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THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA DEPARTMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION AND EXTENSION STUDIES

COURSE: SW- 251 Social research Methods

SOCIAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL


IMPACT OF SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES IN STREET CHILDREN REHABILITATION
A CASE STUDY OF SOCIAL WELFARE- KABWE ZAMBIA

SUBMITTED BY: GIFT MUZIYA COMPUTER #:20091000137 LECTURER: MR. CHISENGA

2011

Abstract The issues of street children in urban areas are serious. In general, organisations working with street children attempt to provide food and clothing as well as education through community schools. They strive to provide either day or night shelters for the children. Although there is a mass of children who have no choice, but to live on the streets, there are many children who have run away from home because of issues of abuse at home or simply in search of food and money. Some organisations working with street children train social workers who provide outreach to the youth on the street. They attempt to gain the trust of the children. In time the social workers try to resolve the problems at home to encourage a return to the families. It seems that at times the NGOs working directly on orphan and children in need and those working directly with street children are not collaborating effectively. At times, they almost seem to view each others work as separate from their own. Many street children NGOs could provide valuable information to share with other NGOs regarding the primary causes of children ending up on the street and could assist other NGOs help prevent other children from leaving their homes The program description in Social welfare agreement with USAID acknowledges that the term street children is problematic: Many children who are currently or have previously been on the streets prefer not to be referred to as street children. While understanding and respecting this preference, the term is used in this practicum to refer to children who spend all or part of their days or nights living or working on the streets, and is maintained for ease and clarity of communication. In addition to the issue of street children being a potentially stigmatizing label, categorizing children in this
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way may undermine

program

effectiveness by failing to recognize the continuity of the circumstances of children working or living on the street with other children, such as those addressed by programs for orphans and vulnerable children. At least two factors tend to encourage such categorical approaches to programming for children: donor requirements and agency specialization. Even while recognizing the particular threats and challenges that being on an urban street pose for children, it is important that Department of Social Welfare partners avoid giving undue emphasis to the idea that their programs are for a unique category of street children, that they recognize the continuity and overlap between their programs and other child-focused programs in Zambia, and that they actively look for opportunities to collaborate with such programs.

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INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background information

Street children At the last estimate in 1996, there were 75,000 street children min Zambia, in Lusaka and other and other cities and towns. Most children on the street have a home, and go there every day. They go on the streets to raise money to supplement family income. Other children go on the street to escape neglect, domestic violence, sexual abuse and drunkenness at home, and are less likely to return. In Lusaka, over 75% of street children interviewed in 2002 have at least one parent alive. About a quarter of street children report that they have no home at all, living on the street day and night. Life on the street is dangerous, and the longer children remain, the harder it is to return to, normal life. Drug abuse, sexual abuse, delinquency man crime make it more likely that these children will stay on the street, thrown out of home, or end up in prison. The majority of children visible on the streets during the day are boys. For girls in similar circumstances, most will end up in prostitution at night, leaving children as young as ten years vulnerable to all kinds of danger. (UNICEF 2004). Contrary to the similar and more commonly known informal

