Campaign Story

Scripture Union Zimbabwe exists for evangelising children and young people and providing safe spaces for their spiritual growth while responding to topical issues affecting them such as child abuse, HIV & Aids, Drugs and substance abuse, Gender based violence, child homelessness, unemployment and other related issues. The organisation reaches out children and young people in the streets with the aim of helping them to realise their God given potential. They work to enhance access to various services that include spiritual and psychosocial support, shelter, health, food, play, justice, education, clean water and other related services to assist in transforming lives and aide reintegration into communities.

The organisation intends to implement the following activities that are in line with the Scripture Union Zimbabwe 2022-2025 strategy:
a. Emerging leaders training and empowerment programs for children and youths in and out of school as a prevention program. These trainings will address unemployment issues through development of entrepreneurship skills and small projects empowerment programs.
b. Gender Based Violence prevention and awareness programs both on children on the streets, communities and in schools. These will incorporate awareness raising through programs like fellowship meetings and workshops. In the wake of increasing GBV cases, the organisation will facilitate referrals as well as offer medical support counselling (clinical & spiritual).
c. Sexual Reproductive Health programming which will tackle issues of awareness and prevention of HIV and Aids, Sexually Transmitted Infections, early child marriages, abortion , pornography and depression. The organisation will expect positive behaviour change amongst children and young people living and working on the streets, in churches and communities through its programming that will fight against early sexual debut.

d. Meal provision to children in street situations responding to poverty issues that led them to street life. This activity will co-opt all psychosocial activities leading to reunification or alternative care for some of the children.
e. Back to school programming will facilitate access to education to children who have been withdrawn from the streets either staying at the place of safety or reunified with their families.
f. Parenting seminars to parents will enlighten parents with the current challenges that emanated from covid 19 lockdowns and are badly affecting children and youths. Parents shall be informed of negative effects of technology through abuse of electronic gadgets that they provide specifically to enhance access to e-learning materials.
g. Family upliftment programming will control relapse rates, {number of reunified children returning to being homeless.} The organisation intends to assist families with livelihoods initiatives where support for start-up will be facilitated as an empowerment tool to various children’s families. Most of the children have cited poverty as a major push factor from home.