Maravi

Most Lusaka street children are from Kabwe - Namugala

Most Lusaka street children are from Kabwe - Namugala
By Gillian Namungala
Thursday October 11, 2007 [04:00]

Community development and social services minister Catherine Namugala has observed that most children on Lusaka streets come from Kabwe’s Makululu Compound. Namugala said there was need for officers under her ministry to share ideas on how best they could help protect the children from harmful environments.

“If you went and asked those children on the streets they would tell you we are from Makululu Compound in Kabwe” she said.

Makululu is said to be the second largest populated compounds in Africa after Soweto in South Africa.

Namugala further cited Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi and Lusaka as towns where streetism was very high.

She said this when she paid a courtesy call on Central Province permanent secretary Denny Lumbama in Kabwe.

And Lumbama, who agreed that most children on the streets of Lusaka where coming from Makululu said there was need for a lot of attention at a higher level in addressing problems in the compound.

“The closure of a number of companies in Kabwe has sent a lot of people on the streets, therefore failing to provide for their children,” he said.

And speaking at the National Street Children workshop in Kabwe, Namugala said while the programme for street children had recorded some successes in removing children from the streets and reintegrating them into families and communities, there was need to intensify the programme by extending it to all districts that were potentially vulnerable to the phenomena of street children.

She said at district level, childcare and protection committees would be formed to broaden the mandate of district street children committees.

Namugala said the role of the district child protection committee would involve preventing and responding to specific situations where children were subject or were at risk of abuse and violence.

And Namugala commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for their continued support that aims at ensuring a protective environment for children in Zambia.

Labels: LUSAKA, STREET CHILDREN

posted by MrK @ 6:34 AM