Street children a reminder of leaders’ failure - UNICEF
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mansa
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE United Nations says street children are a reminder that duty bearers of children's rights are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
And the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development says the problem of streetism cannot be addressed by a single institution. Meanwhile, a Mansa child says poverty, lack of role models and unemployment are among the many issues that affect the positive development of the Zambian child.
During the commemoration of the Day of the African Child at Mansa's Don Bosco Youth Centre yesterday, UNICEF country representative Dr Iyorlumun Uhaa said matters of children were close to his agency's heart.
He said it was commendable that the government held this year's commemoration, which is being held under the theme 'All together for urgent action in favour of street children', in Mansa.
"Today we remember the events of the morning of 16 June, 1976 when children of Soweto were killed for protesting over the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium language of instruction in local schools," Dr Uhaa said. "But the Day of the African Child is more than just a commemoration.
This day seeks to draw the attention of all involved in improving the condition of children in Africa and to unite efforts to combat the ills that plague the daily lives of children."
He said children on the country's streets should be a reminder that they were there because of poverty, abuse and violence.
"Children on the streets are a reminder to us that we as duty bearers of children's rights, whether it be the government, the United Nations, communities, or families, are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child," Dr Uhaa said.
"The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and it guarantees four main rights of children, namely: the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development, and the right to participation."
Dr Uhaa said children living on the streets were vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
"They are at risk of sexual violence and being forced into sexual exploitation including prostitution. Children on the streets lack access to services that other children enjoy," he said. "As a result, children on the streets often have poor health conditions, lack proper nutrition essential for growth and development and are not attending school."
Dr Uhaa said street kids were also vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse apart from being exposed to high levels of stress and emotional trauma.
And sport, youth and child development permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga said in his remarks at the event that was attended by school pupils from several Mansa schools that this year's commemoration of the African Child's Day comes when the country was grappling with the challenge of streetism.
Meanwhile, Choolwe Munyumbwe, a Mansa child who read out the children's resolutions arising from a number of Focus Group Discussions held countrywide prior to Thursday's commemoration, said the children pledged full participation in governance and developmental issues that concern them.
Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, POVERTY, STREET CHILDREN, UNICEF
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Street children a reminder of leaders’ failure - UNICEF
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mansa
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE United Nations says street children are a reminder that duty bearers of children's rights are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
And the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development says the problem of streetism cannot be addressed by a single institution. Meanwhile, a Mansa child says poverty, lack of role models and unemployment are among the many issues that affect the positive development of the Zambian child.
During the commemoration of the Day of the African Child at Mansa's Don Bosco Youth Centre yesterday, UNICEF country representative Dr Iyorlumun Uhaa said matters of children were close to his agency's heart.
He said it was commendable that the government held this year's commemoration, which is being held under the theme 'All together for urgent action in favour of street children', in Mansa.
"Today we remember the events of the morning of 16 June, 1976 when children of Soweto were killed for protesting over the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium language of instruction in local schools," Dr Uhaa said. "But the Day of the African Child is more than just a commemoration.
This day seeks to draw the attention of all involved in improving the condition of children in Africa and to unite efforts to combat the ills that plague the daily lives of children."
He said children on the country's streets should be a reminder that they were there because of poverty, abuse and violence.
"Children on the streets are a reminder to us that we as duty bearers of children's rights, whether it be the government, the United Nations, communities, or families, are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child," Dr Uhaa said.
"The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and it guarantees four main rights of children, namely: the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development, and the right to participation."
Dr Uhaa said children living on the streets were vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
"They are at risk of sexual violence and being forced into sexual exploitation including prostitution. Children on the streets lack access to services that other children enjoy," he said. "As a result, children on the streets often have poor health conditions, lack proper nutrition essential for growth and development and are not attending school."
Dr Uhaa said street kids were also vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse apart from being exposed to high levels of stress and emotional trauma.
And sport, youth and child development permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga said in his remarks at the event that was attended by school pupils from several Mansa schools that this year's commemoration of the African Child's Day comes when the country was grappling with the challenge of streetism.
