It is time to take all the Children Back to School

	• About the March • Objectives of the March • March Route • Activities envisage • Geographical Coverage • How You can Help • Participating Organisation • Press Clippings • Download Full Report (PDF)

An estimated 218 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labour, excluding child domestic labour. Some 126 million of these children are believed to be engaged in hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture or working with dangerous machinery. They are everywhere but invisible, toiling as domestic servants in homes, labouring behind the walls of workshops, hidden from view in plantations. (UNICEF)

Since the late 1990s Zimbabwe has been struggling with the resolution of fiscal problems; poverty, the inequities in land distribution, and unemployment problems; population pressures; and unfavorable rainfall patterns. It also faces the challenge of a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, due in part to increasing poverty levels and limited access to basic social services. Since 1990, HIV/AIDS has slashed the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe from 61 to 33 years (2003; source: SOWC, Excel format), and there are now 1 million children in Zimbabwe who have been orphaned due to AIDS-related deaths. In other words, one in five Zimbabwean children is an orphan as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Zimbabwe falls well below the regional average of out-of-school children in Eastern and Southern Africa behind Seychelles, South Africa, Lesotho, Rwanda, Malawi, and Botswana. The percentage of children 5 to 14 years of age involved in child labour activities for 1999-2005 is 26%. A child is considered to be involved in child labour activities under the following classification: (a) children 5 to 11 years of age that during the week preceding the survey did at least one hour of economic activity or at least 28 hours of domestic work, and (b) children 12 to 14 years of age that during the week preceding the survey did at least 14 hours of economic activity or at least 42 hours of economic activity and domestic work combined (UNICEF).

As reported in The Herald (Harare) on June 27, 2007, Zimbabwe is afflicted by child labour and the issues have also been compounded by the HIV/AIDS scourge and the increasing number of child headed families.
With an estimated 37.2 million adults living with HIV around the world, large numbers of children have family members that are living with HIV, or who have died of AIDS. These children may themselves experience the discrimination that is often associated with HIV. They may also have to care for a sick parent or relative, and may have to give up school to become the principle wage-earner for the family. When adults fall sick, food still needs to be provided ­– and the burden of earning money usually falls on the oldest child.

One of the harshest effects of the global AIDS epidemic is the number of orphans it has created, and continues to create. By the end of 2005, it is estimated that more than 15 million children had lost one or more of their parents as a result of AIDS. Some AIDS orphans are adopted by grandparents or other extended family-members, but many are left without any support. Child-headed households as a result of AIDS are common in some areas, with older children fending for their siblings and themselves.
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 15 million children under 18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. More than 12 million of these children live in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is currently estimated that 9% of all children have lost at least one parent to AIDS.  As HIV infections become increasingly common among the adult population of the region, the brunt of HIV-associated mortality is expected to occur within this decade; as a result, millions of children will lose parents to AIDS. By 2010, it is predicted that there will be around 15.7 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The number of orphans in some Sub-Saharan African countries exceeds half a million, and, in some countries, children who have been orphaned by AIDS comprise half or more of all orphans nationally.

http://www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm

It is very important to intervene in the vicious cycle. Children are the only solution towards addressing the future to Country’s Development, the behavior they adopt today will be used to change the course of their lives in the Future.

The cornerstone approach to these issues is education. Education empowers, strengthens and protects children in multiple ways and must stop being a luxury few can afford. Measures must be taken to ensure that no child is forced to choose between attending school and keeping alive.

Evolution of Global March Against Child Labour

Global March Against Child Labour began its journey on 17th January 1998 under the leadership of Mr Kailash Satyarthi when thousands of supporters children and adults, marched across 103 countries protesting against child labour. Traversing 80,000 km across the globe with over 7.2 million people supporting, it was historic in drafting of the ILO Convention 182  Worst Forms Child Labour, the fastest ratified convention and resulting in world wide efforts for the elimination of child labour.

A broad alliance of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, workers organizations and child rights and human rights groups launched the Global March Against Child Labour. It is aimed at mobilizing world-wide efforts to protect and promote the rights of all children, especially the rights to receive free, meaningful education, to be free from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be damaging to a child ís physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

The Global March with its 140 partners encourages governments to honour their commitments to protect children from abuse and exploitation and mobilizes support for the proposed ILO Convention on the worst forms of child labour. The Global March
states its objectives as follows:

• raising widespread awareness of child labour;
• urging governments to ratify and enforce laws that protect children and provide them with education; mobilizing greater national and international funding to support education for all children; labour;
• demanding the immediate elimination of the most intolerable forms of child labour; promoting positive action by employers and consumers; an
• Ensuring the proper rehabilitation of child labourers.

