Sunday News
By Stanford Chiwanga
27 October 2012
ZIMBABWE has one of the highest rates of orphan-hood in the world, with 25 percent of all children having lost one or both parents mainly due to HIV and Aids, a survey by the Government, Unicef and other partners has revealed.
More than one million young people, most of them orphans, are out of school and left with few educational and employment options. Children with parents were found to be three times more likely to attend secondary school than children from poor and orphaned families.
The absence of a breadwinner means that there is a growing disparity in education. Financial barriers are constraining access to education for orphans and vulnerable children. In this environment, orphaned children, children with disabilities and others with special needs, are at increasing risk of exclusion from school.
The vulnerability of orphans especially girls left them at risk of being sexually abused. At least 21 percent of girls’ first sexual encounters are forced and orphans were found to make up most of the victims of this sexual abuse. To date, 10 000 children victims of abuse have been assisted through the victim friendly system. A large percent of the children were orphans.
The victim friendly system is the child-sensitive justice system that includes specialised police units, courts and care and support services.
The Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Paurine Mpariwa refused to comment for reasons best known to her.
A Unicef official said the high rate of orphanhood in Zimbabwe was a cause of concern but can be reduced through behavioural change and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. “Behavioural change is a must for children to grow up with their parents, as it stands most cases of HIV infection in Zimbabwe are of sexual intercourse, a sign that HIV was contracted through adultery and fornication. Also if mothers get tested and get on a treatment regime they get to live longer and that also prevents mother-to-child transmission, meaning babies are born without HIV. But for those parents who are positive, they can also avoid turning their children into orphans by taking ARVs. They prolong lives and parents can live to see their children grow into adults, said the official.
The effective response of Government and Unicef and its partners has led to major increases in assistance rendered to orphans. Five hundred thousand orphans and vulnerable children are provided with free-basic social services and an additional 500 000 are having their school fees paid for through the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam).
By 2015, in line with the millennium development goals (MDGs), the Government and Unicef through the Education Transition Fund, aim to have returned at least 100 000 school-aged boys and girls to mainstream education through a “second chance†education programme. The target is also to ensure that 25 percent of orphans and vulnerable children, including those with special needs, access basic education. At least 200 000 young women and men will be provided with alternative learning opportunities that include HIV and Aids life skills training.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, said a political will was necessary in order to ensure that all orphans and vulnerable children access education and benefit from Government-led intervention programmes.
“For us to reach out to all orphans and vulnerable children who are out of school because they do not have money we require a collective effort. The international community can assist us by increasing the amount of money it gives us but the primary responsibility lies with us, the Government of Zimbabwe. We need to increase the amount of money allocated to education and Beam. Tough political decisions need to be made and they entail reducing the amount of money given to other ministries in order to increase the money for education,†said Minister Coltart.
According to Minister Coltart, about one million out of an estimated 3,6 million school-going children require Beam support as their parents and guardians cannot afford paying school fees. Approximately 27 percent of these children were either orphans or vulnerable children.
Currently, 976 000 primary and secondary school students are in need of Beam assistance but 380 000 are not receiving any support.
Fifty-five thousand girls and boys from labour-constrained and food-poor child-headed-families will be guaranteed long-term cash transfers from a Government-led national social protection system.