By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |
There is a sharp rise in children needing welfare assistance, mostly due to the impact of drought that was caused by the El Nino phenomenon, according to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF Zimbabwe).
El Nino manifested ahead of the 2015-2016 main farming season and caused acute rainfall shortages in southern Africa.
Zimbabwe was among the most affected, recording poor crop yields that are among the worst in recent history.
The El Nino-induced drought also decimated livestock and pushed prices of basic commodities up at a time the cash-strapped government is struggling to import cereals.
The UNICEF supported Child Protection Fund that tracks orphaned and vulnerable children’s welfare challenges carried out a study that revealed that there was a sharp rise in the social needs of children from last year.
“In a sign of increasing stress among children, data from the UNICEF supported Child Protection Fund, which tracks welfare and protection needs among poor and vulnerable children, is showing a sharp rise in children needing welfare assistance in 2016 compared to 2015,” said UNICEF Zimbabwe in a statement.
Welfare assistance for the children addresses their health, educational, emotional and social needs.
The study discovered that some 20,000 children needed welfare assistance between January and July 2016 compared to 11,000 in the whole of 2015.
In addition, slightly more than 2,000 children reported health problems in the first six months of 2016 compared to 400 in the whole of 2015.
This number includes children who have defaulted on their anti-retroviral therapy for HIV due to an inability to take medication due to hunger.
About 6,000 children needed emotional and social support in the first six months of 2016, compared to 8,000 in the whole of 2015.
The upsurge started in October 2015 with the onset of the drought and indicates an increase in drought-related psychosocial stress.
“The greatest rise was in the education category, where 12,000 children reported needing school-related assistance in the first six months of 2016 compared to 2,000 in the whole of 2015.
UNICEF deputy representative in Zimbabwe, Jane Muita said crop failure forced families to spend meager income on food, school resources and fees.
She said: “They will always choose food. But these are hard choices no family should have to make and we worry about the long-term developmental effects the drought will have on affected children.”
The majority of vulnerable children owed schools, thousands of dollars in unpaid fees, said UNICEF, and some have dropped out entirely.
UNICEF’s non-State partners are reporting an increase in young girls dropping out of school to engage in sex for money and teenage boys engaging in illegal mining, added the fund.
“In some areas in the south of the country, parents are migrating to neighbouring countries in search of livelihoods, leaving their children in the care of the oldest sibling or their grandparents.
“The case management system is showing an increase in sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect, physical and emotional abuse, and child labour, with 7,000 cases reported in the first half of 2016 alone, compared to 3,000 in 2015. Nehanda Radio