Meanwhile, Choolwe Munyumbwe, a Mansa child who read out the children's resolutions arising from a number of Focus Group Discussions held countrywide prior to Thursday's commemoration, said the children pledged full participation in governance and developmental issues that concern them.
Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, POVERTY, STREET CHILDREN, UNICEF
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Barclays Bank, UNICEF launch global partnership
By Sydney Mungala in Samfya
Fri 23 Oct. 2009, 04:00 CAT
BARCLAYS Bank southern Africa managing director Zafar Masud has observed that although young people are extremely vulnerable they possess great potential for the country’s future.
And acting science and technology minister Ronald Mukuma has challenged corporate entities to not only train youths but help them apply what they learn after they graduate.
During the launch of Barclays-UNICEF global partnership, which seeks to empower young people in Zambia, Masud said the partnership would help vulnerable young people to improve their lives with access to education and entrepreneurship skills.
“Although young people are an extremely vulnerable group they also possess great potential. Therefore, the new partnership dubbed Building Young Futures will help vulnerable young people improve their lives with access to education, jobs, and opportunities for enterprise and entrepreneurship,” said Masud in Samfya on Wednesday.
Masud said the project reflected a shift from pure donations in corporate philanthropy to combining social investment with long-term business opportunities.
The five million pounds global project, spread over a period of three years, forms part of the five-year US $150 million Banking on Brighter Futures community investment.
And Mukuma said the youths needed help after graduating from training institutions to implement the skills acquired.
“…Institutions like Barclays should not just end at training these youths in centres but ensure that they are helped to implement what they learnt in these centres,” he said.
Mukuma said it was also important for corporate entities like Barclays to extend loan facilities to graduating youths from skills training centres.
However, Mukuma lauded Barclays Bank Zambia for the support and implored other entities to follow suit.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) country representative Lotta Sylwander disclosed that 600 youths had so far been trained in entrepreneurship skills this year.
The four centres earmarked to benefit are Katembula in Ndola, Kaoma Youth Resource Centre, Timba in Chinsali and another centre in Samfya.
Labels: BARCLAYS BANK, UNICEF, ZAFAR MASUD
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Unicef airlifts cholera kits to Zimbabwe
Unicef.org
Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:12:00 +0000
UNICEF's first ever airlift of critical emergency supplies to Zimbabwe has landed in Harare, as Zimbabwe grapples with cholera.
The cargo - which includes intravenous (IV) fluids, drip equipment, essential drugs, midwifery and obstetric kits - will boost the UN Children's Fund cholera response and aid government to deliver some essential health services to expecting mothers.
"This is a strategic measure to address a desperate situation," said Unicef Acting Representative in Zimbabwe, Roeland Monasch. "We are already supplying 70 percent of the country's essential drugs, and these airlifted supplies will further boost Unicef's lifesaving support."
Supported by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and the Dutch government, the 140 metric tonne consignment provides intravenous and oral re-hydration supplies which are the first line of treatment in any management of cholera. The supplies also include essential midwifery kits for pregnant women.
"We are pleased to be helping with this effort as part of our US$15m package of support to the cholera epidemic and the wider crisis in the Zimbabwe health service," said the Head of DFID Zimbabwe, Mr Phil Evans. "Saving lives is the most immediate priority, but a fundamental solution to the deeper crisis is also needed as a matter of urgency."
More than 1100 people have already died from cholera and nearly 24 000 cases have been reported in Zimbabwe. The situation is worsened by a health crisis
characterized by the closure of major hospitals, a critical lack of drugs and equipment, and nurses and doctors not able to come to work. The combined
result is the poor management of cholera cases and serious risks to women and children during child birth.
According to Joseph Weterings, the Dutch ambassador in Zimbabwe, the Government of the Netherlands is "deeply concerned by the entrenched humanitarian crisis that has led to tremendous suffering for the people of Zimbabwe". In view of the collapse of basic social services and in particular the spread of cholera and the worsening food situation the Netherlands has allocated an additional US$11,7 million in humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe. This comes in addition to the US$15 million already made available to Zimbabwe this year.
One more plane load will arrive at midnight later today and supplies will be distributed through the over 40 cholera treatment centres across Zimbabwe
and the remaining functional health facilities.
