Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT
The extent of the vulnerability of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe has been on the increase. To investigate the challenges faced in addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Marondera, focus group discussions and interviews were utilised. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data in this study and the data was presented in themes. The findings from the study indicated that there was a need to increase the capacity of the Social Welfare Department. They also indicated the need for proper alignment of policy development and implementation, as well as effective services to be provided by the Department of Education, amongst other factors. It was therefore determined to be imperative that child care and protection services be treated as crucial interevention measures by both the public and the private sectors.
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children; poverty, protection, social welfare
INTRODUCTION
Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) have no reliable social safety networks to depend upon in order to adequately manage the risks to which they are exposed daily (Karimi & Maingi, 2019). The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there are 153 million children who are orphans. Furthermore, 263 million children and youths are out of school and 53 per cent of them are girls (Fanzo et al., 2019). With regard to health, the World Bank estimates that 69 million children suffer from malnutrition. In addition, 66 million children globally attend classes hungry across developing countries, with 23 million from Africa (UNICEF, 2018a). The extent of the vulnerability of the OVC in Zimbabwe has been on the increase (Skinner et al., 2006). Zimbabwe's Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS, 2005/2006) shows that although the country has high levels of primary school enrolment of 90 per cent, only 24 per cent of children aged 13-18 years attend secondary school (Central Statistics Office (CSO), 2007). School drop-out is more prevalent in the poorest households, with dropout attributed to, among other factors, the inability to pay school fees, the need to augment household labour, and caring for sick parents or younger siblings (CSO, 2007; USAID, 2009). The National AIDS Council (2006) report alludes that more than 1.3 million children have been orphaned by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and 50...