By STAFF REPORTER
THE Tanzania-based Focus for the Future Generation (2FG) is working in sync with its counterparts from Kenya, the Consolation East Africa (CEA) to hatch and implement a special project meant to support the vulnerable children in the regions of Dodoma and Dar es Salaam.
Through the ongoing constructive initiative, christened ‘Afya Yangu’ the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which receives its comfortable funds from Pangaea Zimbabwe Aids Trust (PZAT) among others focuses to scale up necessary health needs towards the homeless youth and children, without any stigma as well as depression.
Giving an exclusive interview to this publication in Dodoma Capital City, the NGO’s Head of Programs, Elizabeth Kafuku detailed as part to implement the project fruitfully, during last year, the initiative conducted a thorough situational analysis which covered at least 583 homeless children, the study which unearth a pathetic revelations.
She briefed, the research established that majority of the hapless street children are subjected to different dangerous atrocities, including sodomy, rapes, and earlier pregnancies, as well as human trafficking.
And she added, the initiative and research was based on the said vulnerable children in Dodoma Capital City, and the three districts of Ilala and Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam.
“It’s very threatening and disconcerting as our prior situational analysis found out that most of the homeless young bloods, which are the tomorrow’s generation, are facing an array of serious unfriendly -human menaces,” she expressed.
And Kafuku added, “For instances, in Dodoma city, despite of engaging onto use of narcotic drugs, our survey established some cases, at least six cases, in which some of the street children were kidnapped during mid-night hours and to later on found their dead body dumped with some of their organs chopped off,”
Sexual negligence, unsafe abortion, stigmatization, suicides, mental illness and HIV/ids infections also stands among the dangerous cases that haunting the said young groups who are dwelling and having shelters along the streets, according to Kafuku.
To help counter the grim situation, the NGO’s Head of Programs unveiled that the move was seeking major attention and collaboration from the government and other like-minded stakeholders in order to receive enough muscles to implement the vital project more successfully.
“We’re soughting to source enough collaboration supports from the government and the other development partners in order to address these challenges in a more sensible manner with an eye to ensure the vulnerable children are given psycho-physical and health assistances, along with key education to help rescue them from the life-ending damages,” she noted.
Divulging further information, she expressed that the project was directing its interventions to promote access to health services, especially AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases towards the young groups, without stigma and any other obstacles.
“The government has so far adhered to the universal health coverage, and thus, we’re mulling it would be prudent for the helpful system to cover these children so that they may stand a safe and assured position to receive good health services,” she unveiled.
According to her, the organization has prepared a policy brief, which has identified several shortcomings of the policy and the Law of 2007, 2009 and 2019 for children and youth that basically do not recognize the special health needs of children and youth living and working on the streets.
“And these children are affected by diverse challenges that make them unable to get proper services in the health centers located in their vicinities due to some reasons like, fear of coming to the centers, stigmatization from the centers, lack of sufficient education about their rights and responsibilities, thus leading to many being affected by various sexually transmitted diseases and HIV,” Kafuku added.
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