settlements of Nairobi (Kenya), which are squatter communities where inhabitants have generally no legal rights or at most a quasi-legal right granted from a local authority (La Ferrara, 2002), the Zambian slums are, for the majority of cases, recognized as legal settlements by the
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Housing (Statutory and Improvement Areas) Act of 1975. Living conditions are extremely poor in these slums. Most of Ndolas slums have either no access to clean water or are crowding on single sources of water: communal taps, instead of individual connections, are used in most compounds. Just like water, sewerage is typically not individually connected. Pit latrines and septic tanks are the only facilities available and garbage is not collected in most compounds because the poor cannot afford the service (Ncube 2008). Most houses are built out of any available construction material, like sun-hardened earth brick and scavenged metal roof-sheets held down with rocks. During the rainy season these structures break down with rain washing away walls, running under roof sheets and flooding homes. Due to the lack of drainage systems, the rain forms rivers that rush through the township eroding everything in their path. Some people have regular jobs in Ndola; some grow vegetables wherever they find a plot and sell on the city streets. Others rely on short-term, irregular piecework as blacksmith or as carpentry jobs. Many others are unemployed or unable to work. The great majority lives below the official poverty threshold of 1$ per day. Crime and drug addiction is rampant, making these slums very dangerous. The first two are among the poorest and largest slums on the outskirts of Ndola, with more than 40,000 residents each, living without any city planning, amenities or utilities. Kawama is slightly smaller and more distant from Ndola than the other two. Basic services such as sanitation and drinking water are very poor in all the towns. 1.2 Location of the research area Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000 (CSO, 2010:8). Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe has the largest shanty compound in Zambia. It is located in the city of Kabwe, a town that once thrived.
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That was before the mining industry dried up, leaving Kabwe to look more like a ghost town. Now the main economic activities include trade and seasonal fishing. Residents of Kabwe struggle to survive amidst poverty levels that are alarmingly high, and HIV/AIDS rates that are among the highest in the country. The research will focus on Makululu, Bwacha and the town centre areas. In Bwacha and Makululu compounds, children struggle to survive, let alone gain an education. High levels of poverty lead to chronic starvation which affects the childrens motivation and attention in school. Schools attract few qualified teachers because they lack the means to pay them well. The children see only a bleak future, with a poor education system and the sight of friends and relatives succumbing to the tragedy of HIV/AIDS. In Makululu community there are over 60,000 people, 24% of the adults are HIV positive and over 1 in 4 children are orphaned. There is only one health centre that services the whole community and they do not have proper drugs to deal with the epidemic. There are 58 churches currently working on projects and caring for those with AIDS, the orphans and the widows. im to being the birthplace of Zambian politics. Bwacha is one of the peri-urban areas of Kabwe town. There is one clinic in the area even though the population is approximately 12 000. Many families in Bwacha depend on small scale farming as their source of income and employment is very difficult to find. Sanitation is very bad and deep pit latrines are in desperate need. There are few places to obtain drinking water and shallow hand dug wells are contaminated by human waste. Education levels are very low and properly run schools are at a premium. 2.0 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has brought about serious challenges to the social security system in Zambia. Uninfected family members are also
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affected by HIV/AIDS, as they suffer from reduced incomes, and increased and changed demands on the time and labour of both adults and children. The diverse effects of HIV/AIDS on children include being orphaned and street children; dropping out of school; child labour; failing to access health services; and facing emotional burdens and social stigma. Projections show that the total number of orphans will increase to 1,470,000 by 2012, making about 20 percent of children orphaned. This research will, therefore ascertain the extent of these problems and then suggest practical solutions. 3.0 AIM

To examine the impact of social welfare street children rehabilitation programmes in Kabwe, Zambia. 4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To identify challenges faced by street children in Kabwe. 2. To identify factors leading to rampant increase of street children in Kabwe. 3. To examine rehabilitation programmes and its impact on street children in Bwacha and Makululu compounds of Kabwe, Zambia. 4. To formulate sustainable measures of empowering street children in Kabwe. 5.0 RATIONALE 1. The research will provide a working plat form to Social Welfare and NGOs dealing with street children in Zambia. 2. The research findings will contribute to the already research results on street children in Zambia. 3. The research report is the partial fulfilment of the requirement of the award of a Diploma in Social Work at University of Zambia.
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Department of Adult Education and Extension studies, Kabwe, Zambia. 6.0 SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

The research will cover a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2010.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

This section sought to review concepts regarding street children in Zambia. Different literature that other Authors and researchers have written about the similar subject on who is a street child, is there a difference between street children and Orphans and vulnerable children In the same chapter different theories have been used to explain the problem of street children in Zambia, further the chapter has been arranged in sub headings to give preference to the reader. Children Vulnerability in Zambia: Magnitude of the Problem Providing care and support for OVCs is one of the biggest challenges Zambia faces today, as the growing numbers overwhelm available resources. AIDS, fuelled by high poverty levels, is the primary contributor to OVCs incidence in Zambia; accounting for more orphans than all other contributing factors combined. Understanding the magnitude of the problem and socio-demographic characteristics of OVCs can provide the foundation for building programs of appropriate design, size and scope. Due to lack of a comprehensive registration system for birth and death statistics, an accurate estimate of the number of OVCs in Zambia is not available. However, a school census conducted by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in 2007 estimated the total number of orphans at 1.3 million. And, according to the 2007 Zambian Demographic Health Survey, 19.2% of all children living in households are vulnerable while 14.9% are orphans.