This year Global March partner New Hope Foundation is going to organize an awareness march. This march will start from Harare the Capital City of Zimbabwe to Matopos in Matabeleland South. This 541 kms physical march will go through Five Cities and two towns in 6 Provinces, “Global March Against Child Labour- Zimbabwe 2007” is been organized by New Hope Foundation the  partner of Global March Against Child Labour

New Hope Foundation

New Hope Foundation stands for the rights of women and children, and this year with Global March Against Child Labour and other organizations they want to move forward and strengthen the fight against child labour and bring all the political leaders on one platform so that they should pledge to make provisions for good quality education for children for the brighter future of community and country.

New Hope Foundation, formerly( New Hope Zimbabwe) was founded in September of 2000, when a group of school children from a school in Dzivarasekwa approached and appealed for to the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of New Hope Foundation, Pastor Elfas Zadzagomo for educational related assistance. This meeting later on culminated in Pastor Zadzagomo to organize a sponsored walk from Dzivarasekwa to Marondera to raise school fees for the children from the school. The walk took five days to complete and managed to raise a year’s school fees for the sixty sitting participants including examination fees. After having noticed the instances of domestic violence as well as gender based violence, the founder saw it necessary to address these issues as they also contributed negatively to the development of a child. Pastor Elfas Zadzagomo, the founder and current C.E.O of the organisation has suffered and risked his personal life. He was at logger heads with the local government, churches and other sectors in the country. He was excommunicated from the apostolic sect for standing for the rights of women and children in the church where he was a Reverend. All these culminated the birth of the idea to find ways and means to help alleviate the suffering of women, orphans and other vulnerable children.

Action Plan

The physical walk of 541 km from Harare the Capital City of Zimbabwe to Plumtree  and will go through Five Cities and two towns in 6 Provinces, The 150 core marchers would carry highly informative placards, posters and banners, raise slogans, perform street theatres and plays. They would organise street meetings and at least one big rally or mass meeting everyday. The marchers would also address press conferences besides media documentation by accompanied and visiting media personnel. The March, would generate awareness, help parents air their views on the problem.               

ISSUES THAT WOULD  BE ADDRESSED AS CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO CHILD LABOUR

• HIV and AIDS
• Gender
• Human (child)trafficking
• Poverty (Political & Economic instability)
• Inheritance and forced marriages
• Domestic violence

Overall objectives of the Global March Against Child Labour- Zimbabwe 2007
To contribute to the reduction of excessive labour and exploitation of children.

Specific Objectives

The intervention strategy can be divided into three phases

Phase 1,
THE PRE-MARCH ACTIVITIES

These include surveys to gather information on the extent of child labour in the communities, identify affected communities and social groups. The other major activity is the capacity building of NHF staff on child labour related issues, public relations and communication. Awareness campaigns (road shows, musical shows, print and electronic media) will be carried out to raise public awareness on child labour and exploitation. This will also give an insight into the views and ideas of the people on the issue of child labour.

Road shows will be done in Mutare, Masvingo, Marondera, Bindura and Beitbridge.

Musical shows will be done in Harare, Kwekwe, Gweru, Bulawayo and Plumtree.

A clean up campaign will be done three days before the launch in Mbare’s Matapi flats. Other clean up campaigns will be done in selected schools in Harare, Norton, Chegutu, Kadoma, Gweru, Bulawayo and Plumtree.

Phase 2,
 THE ACTUAL MARCH.

The march will begin in Harare on 01 December 2007 and end in Plumtree on 31 December 2007 covering the provinces of Harare, Mashonaland West, Midlands, Matabeleland South and Bulawayo. A total of 541 km will be covered. One hundred and fifty (150) people will be involved in the march as the core group to cover the entire 541 km. Participants will be New Hope Foundation staff, Global March Organization representative(s), child parliamentarians, children from the communities where child labour is rife, representatives from various child focus humanitarian organizations and government departments. However the number will increase as others join in solidarity particularly in the main cities. Twenty-five kilometers (25km) will be covered per day after which people will camp for the night.

Public addresses will be done in Harare, Norton, Chegutu, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Shangani, Bulawayo and Plumtree. A program shall be developed as we approach the days for the march and will be circulated to all stakeholders.

The launch of the March will be done in Harare on 01 December 2007. This day also coincides with The World Aids Day. The launch will begin by a march in the Capital City from Harare gardens via, Samora Machel, into Second Street, then Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere and finally congregate at the Town House.  Speeches, songs and drama will be done at Town House. After that the first step of the march will be taken towards Plumtree.

Phase 3,
THE POST MARCH ACTIVITIES.

Thirty people comprising NHF staff members and volunteers will go for a one week psychosocial support camp at the Salvation Army run Masiye Camp in Matopos, Bulawayo. This will allow a moment of reflection, team building and a focus into the future.

