First Lady hailed for aiding imbibing minors
ZIMBABWEANS have applauded the move by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa to engage parents of children who were posted on social media while drinking alcohol during the festive season.
During a meeting held last week, the First Lady provided counselling services for the parents and the children where it was discovered that most of the affected children’s parents were sex workers and beer drinkers and had no time with their children.
She also engaged the Women’s Bank for loans and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development to implement and oversee empowerment projects for the mothers, who are expected to work in groups.
Speaking with The Herald, Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children national director Reverend Taylor Nyanhete said the initiative was an important step that needed to be taken.
“We are happy that the First Lady took this important move to work with the families of these children. Such issues boil down to the families and them understanding why it is important to protect their children. She also took the step to make this engagement sustainable by providing empowerment projects for the families,” he said.
He said a monitoring mechanism was needed to ensure that the beneficiaries were running the projects well and also taking care of their children until a time when they were able to provide positive parenting.
“The rapid response was good and this is what is needed for us as a country to respond to such issues with speed so that we can prevent a repeat of such. But we also need to have regulation and enforcement of the law so that we do not continue to see people selling alcohol to children. We see vehicles parked in the streets and selling alcohol but where are the authorities to arrest perpetrators of such activities? They need to be stopped from selling alcohol in the streets where children can also access it,”said Rev Nyanhete.
He called for the establishment of a hotline where concerned citizens could report cases of people who sell alcohol to minors as this could help to curb the problem.
“We need to remind parents that as much as it is their right to consume alcohol, they should do it in a manner that does not put their children in danger of having
access to the same alcohol,” he added.
Some parents have also commended the interventions by the First Lady which they said were symbolic of the status of a mother.
Mrs Amelia Paranda from Dema said it was heartbreaking to see adults watching as children partook of dangerous substances and not taking action.
“As a mother, I was moved by what the First Lady did because it showed that indeed she is the mother of the nation and is concerned about the well-being of everyone. It is good that she talked to both the parents and the children to enlighten them about how they should conduct themselves. Children are the future leaders of this country and they should be given the necessary education so that they do not lose their way in life.
“We are also happy that she gave these parents a chance to fight poverty which sometimes drives them to ignore their children as they look for ways to make money. If they are occupied with projects that can generate incomes for them and their families, they will definitely have time to monitor their children and give them a better life,” she said.
Another parent Ms Rudo Moyo from Dzivarasekwa also praised the initiative which she said was a life-changing one.
“Those videos of the children drinking alcohol were an eye opener for many parents of the dangers that surround our children. It brought home the importance of always being on the lookout for signs that our children could be taking dangerous substances.
I want to commend the First Lady for taking the time to talk to the parents and understanding the drivers behind such incidents. She has even gone a step further to give them projects that will definitely change how they have been living. I hope these children will always be protected so that they do not revert back to taking alcohol,” she added.
Mr Phillip Munemo from Granary said it was the responsibility of everyone to protect children from harmful substances and practices.
“Everyone has a duty to protect children. We cannot ignore when we see them participating in such acts but we should come in and correct them. What the First Lady did should be a lesson for us all to take each child you see as yours and try to make sure they are safe. We thank her for showing these kids the correct way,” he said.