Between 2004 and 2008 the number of orphans grew by 13% to 1,302,307 (Figure 1). Current estimates (2009), based on available data, show that there are 1,603,928 OVCs in Zambia; a figure still likely to be an under-estimate of the true situation. Annual data on numbers of OVC was not available. According to National HIV and AIDS Policy estimates (2005), the majority of children who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS live with extended families or neighbours, while 6% become street children, and 1% live in orphanages. Data from a sample of 58 community members interviewed in this study indicated that each member was fostering at least three OVCs. Child headed households About 1 to 2% of Zambian households are headed by a child. These households are made of children left together after their parents have died. Living in a child headed household is devastating for all children concerned. Every risk faced by children in Zambia is worse where children face that risk without an adult caregiver. (Kabaso Sydney: 2008:45) Children who head households are extremely vulnerable. They cannot attend school, and many drop out of promising careers in school or college when their parents died. It is hard for them to maintain the household income, or to be good caregivers for younger children. As they grow order, boys have difficulty finding a good wife willing to accept their dependents, and girls are vulnerable to early pregnancy. Younger children being brought up by their siblings miss the protection of an adult caregiver. Their order siblings are likely to be able to secure school places or access to other services or to provide a secure livelihood or the guidance needed by growing children. The extended family is Zambias traditional coping mechanism and social safety net. But with increasing poverty and the effects of HIV/AIDS, the extended family is often said to be over stressed or collapsing, as the demands grow to greater and greater levels.
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Although family traditions are different throughout Zambia, the pressures of HIV/AIDS and poverty have had similar effects all over. Extended family support has changed over the past decade, as a narrow range of relatives is prepared to offer help. These days, families are often only willing to support close family and immediate relatives. People will often accept the orphans of their own brothers and sisters, and remote cousins and relatives may be refused. In married households, orphans may only be taken to in where the relationship is through the wife, as women are becoming reluctant to care for their husbands relatives. Many women even refuse even to care for their husbands own children, even where their mother has died. There is also a change in the sharing of responsibilities between richer and not so rich relations. The richest relatives are isolating themselves from their relatives, particularly from rural areas. Contacts are limited to occasional donations. They usually do not take orphans to live with them, unless they come from other rich families members (UNICEF 1999:145). Working class households stay more closely linked with their extended families. They carry a significant burden in supporting orphans, other vulnerable children and family members. They try to visit remote relatives, and may take orphans into their houses or try to support orphans living with other relatives. Children from working class households have to depend on the extended family if their parents die, often moving to rural areas, and losing their chances of education and employment. School and Street Children Any child who does not access a complete primary education of reasonable quality is vulnerable. Missing an education causes many problems in later life. Earning a living, planning a family, being a parent, avoiding HIV/AIDS and accessing rights are all harder for people without education.
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All 7 to 13 years olds should be in primary school. However, although there has been some improvement over ten years, still only, 60% are enrolled, including only 53% of rural children. Rural children often start school late, due to distance, and higher poverty levels also keep them out of school. The governments Free Basic Education policy is an important step towards getting all children to complete primary school. However, children, children still need money for various requests, which they may not afford. There are various bursary schemes that pay for requisites such as clothes, books and pens, including Government programs, and others organized by NGOs, Churches, the private sector and informal assistance. Even so, many children do not access support, or may not find a place at school. Children from very poor households or with sick parents may have to work, and do not have time to attend school. School attendance for primary age boys and girls is very similar. However, girls drop out much faster than boys after primary years. In recent years, a large number of community schools have opened, with about 1,925 now registered. This demonstrates community commitment to education provides grants and even teaches to some community schools, but many receive nothing. Quality varies widely between community school in terms of building, teachers, materials and access to resources. Making a long term success of community schools very difficulty especially, when volunteer teachers lose motivation. For an orphan or poor child to go beyond grade 7 is difficult. The costs are high and there are fewer bursaries available. Alternative training may be accessible, often in carpentry or tailoring, but the profits of these businesses are often low. Education is vital for Zambias future without education; the next generation will be unable to meet the challenges of development, risking social frustration and economic failure (UNICEF 1999:25).
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Health and orphans and vulnerable children Poor children are vulnerable to health problems. With poor access to health facilities, less food, worse shelter, and bad water supplies they suffer from serious conditions, including infection disease, parasite infestations and chronic health problems. Street children suffer from health problems every type. Poor health effects childrens physical growth and development, as well as their school attendance and psychological strength. Continued efforts are needed to ensure that all children are fully immunized in good times. Full immunization means the child must have BCG, Measles, and three doses of DTP and of Polio, all before 1 year of age. At present, only 57% are fully vaccinated by 1 year, and 70% by 2 years. Children of mothers with no education have much lower rates of immunization. Malnutrition amongst children under 5 years old is high. Malnutrition has risen over the past decade, and is highest amongst rural children. Programs to improve nutrition have been limited. Micronutrient supplements and de-worming medicine are distributed through schools and clinics, and sugar is now fortified with vitamin A. Supplementary feeding programs is focused on hospitals, with HEPS and other food available for malnourished children. Families are reached through homebased care programs. School feeding programs target 64 schools, in poor and food insecure areas (GRZ, School Feeding Programme Report 2004:52) Children aged 5 and over pay user fees at health clinics. Funds may be required for transport, food, lab tests and prescriptions. The need for cash means that poor children, including orphans, may fail to access health services. As children, they have less access to cash to pay fees, or to information about the limited free services on offer. Politics that state that people without money should be treated are usually not consistently publicized or implemented.
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Recently, free ARV therapy programs for children under 20 years have been announced. However, even free ARV therapy will require money for transport, and for good diet necessary to accompany the drug regime. Other children will benefit if their parents access ARV therapy programs keeping. (HIV/AIDS ALLIANCE 2007:24).

