3.5 million Vulnerable Children Face Starvation-UNICEF
Harare, January 23, 2012-At least 3.5 million vulnerable children face
starvation as government fails to provide for their aged guardians, UNICEF
has revealed.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZIMSTATS) Zimbabwe
has over 7 million people who can be described as children and over 3.5
million of these live under what the Food Poverty Line (FPL).
“It is a statistical fact that 60% of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs)
are under the care of the elderly but the government has not done enough to
alleviate the plight of these people. We have put in place a program that
seeks to help over 55 000 of the 300 000 families that are believed to live
under the Food Poverty Line in Zimbabwe.
“This programme is also targeting about 25 000 individual children to
benefit from cash transfers. UNICEF has a budget of US$73 million for this
programme and we have already received US$46 million in pledges from donors
while the Zimbabwean government has set aside about US$16 million,” UNICEF
Child Protection specialist Elayn Sammon confirmed Monday.
According to the Ministry of Social Welfare only 540 elderly households
throughout the country are receiving cash transfers from the government.
Most vulnerable children are being taken care of by the aged after losing
their parents to HIV and AIDS, and failure by government to provide for the
elderly results in the starvation of the minors.
In an effort to try and counter starvation facing the vulnerable children
government said it will soon increase the number of households receiving
cash transfers from February.
Under the new program at least 300 000 economically disadvantaged families
will receive monthly grants of between US$10 and US$25 from the Government