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Menyezwa Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2020 - 2032

Location

Zimbabwe

Areas of Focus

Child Protection and Participation | Health

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

4,975people had access to safe drinking water

Progress

2,729water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) products were distributed for family health, such as hygiene kits and water filters

Progress

1,388children and adults were trained on child protection, including positive parenting, children's rights and early marriage

A white jeep driving through a muddy path, featuring a rainbow and trees in the background.

Program Details

Context

Menyezwa is a very hot, semi-arid region located toward the northern end of Zimbabwe's Matabeleland North Province. The population in the program areas is approximately 16,800, about evenly split between males and females.

Economic activity is primarily agricultural. For livelihood, small farmers raise livestock and grow drought-tolerant varieties of maize, sorghum and pearl millet. Other commercial income comes from the skills trade such as basket weaving and carpentry, and trade in wild fruits and honey.

The region's key challenges include limited access to clean water and a high prevalence of child protection issues, including sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy, early marriage and a lack of identity documentation such as birth certificates. Poverty is endemic and since 2015 has been exacerbated by El-Nino-related drought that has increased food insecurity. Poverty has also triggered migration to neighbouring countries South Africa and Botswana. This has in turn impacted child well-being as there are fewer parents available for child-care and to work local fields.

...
Challenges
Menyezwa is home to a number of civil society organizations such as Lupane Women Development Trust and Hand in Hand that are working to improve conditions for the community. However, significant challenges persist and particularly impact children. These include elevated rates of child mortality, poor education infrastructure, and neglect and other abuse of children. The latter is closely tied to poverty and out-of-country migration by parents looking for work.

Education
Menyezwa faces many of the same education challenges seen in other developing countries: classrooms are inadequately equipped with reading and teaching materials, infrastructure and furniture is sub-standard and children have to travel long distances to reach schools. There are 22 primary and four secondary schools in the area, which is not enough for a population as widely dispersed as Menyezwa's. Teacher turnover is high in some places because there isn't adequate accommodation for them. Together this has led to a drop-out rate of 1% and a poor pass rate among students of just 20%.

Health
At just over 60 deaths per 1,000 live births, Menyezwa's child mortality rate (0-5 years) is high. Health facilities for pregnant women are few. They're usually far away and accessible only by difficult roads. Parents also sometimes lack understanding of nutrient-rich foods, which contributes to malnutrition among children under 5. Water-borne diseases are common due to just 33% area coverage for water and sanitation facilities. Finally, because parents are often away working in neighbouring countries, child-care is left to the elderly and as a result poverty tends to increase.

Child Protection
The prevalence of elderly-led households, poor schooling and parent migration feed into problems of child protection. On one hand, children are more susceptible to sexual abuse and neglect. And on the other, children dropping out of school are more prone to being married off early or forced into marriage because they have little with which to occupy themselves after school. Parents are often not home because they have migrated elsewhere for work. About 50% of children have no birth certificate so they're unable to proceed to secondary school. This also makes child abuse investigations more difficult....
Plans
Education
To help children reach their full potential, World Vision will:
  • Support the construction of facilities in schools for early childhood development, including the provision of furniture and teaching materials, the establishment of reading camps and training facilitators for the camps
  • Help construct classrooms, with priority given to making them disability-friendly
  • Support the construction of staff houses and low-cost boarding facilities for teachers
  • Support parental education on the importance of education for children

Healthcare
In order to maintain good health among children and youth, World Vision will:
  • Support the drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes to provide water to schools, health facilities and communities in schools for water access
  • Set up nutritional gardens in schools and health facilities
  • Collaborate with government agencies to implement outreach programs targeting children and pregnant mothers with basic health-care services
  • Facilitate the construction of sanitation facilities servicing vulnerable households, and support the training of latrine builders and pump minders

Child Protection
To help children and their communities develop capacity, World Vision will:
  • Engage local leadership to form and strengthen child protection committees
  • Work with the government to ensure the community is educated on the requirements for registering births and for acquiring birth certificates
  • Help raise awareness of child- and adult safeguarding through churches and community leadership
  • Support case management for reported cases of child abuse
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An image of children sitting on the ground in a classroom, writing in workbooks.

Results

Unless otherwise stated, data presented on this page reflects the most up-to-date results of World Vision Canada programs reported between October 2023 and September 2024, and any previous fiscal years available. Previously reported data may not match the current presentation as we continuously receive and refine data from our programs. If you have any questions, kindly reach out to us.