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METHODOLOGY Study Design

The study will use both the qualitative and quantitative designs in order to give accurate information on Street Children in Kabwe. The process will depict the prevailing situation using random sampling method. Sample size The sample size consisted of 50 respondents that comprised of both Orphans and Street Children. Target Population The research intends to cover street children found in Kabwe Main Shopping Centre, parents and guardians from Makululu and Bwacha. Data Collection Both primary and secondary data will be used in collecting information. Data Collection Instruments Interview Guide This will cover a wide range of questions on children vulnerability. It will be designed and administered to those who will be willing to be interviewed at their own convenient time.
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Questionnaires It will be used in data collection where it will not be possible to meet all the respondents at one point.

Sampling Procedures The simple random sampling procedures will be used in this research for its high degree of representatives. In this particular case, rotary methods of sampling wills apply. In an attempt to choose 40 children aged 8 to 20 years of age without bias.

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References Beegle, K., J. De Weerdt, and S. Dercon (2006). Adult mortality and consumption growth in the age of HIV/AIDS. World Bank Policy Research Paper 4082.United Kingdom. Bell, C., S. Devarajan, and H. Gersbach (2006). The Long-run Economic Costs of AIDS: With an Application to South Africa. World Bank Economic Review 20(1), 55-89.United Kingdom. Bloom, D. and A. Mahal (1997). Does the AIDS epidemic Threaten Economic Growth? Journal of Econometrics 77(1), 105-124. Case, A. and C. Ardington (2006). The Impact of Parental Death on School Enrolment and Achievement: Longitudinal Evidence from South Africa. Demography Department, Lusaka, Zambia. GRZ (1999). Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A situation analysis . 1999 -2009 Joint, GRZ, UNICEF, Lusaka, Zambia.

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APPENDIX SECTION
APPENDIX A SELF ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR GUARDIANS/PARENTS Instructions. Please answer all the questions carefully. Fill your answers in the blank spaces and boxes as provided below.

1. Background Information Gender: Male Age: Below 25 2. Education Level College University Others Female 26 -30 31-35 Above 36

3. Marital Status Single Married Divorced

4. How many children do you have? .................................... 5. How many dependants are you keeping up with?.................................................. 6. What is your main source of income? ................................................. 7. Amongst the children you are keeping how many have lost their parents .......................

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8. Do you receive any support from the government/NGO/Church or family 9. As a parent/guardian what do you think has led to a high rate of Orphans and street children in Zambia? ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ........................................................................ 10. What do most street children do in the

streets? ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................................ ........................................................................ 11. What programs do you think the government should put in

place for street children in Zambia? .............................................................................................. ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ .........................

Thank you for your participation!!

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR STREET CHILDREN

Respondent No:........................................................

1. For how long have you stayed in this town?


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2. Where are your parents/guardians? 3. Do you know your family very well? 4. Who is the bread winner in your family or where you go most of the time for assistance? 5. Where do you spend most of your time? 6. What do you do on the streets? 7. How do you describe your life today in the street compared to life at Home? 8. What factors forced you to come on the streets? 9. How do you spend your life in the streets? 10. 11. What has been your main source of income? What has been the challenge you have met so far in your life

here on the streets? 12. 13. 14. you? 15. In your own opinion, what do you think should be done to you Do you know how to read and write? Do you have any thoughts of going back to school? How can you want the Government or an organisation to help

to get out of the street?

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