake of children, a lot needs to be done to ensure we satisfy their needs. Some cannot be well assisted when they are staying with broken families because sometimes it might mean that assistance becomes insignificant.
"There is, therefore, need to scrutinise the needs of the children and ensure we come up with best solutions to the challenges facing our children," she said.
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