Harare - Child headed families in Zimbabwe face various challenges which include lack of access to basic needs such as food. When the food security of the whole community is threatened, as it is at present, their safety net can disappear, exposing them to abuse. Most of these children end up not goChild headed households are much more vulnerable and at risk because they do not have the material and personal resources to cope with the problems that they encounter on a daily basis.
It is against this background that a charitable organisation, St Johns in Harare, has decided to provide skills training to such children so that they learn to be self reliant.
More than 300 orphaned children of between the age of 12 to 20 who are either heading their families or looking after parents living with HIV in their homes, received certificates after taking an intensive self reliant and home based care training course.
Assistant Project Coordinator, Clara Murambiwa told The Zimbabwean on Sunday at the graduation ceremony held in Mbare that her organisation was touched by the increasing number of orphaned children in the country who were being abused because of their desperate situation.
The course among other subjects covers entrepreneurship, counselling, health and sanitation, human trafficking, child abuse, confidentiality and taking extra care of the sick.
Once trained, the teenagers become someone in their communities, because they can help in emergencies, said Murambiwa.
According to the National Aids Councils latest report Zimbabwe has 1 million HIV and AIDS orphaned children.
According to UNICEF an average of 100 000 children are living without parental care and supervision with most of the child-headed households being a consequence of HIV and Aids.
The children who graduated last week were from Highfields, Dzivarasekwa, Mabvuku and Budiriro.
We usually engage them in these training sessions during school holidays so that they do not miss their academic studies, added Murambiwa. As you know these are young children victims taking care of other victims and as such they need counselling. Most of these households have nowhere to turn for emotional and social support to help the children cope with the problems they face and we provide that training as well she added.
St Johns works with other international donors in the project, which is in current need of material and financial resources.
One of the organisations partners from the United Kingdom, Timothy Ferdinand, who graced the graduation ceremony, said it was amazing to see such a huge group of young children committing themselves to receiving the training.
I can see that theses vulnerable children are keen to enhance their lives. They have committed themselves to leave their homes and get the skills which are important in their lives and I can see a bright and prosperous future in them, he said.
What we have also begun to realise is that the people of Zimbabwe no longer want charity but skills to develop themselves hence the thrust of this project. These children here have not given up but continue to seek knowledge of how best they could sustain themselves while taking care of other children and the sick at home and to us its very encouraging.
We find the skills we got here very helpful, said one of the children to The Zimbabwean on Sunday. Now that we have been thought to be self reliant, cook for the sick and enterprising we are no longer going to be beggars out there.
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Permanent Secretary Lance Museka warned organisations to register before they train children.
As the government we appreciate the role played by such organisations which train children in such programmes but we strongly warn those wishing to do so to first register with us and get our approval. This is because children under the age of 18 needs proper guidance and by knowing which organisation is dealing with what project with children reduces the risk of child abuse he said.
The United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) Chief of Communications, Micaela De Sousa, said: Educating children about HIVandAIDS and how to take care of others is an important life skill but this should not compromise their right to recreation.
All the children and their families have the right to home based care and support but to education and to have playing time. Childrens right to recreation should not be compromised with labour headed families, she said.
UNICEF is working with Government and 180 Non-governmental organisations in implementing the National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children including Child-Headed households.
To date more than 500 000 children have been provided with free education, life skills, health and nutrition services through the programme since 2007.
Post published in: Politics