Zambia Association for child and youth to remove kids from the streets

 

The Zambia Association for child and youth care workers (ZACYCW) has come up with a new strategy to help remove more kids from the streets.

ZACYCW National Board chairman Pastor Charles Mwaambo told ZANIS in an interview yesterday that the association has come up with new ways of removing the children from the streets.

Pastor Mwaambo said the association has formed community child protection groups that will monitor and educate street kids on the dangers of being on the street.

“These groups will monitor the children who are fond of being on the streets and educate them on the dangers,” he said.

He added that different stakeholders have been engaged to help remove the children from the streets which include the church and the community at large.

“The church is also on board, these children come from communities where churches are found hence the same churches will step in and help remove them from the streets,” he said.

Pastor Mwaambo who is also Ndola child protection committee chairperson said the association is working closely with government to mobilize the street children for safe keeping.

Pastor Mwaambo added that it is hard to completely remove children from the streets but with hard work the number can reduce.

“It is so hard to remove these children from the streets, every time you go to check new ones will be found, ” he said.

He said most children opt to be on the streets due the high poverty levels in the communities which in turn exposes them to dangerous vices.

Pastor Mwaambo said this is the reason some stakeholders working with the committee in Ndola have started contributing food staffs to the children to stop them from going back to the streets.

He said that those with families are being taken back to their homes and are provided with all the basic needs as a way of restraining them from going back on the street to look for food.