Chidren's future, a challenge for politicians.

The tragedy of forgetting children in the new dispensation
By Michael Chipato
The United Nations News Centre published shocking statistics on Zimbabwean children in November 2009 and if they are a true reflection of the Zimbabwean children and women’s situation, then there is immediate need to visit the domain of human reason and basic logic- Children are the future.
The Zimbabwean experiences over the past decade and a half have been tumultuous, challenging and tragic for the future. Losses have been incurred across the social strata and children have not been spared from this impact. The Multiple Indicator and Monitoring Survey (MIMS), which was conducted in May 2009, reported a decline in access to many key social services for women and children, particularly for the poorest populations and in rural areas. The greatest impact of poverty always hits hardest on women and children who occupy the ‘highly risk vulnerable category’ especially in the developing countries.
Dr. Peter Salama, UNICEF Representative issued a statement that “... everyday in Zimbabwe 100 children below five years of age are dying of mostly preventable diseases.” Health and education provision collapsed and became affordable only for the rich, with teachers earning 100USD per month, the challenge that the government faces is huge. Employment creation, economic stability, increased trade to boost to build foreign currency reserves, human rights observance on the Rights of the Child can energise the nation to new levels where the welfare of the child occupies the centrepiece of the national economic regeneration agenda.
The data from the national survey, which had a sample size of 12,500 households in Zimbabwe, revealed constricted support to the country’s orphaned and vulnerable children. With 79 per cent not receiving any form of external assistance this exposes a wide gap in the welfare system which needs to be filled. The operations by NGO’s have effectively cushioned the violence inflicted by poverty on children through supplementary feeding programmes and rural microfinance initiatives for rural women in running programmes like Rural Microfinance Project (RMFP) by CARE International amongst many others which have community empowerment components.
The survey provides data on Zimbabwe’s progress in attaining international priorities like the MDGs, which includes among its targets reducing under-five mortality by two thirds by 2015. Health care services are a core component in managing the destiny of the nation’s children as they are future leaders and national participants in the nation building mission. The process is continuous and like a relay race in athletics, the baton must be passed on to an equipped team of healthy and educated children.
Zimbabwe has prided as the beacon of educational excellence from independence onwards fulfilling the demands of Article 2 of the Human Rights Act which underscores the centrality of educational rights. In his comments on the unity government’s commitment, Professor John Makumbe described it as,"... a standstill government; it's limping heavily because the involved partners are pulling in the opposite directions ... there is little this unity government can claim credit for.’’ The education crisis which started last year saw a marked depletion of teachers, plummeting school attendance rates from over 80 per cent to 20 per cent and postponement of national schools’ exams.
As long as the future is forgotten by half digestedly approaching child welfare and education in Zimbabwe, energies will be laid to waste. The welfare of the child must be central to demonstrate government’s commitment to rebuilding the country.
In his Christmas message, the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai underscored the shifting in focus by government, ‘from stabilisation to consolidation’. For the sake of Zimbabwean children and the future of a onetime prosperous nation, the cattle need to come back to the kraal, leaders need to disengage from disagreeing and favourably agree on what is best for the nation.This is an opportunity for all stakeholders to show their commitment to Zimbabwe and its children.
For too long the education system in Zimbabwe has been a shame and in shambles, yet this is the very empowering tool that can continue to liberate the country for the future.