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Zimbabwean communities rally behind orphans
UNICEF Zimbabwe
August 05, 2005

Harare - Representatives from 25 Zimbabwean community groups who work with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) have put in place new structures that will allow them to reach even more orphans. The progress came at a two day project orientation workshop in Harare, as part of the lead-up to the launch of the National Plan of Action for Orphans and vulnerable children.

The NPA for OVC seeks to reach all of Zimbabwe's 1.3million orphans and advance their lives through improved health, education, child protection and nutrition. It was endorsed by the Government of Zimbabwe in August 2004 and has also received support from the United Nations and civil society in Zimbabwe. More than one million Zimbabwean children have been orphaned due to AIDS-related deaths. Current estimates indicate that a Zimbabwean child is orphaned every 20 minutes, and that one in five Zimbabwean children are orphans.

Addressing the participants at the workshop UNICEF's Representative in Zimbabwe, Dr Festo Kavishe, said: "It is now up to you as people working in the community to demonstrate your commitment in implementing the plan. There is a tremendous amount to be done, but children are a country's ultimate investment, and if everyone, especially communities contribute, the results will be with us for generations."

Apart from orientation on the implementation of NAP for OVC, more than US$2.2million was disbursed to kick-start the implementation of the plan by community groups. These funds came from UK's Department for International Development (DFID) in collaboration with UNICEF Zimbabwe.

Annastancia Zendakwaye of Dananai Child Care, a community based organization in Masvingo said the workshop will enable her to draw from lessons around the country, for the betterment of her community. "From this workshop we will now be able to enhance co-ordination of community interventions and see to it that efforts are not fragmented. Obviously the grants will also help ease the financial burden of our organisations and help increase the coverage of our programmes."

The funding comes at a time when Zimbabwean communities continue to struggle with the provision of comprehensive care to orphans and vulnerable children and grapple with the impact of the AIDS pandemic. This year, Zimbabwe's NPA for OVC requires approximately US$22 million in funding. As it expands its reach in 2006, US$55 million will be needed.

Pauline Mandigo a programme officer with Streets Ahead, a non governmental organisation working with children living on the streets, said the workshop and the grants came at a critical time when the demand for their services was increasing. "Because of HIV/AIDS, there are an increasing number of children living on the streets and many of these are orphans. Often, you find you have very limited resources to meet the needs of the increasing numbers and we are very grateful to UNICEF and DFID for giving us this lifeline."

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