Meshia Mambo<\/p>\n
A coalition of international donors, channelling funds through the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund, has officially launched a flagship joint programme in Harare to safeguard thousands of unaccompanied children navigating one of southern Africa\u2019s most perilous migration corridors.<\/p>\n
Sam Thompson, Head of Human Development and Inclusion at the British Embassy in Harare, represented the entire donor community at the launch of Strengthening the Safety and Well-being of Children on the Move in Zimbabwe \u2014 a joint programme implemented by IOM and UNICEF and backed by the Geneva-based Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an increasing flow of children who are unaccompanied and who are travelling either from Zimbabwe but particularly through Zimbabwe as an irregular migration route,\u201d Thompson told journalists at the event.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe sits at the heart of the Southern African migration corridor, and UNICEF Representative Etola Ekole described the country\u2019s role as uniquely complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cZimbabwe is a country of origin, it\u2019s a country of transit, and it\u2019s a country of destination for children on the move,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC), the journey carries severe risks, including trafficking, exploitation, and a complete lack of legal identity documentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you imagine these young children who are alone, trying to work out where they should be going, protecting them from any traffickers, having these safe spaces is crucial,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n
The programme will see the refurbishment and staffing of Reception and Support Centres at key border posts, Beitbridge, Plumtree, and Chirundu\u00a0 to provide immediate safe shelter, food, and psychosocial support to children upon arrival.<\/p>\n
Ekole outlined the multi-layered strategy driving the initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are sensitising, we are building institutions, we\u2019re strengthening the social service workforce to be able to provide the necessary case management for undocumented children, and working with Home Affairs to ensure that we have alternatives to detention,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
She stressed that the programme is anchored on two non-negotiable pillars.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about prevention of unsafe migration and it\u2019s all about protection of the children who do migrate, that they have the right services and they are actually safe\u00a0 that\u2019s the essence of the programme,\u201d Ekole stated.<\/p>\n
To address root causes, UNICEF is working alongside the Ministry of Education to keep children in school and with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on parental training programmes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen children are having to work, sometimes they have to go very far to work, but really children should be in school and they should be protected,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Beyond physical safety, the initiative addresses a critical gap in legal identity by collaborating with Zimbabwe\u2019s Civil Registry to facilitate access to birth certificates for migrant and returned children.<\/p>\n
Family reunification sits at the core of the programme\u2019s mandate, with Thompson affirming the fund\u2019s commitment to reconnecting children to their home families and supporting sustainable reintegration through education and livelihood linkages.<\/p>\n
For Ekole, success has a very specific meaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than rounding children up and putting them in detention and sending them back off to some other place, it\u2019s about what care they will need to receive and how you work on family tracing and reunification\u00a0 that\u2019s what success is going to look like,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Thompson outlined how the donor community would measure the programme\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can look at the number of children reconnected to their families, the number supported through migration resource centres at Beitbridge, and then you can also look at the overall community response\u00a0 are they feeling better supported and able to support these children?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The programme runs for two years, a window Ekole described as tight but purposeful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a very short window, so we really need to collaborate to be able to meet the various objectives of the programme,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Thompson expressed confidence that the programme\u2019s legacy would outlast its funding cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way that we fund it means that hopefully there will be systems and structures in place which means that actually it can continue to work even after the funding ends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Thompson concluded with an appeal for continued collective action, affirming that the donor community remains committed to ensuring that no child on the move is left without protection, documentation, or a safe place to call home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Meshia Mambo A coalition of international donors, channelling funds through the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund, has officially launched a flagship joint programme in Harare to safeguard thousands of unaccompanied children navigating one of southern Africa\u2019s most perilous migration corridors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[873,874,872],"class_list":{"0":"post-4915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-zimbabwe","8":"tag-british-embassy","9":"tag-migration-multi-partner-trust-fund-mptf","10":"tag-sam-thompson"},"yoast_head":"\n