Street children get second chance

HOMELESS children taken into shelters at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown are being counselled and helped to return to their families or to go into more formal care, and critically return to school.

Homeless people were picked up from the streets and taken into some shelters.

In Harare, 81 children were housed at Beatrice Vocational Training Centre, 16 women and six toddlers at Jamaica Inn Training Centre and 149 men at Mount Hampden Vocational Training Centre.

In Bulawayo, 31 boys were housed at Jairos Jiri Training Centre, while in Mutare, 31 boys are being housed at Simukai Training Centre.

In Masvingo 11 boys and one man are placed at Mushagashi Vocational Training Centre.

While all the homeless are being helped, special attention is being paid to the children.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the objective was to remove the homeless from the streets and ensure they were empowered and integrated with their families.

So, far 46 children have been reunited and integrated into their families.

“They need to integrated into the society,” said Prof Mavima. “Our objective is to remove those living and working on the streets and provide alternative livelihoods for all adults.”

The Government is compiling a data base for the homeless people across the country.

The Ministry, said Prof Mavima, was profiling, assessing and documenting the identified children, tracing their families, while reunifications were ongoing where circumstances permitted.

“Case management process is continuing to ensure that children with identified families are fully integrated into society through addressing the push and full factors, which drove them to the streets, including links with social protection programmes implemented by Government and its cooperating partners,” he said.

School going children will be enrolled back into the formal education systems and the Government will pay fees.

“Children who cannot be reunited with their relatives or parents due to unfavourable living conditions at home, will be placed in child care institutions for care and protection,” said Prof Mavima.

“We have so far scored remarkable success. Clinical interventions are required for those who abuse drugs or have an anti-social behaviour.

“Efforts are underway for some of these children and adults to undertake vocational training courses at vocational training institutions.”

Prof Mavima emphasised that Government discouraged those removed from the streets to go back.

There are reports that some given shelter have already sneaked from their housing centres back to the streets, especially those at Mt Hampden Vocational Training Centre.