Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children and Adolescents in Zimbabwe

2001 ZIM: Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children and Adolescents in Zimbabwe

UNICEF Zimbabwe conducted four studies and one literature review in collaboration with various local and governmental entities to develop a national strategy for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the country. Children were categorized into five categories: those affected by AIDs, Infected with HIV, Children and Adults with Disabilities, Street Children, and Working Children in Zimbabwe. After conducting a literature review and in-field research, the crafted summary report was meant to synthesize the findings of all the studies to apply such knowledge to the protection of children. UNICEF Zimbabwe reached several key conclusions about each of the child categories as well as the sexual abuse of children in the nation. One of the most important conclusions was that there is a lack of programs that address children's rights and protections, let alone those that actively include children in their programming. It was also recommended that the Zimbabwean Government strengths service provision through sharing policy information, capacity-building, and resources to every sector within the community in an effort to create a sustainable child protection program on the national scale.