THE deepening drought crisis in Zambia is pushing children to the brink as they bear the brunt of the dryness in their daily lives.
According to the Joining Forces for Children Alliance, the drought has caused hunger which has led to many children, particularly those attending secondary schools, to abandon their education.
The alliance alliance comprising six leading child-focused agencies: ChildFund International, Plan International, Save the Children International, SOS Children’s Villages, Terre des Hommes International Federation, and World Vision International revealed this in a statement.
According to the latest figures, the number of individuals affected by the drought has surged to 5.83 million.
This alarming statistic underscores the vulnerability of children, who are disproportionately impacted by the crisis.
A recent Rapid Qualitative Assessment (RQA) for Zambia, paints picture of the challenges faced by young people during this challenging time.
Aside from the increasing dropout rate, the report reveals that there has been an increase in child labour and exploitation cases.
Adolescent girls, especially in transit areas, are increasingly turning to transactional sex to survive.
Furthermore, there is a surge in child marriages as desperate families are marrying off their daughters in exchange for money or food.
The report also revealed that there are growing rates of adolescent pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
This has caught the eye of the Joining Forces for Children alliance and they are sounding the alarm, urging international partners, the Zambian government, and local communities to take immediate action to protect the nation’s children.
“Our children are suffering the most from the impacts of climate change, despite being the least responsible for it,” said Antoinette Ngoma, Country Director of Plan International Zambia and Vice Chairperson of the Joining Forces Alliance Zambia.
She said the alliance has already swung into action to mitigate the challenges being face by the children.
“The six alliance members in Zambia are already actively supporting affected children and communities through immediate and medium to long term services such as the provision of Water, Sanitation.”
“And Hygiene (WASH), school-feeding programmes, child protection services, provision of relief food and non-food items, nutrition services, psychosocial support and linking vulnerable families to government social protection programmes, including emergency relief funds,” she added.
However, Ngoma shared that a significant funding gap remains, hindering efforts to address the urgent needs of children.
Picture file for illustration
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba October 4, 2024
