By NEVSON-MPOFU.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – UNICEF is fully in support of projects to do with Climate Change and its effects on the Ecological Rights of Children. Environment Africa, a Regional Environment Organization in Southern Africa operates sustainable environment projects in Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls), Zambia (Utondo) and Malawi, in respect with Ecological rights of children.
With special attention focussing on the environment and its pathetic deterioration phase in the wake of environmental structures collapsing due to climate change, a spirit of consented effort calls for a communicative response around the world to end a crisis of human negligence in origin .
In rapid response and in sheer dignity of children’s rights as stated in the convention on the rights of the child (CRC), the organisation currently runs two projects in Zambia –UTONDO and Zimbabwe (Victoria falls ) called the Ecological rights of children .
The Ecological rights of children project pays deliberate attention to problems which face children and adults as well as a result of environmental problems related to climate change.
In the long qualitative research related to the project (this environmental research journalist goes back in time to Abraham Maslow’s 3 Basic needs in life.
Food, clothing and shelter stand vital for everyone. Children’s Ecological rights firstly centre a pivotal stage on food and water and then enter into a world of the environment and children.
Children need clean water to drink in order for them to stay health, clean and have fresh food in a health environment unspoilt by artificial hands which in the long run makes them vulnerable to waterborne diseases like cholera and food borne diseases
Environment Chief Executive Charlene Hewart says of the project that it is there to make children stay kept health from food borne diseases and water borne diseases and generally every human being should be kept health.
“We are currently running this project in Victoria fall. It is our mandate as an organisation to cheer the good of health in children who are becoming victims of health environmental effects.
“Ecological rights as this project goes starts working on children who needs capacity building on issues to do with environmental effects related to unhygienic food and water intake as a result of water shortages ,food shortage in a changing world”, these caused by recurrence of drought sometimes caused by environmental changes . She says.
Further it has more to deal with inner issues related to children having deeper knowledge about the environment itself and best how children must respect their environment as they are leaders tomorrow growing up with vision, care and education related to the environment.
Dwelling on the same subject, Namo Chuma of Environment Africa Zambia Director laments on children’s rights as indicated in Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It states that Adequate Nutrition and clean drinking water is a right not to do away with.
Namo Chuma in his presentation at a Local forum talked of children exposed to severe dirty water and unclean food which after their intake, they suffer intestinal diseases which affect their lives.
Apart from intestinal diseases as a result of unclean water and unhygienic food, children are exposed to air, water and land pollution. These results in Cardio –Vascular diseases of the lungs, skin cancer and gastro intestinal diseases.
This project in Zimbabwe and Zambia protects children from other related health consequences like Bilharzia which are a major blow to human lives.
“It is therefore vital for special programmes to run in communities ,capacitating parents and children on health related issues in time with this environment ,this he concludes seeks solutions to ecological rights”, he says again.
Namo Chuma in his deep educative presentations gave an in depth of health effects resulting from environmental effects which are human induced in nature, later time bombs to tick with time.
He cited a good example of how people along Deka river in Hwange are exposed to
environmental effects. Deka river which flows 30km into the Zambezi river has dirty toxic water as a result of toxic chemicals from coal mining in Hwange.
“People around the area have teeth which have become yellowish in colour because of intake of that water and the aquatic resources which they get from that river”.
Just imagine as we approached the river just 100 meters away we were welcome by a nose stinking smell and eyes choking fume from the river.
Think of it,”what about those who reside along the river “?he shivered in tearful tones drawing pitiful attention to shocked delegates.
Before the end of this tearful presentation, this writer was already dropping tears in memory of children around Hwange Mine, Shabannie, Mashaba and some mines where the same scenario is experienced.
Chuma talked of children with close homes and schools to mining centres who have been diagnosed with lung cancer and heart problems and those some related to cardio vascular diseases of lungs.
An expert who works for World Health Organisation who just gave this writer statistics shadowing his name for certain reasons said at least 4 million children die yearly from diseases related to poor environmental management.
“At least 4 million children are dying annually and some probably ½ the number are diagnosed ill and unhealthy because of environmental mismanagement.
This as well affects more on workers around the world and still worse a large number of them have died, especially those who worked in mining centres like the copper belt of Zambia , Zvishavane and Mashava in Zimbabwe where asbestos fumes have killed a large number over the past years “.” She concludes, the writer seething in anger ,tears gurgling in a blind wave of sight loss.
Matthias Lunga who works for Citizens for a Better environment in Zambia lamented the same pathetic words citing pollution more as the most aggravating effect on children in Zambia.
In Zambia the most affected are children from UTONDO-Zambia who get affected by acid mist from the nearby extractive industry at the mine.
“Children living in UTONDO,Zambia have no right to intact environment ,they have been seriously affected and this is cause for concern
As a result we advocate for environmental impact assessments before e any work which pause pollution starts, he says”.
Contacted for a comment, Professor Chipo Dyanda of the University of Zimbabwe- Institute of Environmental Studies echoes that climate change has brought plight to children who become exposable to water borne diseases like cholera and diarrhoea a food borne disease.
“Apart from other severe effects like schistosomiasis (bilharzias) and worm borne diseases caused by affected water, climate change has exposed children to cholera a severe water borne ailment caused by a Bacteria called vibro cholera.
During heavy rains we experience cyclone elnino , receive floods which destroy houses, families left stranded .The aftermath is of epidemics which then affect children in particular because they can’t defend themselves” she said.
Children become big victims as their health and education become affected. All this is against article 32 of the (CRC) which states that children deserve safe playing environment which do not expose them to water borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases like lung cancer.
This environmental passionate journalist in his quantitative researches sieved from quality documents on the challenge of the girl and boy child during times of drought in many rural areas when the country will be experiencing lanino associated with low rainfall.
Climate change shifts a paradigm in gender where we see the girl child driving cattle long distances for cattle to have drinking water. Boys fetch firewood and travel long distances. They cook and do all domestic chores under strained resources, a limited output of food shortage during drought.
What concerns is that these are from child headed families .They play these roles as well as agriculture mitigating climate change activities which they do in order for them to adapt to climate change impacts.
As the adverse impact of climate change stand today to put a large weight of disadvantages on the posterity ,a number of environmental Non Governmental Organisation like E-Africa ( Regional ), Citizens for a better environment (Zambia ), SAFIRE (Regional) and TERRE Dees Hommes – Southern Africa are engaging youth and children in Environmental awareness through trainings and workshops for them to be aware of rights related to the environmental resources like water, fruits aquatic resources and various resources.
It has been said that children need have their voice in environmental policy crafting, a move seen to create child environment education platforms which take children on the ladder to adulthood.
Schools as well , must have environmental curricula which builds on sensitisation and empowerment of knowledge . And lastly the issue of energy policy framework and implementation to some forests which are deforested rated without afforest ration.
This everyone must know saves BIOFUEL. The Biosphere is well preserved; a symbiotic Biodiversity is built in a Biosphere of Diverse Human, Plant and Animal life living in Harmony.
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