Zimbabwe: 350,000 orphans, vulnerable children to benefit from new UN-backed plan

Some 350,000 Zimbabwean orphans and vulnerable children will benefit from a new multi-million dollar partnership signed today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Government and 21 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which aims to increase school enrolment, improve nutrition and provide health care.

“In a complex and difficult environment this is an outstanding agreement between a diverse group of key institutions,” UNICEF Country Representative Festo Kavishe said, explaining that donors will fund the UN 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,” he added of the $250-million five-year programme.

The agreement, backed by more than $70 million from donors over five years, enables the NGOs to fund and support a further 150 community-based organizations, allowing the National Action Plan to massively scale-up its help to 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. Economic hardships have added stress on Zimbabwean families who continue to absorb 90 of the country’s orphans.

As most orphans and vulnerable children remain with their larger family, the agreement will ensure that the 171 NGOs and community-based organizations can strengthen the capacity of families to care for them, mobilize and support community-based responses, and ensure access to essential services, including education, health care and birth registration.

Specifically, it 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
• Protect children from abuse, violence and exploitation

The agreement is powered by the joint financial efforts of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), New Zealand AID, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the German Government. In all, $250 million are required.