ASCoD combats child abuse
Victor Sibanda
Arise and Shine for Community Development (ASCoD), a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) headquartered in Victoria Falls, is making significant strides in protecting children and building stronger communities. Through their tireless efforts, ASCoD is working to eradicate child abuse in Hwange District.
Reverend Travena Chichoni founded ASCoD in 2016, initially focusing on conflict mediation and peace building within families. Their reach extends across Victoria Falls urban areas and surrounding rural communities. However, their objectives have expanded to encompass more, including facilitating the creation of self-sustaining projects within communities, providing support to vulnerable individuals, and offering care facilities for those in need.
“We provide care facilities for vulnerable individuals, taking in abused children for counselling and therapy,” explained Reverend Chichoni. “Our role is to promote peace building and help vulnerable groups cope with the social challenges they face.”
ASCoD’s efforts go beyond mere child protection campaigns. They tackle conflict resolution at its core. “We intervene in child protection issues through our specialized hubs – theological, legal, psychological, and medical,” said Reverend Chichoni. “Our approach to child protection is holistic, addressing behavioral factors and providing rehabilitation. We tackle issues like child labor, sexual abuse, early marriage and pregnancy, among others.” She added that ASCoD has conducted numerous awareness programs in schools and marketplaces. Additionally, they offer counselling and rehabilitation services to school dropouts, addicts, teen mothers, and children involved in criminal activities.
ASCoD boasts numerous success stories involving both boys and girls in the community. They successfully rehabilitated a university dropout struggling with drug addiction, who is now gainfully employed. In another instance, they tirelessly worked with social services and the police to help a 15-year-old runaway involved in shoplifting. The girl was reunited with her family in Chirumhanzu and is now back in school.
These successes haven’t gone unnoticed. Victoria Falls lawyer and academic, Clement Mukwasi, acknowledges ASCoD’s significant impact. “ASCoD is now a household name in Hwange District because of their advocacy work on child protection and conflict management,” he said. “They’ve done stellar work in protecting children and promoting women’s rights, bridging the gap between police investigations and judicial processes. They offer comfort, psycho-social support, material support, and residential care facilities to the vulnerable.”
Kelvin Moyo, Chairperson of the Victoria Falls Residents Association, applauds ASCoD’s dedication. “Hats off to ASCoD,” he said. “They’re working tirelessly to bring positive change to our community. I’m impressed by their timely interventions when abuse is noticed or reported, helping children achieve their goals. I urge communities to work with them. They’re experts in rehabilitation and counselling for those involved in conflict and child abuse. ASCoD is leading the charge in child protection initiatives, and we’re working together to reduce child abuse incidents.”
Efforts to reach the Hwange Social Welfare office for an official comment were unsuccessful. A social welfare officer identified as Ivy resident in Hwange said: “…Unfortunately I am not authorised to comment. May I refer you to our Province.” However, the landline telephone number provided that is used by the Provincial Development Officer referred to as Nyathi did not go through despite several attempts.
Child protection and domestic violence are societal challenges that demand immediate attention. Zimbabwe’s Child Protection Act (Chapter 5.06) emphasizes the establishment of juvenile courts and the importance of protecting, caring for, and supervising children and juveniles. ASCoD’s dedication to this fight serves as a beacon of hope for a brighter future for children in Victoria Falls and surrounding communities.
