Zimbabwe Charity order
10/06/2008
As has been widely broadcast, in a public statement last week, Zimbabwe's social welfare minister, Nicholas Goche, said: "I hereby instruct all PVOs (private voluntary organisations)/NGOs to suspend all field operations until further notice."
SOS Children works longer term with children than most charities. Rather than making short term interventions we take children on and care for them until independence. Therefore we rely very heavily on cooperation with governments (who ultimately control the fate of all orphans). Therefore we do not get involved in politics.
We believe that our only ‘field operations’ are probably family strengthening programmes. Other programmes will continue to function as normal until or if any official confirmation is obtained and the social centres will continue with what is felt suitable in the individual locations until further information is received.
However, neither SOS Children in Zimbabwe nor the regional office have received any formal communication with regard to the statement.
Our charity work in Zimbabwe
The work of SOS Children in Zimbabwe is directed to specific children in targeted communities. These children are mainly Aids Orphans and the most vulnerable in the communities which surround our villages. The individuals who receive our support are discussed with us by the community elders themselves. Therefore, our work is quite different to that of others at work in Zimbabwe.
The most vulnerable of all of the children that we support are those who are a part of sibling headed families. These families will continue to receive our support by whatever means possible.
However, one of the ways in which we work with families caring for vulnerable children is to help them to become independent. Helping families survive in that way will have to be briefly suspended and this short term interruption to our field work will be able to be borne by the families concerned.
Long term interruption however, and the displacement of families from their habitual accommodation, would have a far more detrimental effect. Families would be broken apart, children abandoned and malnutrition will become an acute problem. Access to safe, weatherproof shelter will be an issue for some families as will access to any form of medical care. Children would also miss schooling.
SOS Children will wherever possible continue our work to support the most vulnerable children within the communities surrounding our villages.
Relevant Countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe.