…ONLY THE VULNERABLE, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WOULD BE CATERED FOR
Natalie S. Nyathi
During a Pre-Independence children’s party at Mt. Darwin, President Emmerson Mnangagwa told children gathered there that only the vulnerable and children with disabilities would receive government support.
While this gesture is profound it is contrary to his government’s pledge to roll out free education.
The government, driven by Zanu PF’s 2018 election manifesto, had pledged to roll out free education for all, a promise which has proved difficult to deliver.
“My government will ensure policies and programs that help the livelihoods of our children; this including access to quality education from different backgrounds, arts, and cultures,” he said.
“My government will make resources available for disadvantaged children in primary and secondary schools including those with disabilities, this will lead to the full enjoyment of our independence by young people.”
But it is not only the vulnerable and children with disabilities that need urgent government assistance.
Researchers have provided statistical information about the effects of Covid-19 on children in Zimbabwe.
Amongst several other undocumented effects, the Covid-19 pandemic left many families deep in abject poverty. The downward spiraling of the country’s economy has contributed to worsen the situation.
A recent UNICEF Zimbabwe Mental Health Poll for Adolescents and Youths showed that 76 per cent of those surveyed were of the view that the mental health of children and adolescents had been negatively affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the hard national lock-downs that followed.
There was also a rise in cases of physical and sexual abuse in homes, which affected the mental well-being of many young people.
The research also said most of the mental health issues that young people were grappling with were caused by problems at home that were amplified by COVID-19.
“There is a lot that was happening in homes during COVID-19 and this drove many young people into drugs and sexual activities to escape the pressure,”
Many young people need urgent help to escape poverty that was caused by the Corona Virus pandemic as well as the continued battering of the Zimbabwe dollar which is seriously affecting livelihoods of young people.
It is no secret that, during a Post Cabinet briefing, the ZANU-PF government took a stand to find solutions to the current pandemic which is affecting young people countrywide, the issue of drugs and substance abuse.
Nothing visible has been forthcoming from the government to assist youths deal with drugs serve for the arrest of those who peddle such drugs.
There has not been any government initiative toward creating programs that will take away young people from indulging in drugs.
There is nothing visible that the government has put in place to contain the redundancy of young people.
The affected continue to find solace in drug and substance abuse as a way of escaping their misery.
“The national presidential scholarship is supporting talented and underprivileged children so that they can also go to universities, I also thank other countries who are offering scholarships to our people,” he said.
The President missed a lot during his speech delivered to children during the celebrations.
Yes, scholarships are needed, but there is urgent need of assisting every impoverished child in Zimbabwe whose lives are at stake.
The President should direct relevant Ministries to urgently come up with programs that will alleviate poverty amongst young people, remove young people from engaging in drugs, find income generating solutions to keep such young people occupied.
Moreover work on the economy so that parents to all affected children can find work and be able to take care of their families.