Profile: Childline, caring for Zimbabwe's disadvantaged children

Written by Lewis Jones, ZDDT Field Correspondent Saturday, 03 July 2010 09:48

ZDDT visited Childline in Bulawayo in order to assess the Institution’s needs, with the view to producing a profile of their organisation and its work.

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BULAWAYO – Childline, a national and international organisation, essentially deals with issues surrounding the care of abused children and those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Organisation operates 5 important departments, the Outreach, Re-unification, Social Work, Helpline and Administration departments.

Outreach programmes offer awareness on child abuse and children's’ rights to parents as well as professionals. The Re-unification department re-unites orphaned or abandoned children at institutions with their biological parents or guardians, wherever this is deemed appropriate or convenient for all those concerned.

It also is responsible for the placement of such children in good foster homes when re-unification is not possible. At the Social Work division children receive counselling if they had been abused or have any other complaints not addressed through normal channels.

Follow-ups on reported cases of abuse and legal support for children, when such cases come before the courts, are an added responsibility of this section. The department handles reports from Helpline, a toll free telephone service which ensures complete discretion for children reporting abuse.

It is also responsible for providing care to children who use the Drop-in service. The Administration department, based at the Bulawayo office in Ward 1, co-ordinates all the above mentioned initiatives, in the provinces of Matebeleland, Midlands and Masvingo.

Cllr .E Manning, the local representative for the area, assisted ZDDT in highlighting this institution’s efforts.

Much of Childline’s work is carried out on a voluntary basis by concerned citizens.

As a means of asserting its community responsibility obligations, ZDDT visited Childline in Bulawayo in order to assess the Institution’s needs, with the view to producing a profile of their organisation and its work.

ZDDt felt that, by posting this article onto its website, potential donors, in the international arena, could be persuaded to assist.

This initiative, known as the Social Institutions Profile, is funded by ECEZ and managed through ZDDT.

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If you would like to know more about Childline and how you could assist please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it