The voices of orphans and other vulnerable children and young people and of their carers and professional development workers are documented and analysed to both criticise the inadequacies of current social development work and to create a new, alternative theory and practice of project management in Zimbabwe and southern Africa. This is the first extensive and intensive empirical study of Zimbabwean orphans and other vulnerable children and young people. Chronically poor children and their carers can be corrupted or silenced by management systems which fail to recognise their basic human needs. Resilience in the face of such adversity is celebrated by the dominant project management ideology and practice but is a major barrier to achieve genuine sustainable improvements in the lives of vulnerable children. We propose a new person-centred project management approach aimed at delivering comprehensive services for orphans, which explicitly recognises the needs of orphans and other poor children to be fully socially, politically and economically included within their communities and which avoids the reinforcement of power based inequalities and their unacceptable consequences. The moral bankruptcy of much social development work in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Southern Africa is described and we delineate an alternative project management policy and practice.

For many years, farmworkers in Zimbabwe have been a marginalized and neglected community. This book describes the lives of hired farmworkers' children in their own words. Over 850 children aged 10-17 were interviewed or wrote essays in English or Shona. Nearly all the children were in elementary school in grades 4-7. Many farm children undergo experiences of loss and deprivation, work, marriage at a very young age, and lives constrained by poverty and geographic isolation, yet they show no self-pity and have hopes for the future. An introduction discusses the need for nongovernmental organizations and development workers to listen to the opinions and priorities of the people who receive their assistance, including rural children, who have home and work responsibilities from an early age. The book is divided into nine sections that explore through the testimony of farm children issues of childhood; family life; the home, health, and preschool education; the farm; work; education and aspirations for the future; recreation; culture and history; and conceptions of the wider world. Each section includes background to the topic, the children's words and writings, and commentary and explanatory notes in the margins. A final section lists the names of the participating children, their farms, their schools, and their teachers, and briefly describes the work of Save the Children (UK) in Zimbabwe. (Contains photographs and children's illustrations.) (SV)

This booklet outlines a vision as to how the Children's Parliament can become a more powerful, representative, and effective forum to advocate for children's rights in Zimbabwe. Written by a group of current and former child parliamentarians, the booklet is meant to provoke comment and reflection, and to prompt a start among policy makers, ministry officials, non-governmental organizations and young people themselves in ensuring that the Children's Parliament lives up to the high ideals that informed its creation in 1990. The booklet is a compilation of child parliamentarians' experiences to date, and it also incorporates the views of other children who have had no contact with parliament as to what they might expect from such an institution. The booklet is divided into the following sections: "Preface"; "Acknowledgments"; "Introduction"; "The Background of the Children's Parliament"; "Individual Experiences"; "Shortfalls of the Children's Parliament"; "Recommendations"; and "Conclusion." (BT)

Social rights are a pivotal concern for all of society, including today’s population of children. The study of the rights, or lack thereof, that children have must be undertaken to ensure that future generations are thriving members of their communities. Global Ideologies Surrounding Children's Rights and Social Justice highlights the trials and tribulations that children have often had to overcome to be considered true citizens of their communities. Featuring comprehensive coverage on a wide range of applicable topics such as child abuse, socio-economic rights, social injustice, and welfare issues, this is a critical reference source for educators, academicians, students, and researchers interested in studying new approaches for the social advancement of children.

The Human Sciences Research Council was commissioned by the WK Kellogg Foundation to develop and implement a five-year intervention project focusing on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in southern Africa. In collaboration with several partner organisations, the project currently focuses on how children, families, and communities in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The aim of the project is to develop models of best practise so as to enhance and improve support structures for OVC in the southern African region as a whole.

In 2002, the Human Sciences Research Council was commissioned by the WK Kellogg Foundation to develop and implement a five-year intervention project focusing on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in southern Africa. In collaboration with several partner organizations, the project currently focuses on how children, families and communities in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The aim of the project is to develop models of best practise so as to enhance and improve support structures for OVC in the southern African region as a whole. This report forms part of a series that examines the work undertaken as part of the Kellogg OVC Intervention Project from 2002 to 2005.