ZIMBABWE: Street kids tracing families

However, Tich, as he is called by fellow street children, finally found a home at a certain non-governmental organization in Harare where he is now receiving literary lessons to know how to read and write as he has never been to a formal school. “I was born here and my brothers and sisters are also here. Though it is not the best option to remain on the streets, I have no any other option because I cannot even trace by origins. My mother tells me she doesn’t know my father so there is nothing I can really do to find him,” said Tich, with tears trickling down the cheeks. It is however heart breaking to know that Tich shares the same predicament with quite a lot of fellow street children in Zimbabwe while government crafts handsome policies which are hardly implemented to the benefit of the children. The Executive Director of Streets Ahead, a local NGO, Duduzile Moyo, says her organization was formed in 1991 to assist such children like Tich with the aid of some local academics including one Professor Michael Bourdillon. “Streets Ahead does family tracing and does counseling with the child to understand his reason for being on the streets, then negotiating with family members on how best to assist that particular child. We then organize for family reunions if the kid’s origins are known,” said Moyo. Moyo said her organization was working with a number of partners including United Nations Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF) realize their goals of caring for children living on the streets by offering practical life skills and solutions, counseling, offering medication, and offering recreational facilities along with bathing and laundry facilities. Lindiwe Svondo another sixteen-year-old youth living on the streets had her HIV status checked through StreetsAhead who are now sponsoring her up keeping through free medical access. The organization also does peer education and even distributes condoms to adult street members to effect behavior change. A local social commentator Dr Adrian Mhosva says the government should look into the plight of children living on the streets so that they do not become a bunch of hooligans, gangsters and thieves around town because they would not have anything they know. “If the government looks at the children to avoid a number of social problems that will arise if they are not attended like hooliganism and gangsterism. This will also reduce the rate and number of crimes and other criminal activities,” he said. Though Zimbabwe has a vibrant child protection policy, some analysts say the policies are not being implemented to the fullest as evidenced by the number of children subjected to suffering in the country in the areas of child labour, child marriages, cultural practices detrimental to the lives of children like forced marriages among others child rights violations. Source: Misheck Rusere, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe Photo: Shepherd Torvireva < Prev   Next >

Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 March 2011 11:53