NANGO said that there was a need for the state to include children in its budgeting in order to increase school enrolment, the provision of health and access to ICT.
With thousands of children unable to attend to school due to disability, or failure to pay school fees, NANGO said that the government must expand the Basic Education Assistance Module to include all needy children.
NANGO said that there was also a need to, “strengthen the capacity of ZIMSEC in conducting public examinations,” and “school development through refurbishment of classrooms to end hot seating”.
Below is an outline of the organisation’s plan:
• Reproductive health for girls – Sanitary ware for girls should be subsidized by at least 60% and be tax exempt. The budget should also further provide funds for the dissemination of reproductive health information and education to girls.
• Health, HIV and AIDS, cancer and other non-communicable diseases – The vote to the Ministry of Health should be increased to improve the quality of Health Delivery with special emphasis on:
• Refurbishment and construction of maternal clinics in all the districts
• Subsidies on maternal fees
• Reduction of medical fees for children under the age of six
• An increase in supplementary feeding to cover 90 percent of all needy children below the age of 10.
• Prioritisation of HIV and AIDS, cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases and a higher allocation of funds in the National Budget. This should include the provision and distribution of drugs to at least 90 percent of children living with any of these diseases.
• Sexual abuse – Adequate resources should be allocated for establishing and efficiently running Victim Friendly Courts in at least every district of Zimbabwe. Resources should also be allocated for the acquisition of assistive devices in VFUs to cater for disabled children.
• Children on the streets – Children living on the street fund should be reinstated to cater for their rehabilitation and reintegration. Adequate resources should be allocated for establishing transit homes and support should be given to children’s homes that cater for this demographic.
• Safer water, sanitation and a clean environment – The national budget should allocate adequate resources for:
• A consistent supply of portable safe water for drinking
• The rehabilitation of sewer reticulation systems to prevent health hazards among children
• Environmental degradation and pollution
• Children living with disabilities – Adequate resources should be allocated for the education, protection and development of children with disabilities, especially for the construction of appropriate schools and the provision of assistive devices (Braille, hearing aids, wheel chairs, spectacles, and skin creams) in every province. The budget should also provide money for the construction of appropriate and user-friendly toilets that cater for differently able people. The budget should also cater for the training of special education teachers.
• Recreational facilities – The budget should avail funds for establishing and maintaining recreational facilities for children in all districts.
• Children living in institutions – Allocations for capita grants for children living in institutions should be maintained and projections made in such a way that there is room for quarterly reviews in line with increasing numbers and the cost of living.
• Support to child-led statutory bodies – The government should adequately resource child-led institutions to enable them to implement their programmes and duties.
Post published in: News