The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) observes that over 3 million children in Zambia are currently at home following the closure of schools.
Organization Executive Director George Hamusunga told Money FM News that the COVID 19 pandemic has taken away the right to education which is the most important right for children.
Mr. Hamusunga said as Zambian joins the rest of the continent in commemorating the Day of the African Child which falls today the 16th of June, there is need for government and donors, in collaboration with all stakeholders to urgently ensure the safe and inclusive access to emergency distance learning, with enhanced psychosocial support and social emotional learning components both during and after the COVID 19 pandemic.
“Therefore, the Day of the African Child is designed to celebrate the children of Africa and demand for serious reflection and commitment towards addressing the various challenges relating to access to quality education across the continent and at country level.”
“Education is therefore at the center of access to justice for children as children need to be educated for them to know and claim their rights. As a result, education also plays a major role in opening children’s opportunities to realize other rights. Unfortunately, due to the COVID 19 pandemic,” Mr. Hamusunga said.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (CSO-SUN) called for enhanced collaboration among stakeholders in addressing factors that lead to increased malnutrition levels among children especially circumstantial children and those in incarceration.
Organization Country Coordinator Mathews Mhuru said the theme for this year’s commemoration which is “Access to a Child-Friendly Justice System in Africa”, would have achieved nothing if nothing is done to improve the access to Nutrition needs of circumstantial children and those in incarceration.
“Despite the low number of circumstantial children in Zambian Correctional facilities, the dietary scale that the Correctional Services are currently employing has no food allocation for children; making them feed from their mothers’ ration because the dietary scale of the Zambia Prisons Act of 1966 does not include children.”
“Although Zambia has recorded a reduction in stunting levels, we should all be reminded that poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can also lead to stunted growth, which is associated with impaired cognitive ability and reduced school and work performance,” Mr. Mhuru said.
He stated that as the Government is working towards reviewing the Prisons Act in order address some of these challenges, well-wishers can play their part by donating foods to Correctional facilities to ensure that children have balanced diets.
Mr. Mhuru noted that nearly half of all deaths in children under five are attributable to under nutrition, hence this should be a reminder to the government and other stakeholders to address factors leading to increased malnutrition cases in Zambia among them food insecurity, inadequate care and unhealthy household environment.
June 16th is Day of the African Child. It was first established by the Organization of the African Unity in 1991 following the uprising by Black South African Children who marched in Soweto in 1976 demanding for the recognition of their rights.
And Zambia has today joined the International Community in commemorating this day, under the theme; Access to a Child-Friendly Justice System in Africa.