adminConrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
AT least 2 246 vulnerable schoolgirls from Makonde district last Friday received complete uniform sets courtesy of Pamuhacha Trust under its health and child protection domain thematic areas.
The set consisted of a pair of uniform dresses, a jersey, a pair of socks and shoes.
Last year, the organisation donated textbooks to children whose vulnerability as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left most organisations accelerating focus on the novel coronavirus and reducing efforts and support in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Speaking during the handover ceremony of the uniforms to the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry officials, Pamuhacha executive director, Ms Precious Nyamukondiwa, said of the 2 246 beneficiaries, 1809 were secondary school students and 437 primary school learners.
“This is our response to mitigate the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic among Zimbabwe’s vulnerable children. We issued a proper tender and got a supplier who provided us with quality uniforms,” she said. Pamuhacha gets assistance from the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Zimbabwe (HOSPAZ) which gets financial donations from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Ms Nyamukondiwa said that while donors assist the children, it was also imperative for parents and guardians to provide for the children, hence Pamuhacha was also teaching economic strategies including nutritional gardens to sustain their lives. Primary and Secondary Education Ministry official, Mr Tichaona Chipare applauded the organisation for complementing the government in supporting vulnerable children.
“We are grateful to the organisation for rising to the occasion and remembering the vulnerable children. The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry has a department of learner welfare that looks at the best welfare of the children and this gesture goes a long way in supporting the department and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1),” he said.
He said that due to costs in communication services, most child abuse cases were going unreported adding the new Toll-Free line launched by the organisation will go a long way to address the challenge.
“In some of our communities, abuse is regarded as a normal way of life. A learner can be abused but failed to report the matter due to various causes.”
Online Reporter