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Massive injection for Zimbabwe's orphans and vulnerable children
UNICEF
& Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare
February 15, 2007
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SKAR-6YFCHW?OpenDocument
HARARE -
An historic national partnership was sealed today when 21NGOs signed
agreements with the Zimbabwean Government and UNICEF to advance
a National Action Plan that will improve the living conditions of
350,000 Zimbabwean orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in 2007.
The agreement
- backed by more than US$70million from donors over five years
- enables the 21NGOs to fund and support a further 150 community-based
organizations. As a result, Zimbabwe's flagship National Action
Plan for OVC will massively scale-up its interventions in communities.
Almost one in
four children in Zimbabwe, 1.6 million, are now orphaned and this
number is growing. HIV and AIDS have dramatically increased children's
vulnerability in recent years. Amid this, economic hardships have
added stress on Zimbabwean families who continue to absorb 90% of
the country's orphans.
"Let me
say congratulations to the 21 organisations whose proposals were
approved," said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr L Museka. "OVC
programming is a collective responsibility, which is achieved when
we work with all stakeholders, as displayed today."
As most of Zimbabwe's
orphans and vulnerable children remain with their larger family,
today's agreement will ensure that the 171 NGOs and community-based
organizations:
- Strengthen
the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable
children;
- Mobilise
and support community-based responses;
- Ensure access
for orphans and vulnerable children to essential services, including
education, health care and birth registration.
"In a complex
and difficult environment this is an outstanding agreement between
a diverse group of key institutions," said UNICEF's Representative
in Zimbabwe Dr Kavishe. "Here we have donors funding the United
Nations to support community groups who will execute a Government
coordinated National Action Plan. Combined we are reaching out to
hundreds of thousands of orphans across the country, and we are
doing it effectively and cost-efficiently."
Specifically,
today's agreement binds the NGOs and community-based organizations
to:
- Increase
school enrolment of orphans and vulnerable children
- Boost school
nutrition programmes
- Increase
the number of children with birth certificates
- Greatly
improve access to food, health services, water and sanitation
- And protect
children from abuse, violence and exploitation
The agreement
is powered by the joint financial efforts of the UK's Department for
International Development (DFID), New Zealand AID, the Swedish International
Development Agency (SIDA) and the German Government. In all, US$250million
is required for the five year programme.
Background
Following
the successful process of inviting more than 130 organisations to
submit concept papers, develop project proposals and the subsequent
review by a technical review committee, Zimbabwe's Ministry of Public
Service, Labour and Social Welfare and UNICEF formalised the Tripartite
Agreements with the 21 organizations whose project proposals were
approved. Additional agreements will be signed later in 2007 to further
scale-up the response.
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