A financial and narrative report will be produced at the end of the march. This report will be circulated to all the stakeholders. After that a two day feedback work shop will be conducted to review and share the report of the march and also agree on the way forward.

Information dissemination will be done through the publication of a supplement in the print media and adverts in the electronic media. A new project proposal address child labor issues and challenges will be developed. This document will form the basis of New Hope Foundation’s interventions on child labour.
This will be achieved through participation by other NGOs and government department with relevant sectoral mandate. This will be in line with New Hope Foundation’s principle on teamwork, networking and solidarity. Participating NGOs will add value and their voices on the march. This also creates an opportunity for the cascading down of skills and knowledge to the wider community.

Participating stakeholders will be expected to contribute in cash or kind towards the Global March Against Child Labour. It is expected that other organizations along the way will host the marching team.

The march targets all those who might in one way or the other be affected by child labour and the perpetrators and potential perpetrators of child labour.

However the Global March Against Child labour- Zimbabwe 2007 primarily targets the general populations and specifically the policy makers, children who work on farms, mines, industry, domestic work and also engaged in informal work, child protection institutions, women’s organizations, individuals, companies and farmers to mention just a few.

Expected Outcomes:

The success of the march depends on us. The time has come that we should all raise our voice against exploitation to bring changes in lives of the children.

The list of things that you can do

By walking with our core marchers – You can walk with our 150 core marchers which consist of former victims of child labour and social activists.  

By spreading awareness among your college, office, locality- Child labour is a heinous crime and cannot be stopped without people’s participation therefore spread this message all around. Stick the posters in colleges, offices colony. Tell your friends through orkut , hi5 , yahoo groups. Write letters to the editors of the newspapers magazines to write article on this issue.

By helping us in making staying and food arrangements for our marchers- If the march is passing through your area mobilize organizations and churches to make staying and food arrangements.

By volunteering – For this march we can use any skill from envelop stuffing to research work. To find out more about how can you get involved as a volunteer, contact us at info@globalmarch.og and elfasz9@gmail.com

By making a donation- We are a people’s movement working for the rights of millions of exploited children, so the money needed to keep our campaigns running comes from people like you. Your donations will make all the difference. For more information contact info@globalmarch.org and elfasz9@gmail.com

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Participating Organisation

The organization joining hands for Global March Against Child Labour Zimbabwe 2007

• Justice for Children Trust
• Girl Child Network
• GAPWUZ
• Just Joy Bridging Organisation
• Child Line
• Streets Ahead
• SPW
• Child Protection Society
• Unicef
• Save the children UK.
• Save the Children Norway Zimbabwe
• Mashambanzou
• Save Our Souls
• Plan International
• Chinyaradzo Children Home
• Shungu dzemoyo
• Just Children Foundation
• Matthew Rusike Children's Home
• Emarald Hill for the deaf and dump
• Tutuka
• Shungu Dzevana Trust
• Mwana anokosha
• Hope for Children
• Revival of Hope
• Ray of Hope
• Mudavanhu School
• St David's Girls High School Bonda
• Happy Healthy Generation Trust
• National Aids Council
• Zimbabawe Aids Network
• Youth Ahead
• Island Hospice
• Royal Youth Organisation
• Utano Support Group
• The Centre
• Zinnelela
• Diocese of Harare Anglican Church
• The Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe
• Farm Orphan Trust
• Women's Action Group
• Zimbabwe congress of trade Union
• Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association
• Women and AIDS support Network
• Zimbabwe Union of Jurnalists

Zimbabwe: Zim to Host International March

Harare
Zimbabwe will this year host the international march against child labour as various stakeholders step up efforts to protect children against child forced labour.

More than 150 people above the age of 14 are expected to walk 525km, a distance spanning from Harare to Plumtree between December 1 and 31. In an interview yesterday, New Hope Foundation spokesperson Mr Adam Dodzo said Zimbabwe was accorded for the first time by the Global March Organisation an opportunity to highlight various child-related concerns which include child labour.

Mr Dodzo said Zimbabwe, like various other countries from the developing world, was not spared from incidences of child labour, which is more significant in farming and mining areas. "This year the one-month campaign will unravel various child-related issues and also provide a platform from where concerns around the development of children are to be discussed," Mr Dodzo said.

He said his organisation hopes to facilitate debate and sharing of ideas on what steps should be taken to redress issues of child labour. Child experts yesterday said the HIV and Aids pandemic had worsened the plight of many child-headed homes with some children opting to work to look after other siblings.

Some children as young as 12, they said, were working as housemaids, herding cattle or as general farm labourers in order to sustain their livelihoods.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200708310092.html

The Standard, October 21, 2007