Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia Association for child and youth to remove kids from the streets

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The Zambia Association for child and youth care workers (ZACYCW) has come up with a new strategy to help remove more kids from the streets.

ZACYCW National Board chairman Pastor Charles Mwaambo told ZANIS in an interview yesterday that the association has come up with new ways of removing the children from the streets.

Pastor Mwaambo said the association has formed community child protection groups that will monitor and educate street kids on the dangers of being on the street.

“These groups will monitor the children who are fond of being on the streets and educate them on the dangers,” he said.

He added that different stakeholders have been engaged to help remove the children from the streets which include the church and the community at large.

“The church is also on board, these children come from communities where churches are found hence the same churches will step in and help remove them from the streets,” he said.

Pastor Mwaambo who is also Ndola child protection committee chairperson said the association is working closely with government to mobilize the street children for safe keeping.

Pastor Mwaambo added that it is hard to completely remove children from the streets but with hard work the number can reduce.

“It is so hard to remove these children from the streets, every time you go to check new ones will be found, ” he said.

He said most children opt to be on the streets due the high poverty levels in the communities which in turn exposes them to dangerous vices.

Pastor Mwaambo said this is the reason some stakeholders working with the committee in Ndola have started contributing food staffs to the children to stop them from going back to the streets.

He said that those with families are being taken back to their homes and are provided with all the basic needs as a way of restraining them from going back on the street to look for food.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Poverty is big business in Africa. Many people get huge salaries trying to help the vulnerable. At one time LPM was shocked when he learnt that a boss at an NGO for orphans was getting a salary of K62,000 per month, that was 20 times more than the K3,000 salary for the President at that time. Where they real advocates for the OVC?

  2. Indeed. Everything is an industry. Realize that African countries trying to prevent secondhand clothing dumped onto them have been threatened with sanctions because they are disrupting jobs in the West! So the same way, poverty alleviation does not alleviate poverty so much as it provides providers of so-called initiatives with a market to sell their wares. I understand we also have the phenomenon of “social entrepreneurship” doing its rounds now with purported public health, childcare and welfare and old-age help on the checklist. Governments that budget to give aid do it through some of these vehicles… for a profit of course!

  3. The pastor does not fully understand what is happening on the streets.

    Kids are controlled by gangs of adults, and get beaten up when they step out of line. The money the kids get via begging goes to the gang leaders.

    Nonetheless, any initiative is welcome even if it means only half the street kids would be saved.

  4. You can not “remove” kids from the street and expect them to adapt to the society without being rehabilitated. These kids need guidance, love, education, health care and patience. The Zambian people has see both these children and adults as a resource for the community, and develope an arena where they can be seen as individuals with needs.
    In this article it seems like the focus is at removing kids and telling them how dangerous their lifestyle is, what about giving them a real option?

  5. The pastor made it clear that kids will be removed and helped. First of all, you start to work on removing them and take them back to safer environment…some come from their homes. It is very true the streets are very unsafe for those kids. Pastor Mwaambo, keep up with your hard work. All Hopes are in you. For sure you’re a pastor with a good heart who is looking out for those vulnerable children. May the Lord Bless you.

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