Unicef continues to intensify relief efforts around the cholera crisis, supplying more than half a million litres of safe drinking water every day, together with 3,800 tonnes of treatment chemicals for all urban areas in Zimbabwe as well as a range of other life saving intervention during the current emergency.
Labels: CHOLERA, UNICEF
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UNICEF urges forthright strategies on sanitation
By Mwala Kalaluka
Tuesday May 20, 2008 [04:00]
THE United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has noted that people’s lack of forthrightness in discussing sanitation is a major stumbling block in the campaign to increase the global population’s access to improved sanitation. And the government has challenged media managers to accord sanitation issues equal amount of coverage as they do political stories.
During a media awareness workshop on sanitation and hygiene organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing and the civil society organisations at Lusaka’s Hotel Intercontinental yesterday, chief of UNICEF’s WASHE section, Peter Harvey, said it was saddening that sanitation was generally considered to be an embarrassing topic of discussion.
He said the status quo was vexing because it was from lack of access to proper sanitary facilities that diarrhoea had gained the status of being the second largest cause of mortality globally.
Harvey urged people to look at sanitation issues from an economic point of view rather than a public health issue.
“Sanitation is not a very sexed subject,” Harvey told the gathering. “Sanitation is always an afterthought.”
He said it was incredible that 200 years after the massive sanitation revolution on the European continent, 4.6 billion of the world’s population did not have access to water and sanitation.
“Sanitation is still something which people tend not to talk about even though it is something that we all come across everyday,” he said.
Harvey noted that whilst the issue of sanitation seemed to be a big challenge, it was very easy to address within a conducive political environment and removal of the social stigma that had been attached to the issue.
“Zambia is making progress but it is not satisfactory,” he said. “We need to have a stronger government leadership.”
He also said the gap between the poor and the rich had an influence on the way the lack of sanitation should be tackled, especially that rich people tended to have more access to sanitation facilities than the poor.
“It is therefore important that sanitation strategies are targeted to those who really need the support,” said Harvey.
Meanwhile, UNICEF country representative Lotta Sylwander said about US $11 billion would be required to address the current global challenges hindering the scale out of improved sanitation facilities under the framework of the Millennium Development Goals on sanitation and water.
She said however, that even if this goal was achieved by 2015, about 1.8 billion people would still lack access to improved sanitation.
Sylwander said that about US $60 billion would be gained economically if this was done.
And local government and housing minister Sylvia Masebo challenged the media to do more in raising awareness on sanitation issues, especially on the use of the toilet.
Labels: LOTTA SYLWANDER, SYLVIA MASEBO, UNICEF
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Zambians are dependant on alcohol, observes Sylwander
By Masuzyo Chakwe in Cape Town, South Africa
Monday April 21, 2008 [04:00]
UNICEF country representative Lotta Sylwander has observed that many Zambians are dependant on alcohol. And Sylwander said alcohol abuse is an underestimated obstacle in the fight against AIDS, early marriages, pregnancies and general health issues. In an interview during the Count Down to 2015 conference for maternal, newborns and child survival on Friday, Sylwander said many Zambians depended on alcohol every day.
“But I have never heard anyone talking about alcoholism in Zambia. In western countries, yes, it is equally a very big problem but in Zambia it is like it is swept under the carpet,” she said.
She said alcohol was abused when people over drunk it. Sylwander said this unfortunately happened everywhere in Zambia, especially among the poor people.
“A person intoxicated with alcohol does not care what actions they take, it can be defiling a child or forcing themselves on a child who later becomes pregnant because they don’t wear a condom. I have never seen anything serious dealing with alcohol in Zambia and the thing we have to think about is how we can deal with it especially when it comes to teenage pregnancies and AIDS,” she said.
She suggested putting in place legislation to prevent bars and drinking places from selling alcohol to young people.
“I live near Kalingalinga and I pass through bars, you find very young girls there getting intoxicated. We also need to have an awareness campaign of what alcohol can do not only to young girls but for everyone,” she said.
She also said making traditional leaders aware of early marriages was going to make them stop such relationships.
Labels: BEER, LOTTA SYLWANDER, UNICEF
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