DISTRICT CONSULTATIONS REPORTS CHAPTER 2: CHILD HEADED FAMILIES Challenges ? Some children in these families are not going to school because they have no school fees and birth certificates. ? Others are being abused as they fend for themselves. ? No one is concerned with their plight. Recommendations ? All children should enjoy their childhood without being forced to take up the responsibility to head a house. ? OVCs should be allowed to obtain birth certificates on their own. ? The government should play its role of providing for such children. DISCRIMINATION Challenges ? The government is not prioritizing water and sanitation for the rural child. ·“This is where discrimination starts. All children need to be valued. The government should construct dams and boreholes for rural people.” FOOD Challenges ? Rushinga is one of the dry districts of Mashonaland Central hence it is prone to droughts. Children suffer the most during these droughts. They have to look for food on their own or with their parents, which compromises their right to education. Recommendations ? Mitigating measures should include provision of food by GMB during droughts, provision of drought resistant seeds by the government and use of new farming methods. HEALTH, WATER AND SANITATION Challenges ? There is limited access to clean and safe water. ? There are no adequate toilets especially in rural areas which affect the children's rights to health and a clean environment. Recommendations ? The government must improve the standards of rural toilets, sources of water as well as shelter. HEALTH Challenges ? Children are bearing the brunt of the brain drain currently affecting the country. Nurses and doctors shun remote areas causing many children to die from mostly AIDS related illnesses. ? Some children are dying from treatable diseases. Recommendations ·“Government and NGOs should pay doctors and nurses so that they will stay inside the country.” CHILD PARTICIPATION IN THE CONSTITUTION MAKING PROCESS Children's consultations CONSOLIDATED REPORT 18