Duration: 4min 19 sec

Transcript

VOX POPS from Children

Translation: Izimvo eziphuma ebantwaneni.

My name is Nkosindiphile, I have one sister and one brother I do not have mom. I am in Grade 7.   I believe that we are free because we have rights and good rights.

Translation: Igama lam nguNkosindiphile. Ndino dade omnye nomnakwethu omnye andinamama. Ndifunda uGrade 7 olibanga lesihlanu.

My name is Reboane, and I’€™m 16 years old. I’€™m from the North West Province. I am very concern about children who are taking care of their siblings. I have experience of what I’€™m talking about and I know other children who younger than me who are suffering from this problem. I’€™ve got 6 other siblings, four of which are HIV positive. I am taking care of my four siblings with my old grandmother. That doesn’€™t mean that my mother is not alive. She is very alive, but the problem is that she is doesn’€™t stay at home with us and take care of us. She is always drunk and she abuses us emotionally. This affects me mentally. I cannot cope well with my school and I don’€™t have enough rest.

 And that goes to my other two sisters who come after me they don’€™t have time to play like other children and I think that’€™s abuse. I think that every child has a right to play and a right to rest and I also think that it must be in the Children’€™s Bill. Please help for this to be possible. I also think that we as children have the right not to suffer mental illness because of troubles we experience at home. Also because of this situation at home people come and take advantage: like for instance my younger sister who is 10 years old has recently been raped by my 65 year old grandfather. My mother doesn’€™t know this because she is always drunk I also think that parents should take care of their children. I think that the parental rights and responsibility must be emphasized in the Children’€™s Bill. Translation: Igama lam nguReboane ndineminyaka eli-16. Ndivela Kwiphondo lase Mntla Ntshona. Ndikhathazwa kakhulu ngabantwana abagcina abanye abantwana bebakhulisa. Ndiyayazi lento endithetha ngayo kuba mna ndiyayiphila ndikwazi nabanye abantwana abancinane abakwintlungu yokukhulisa abanakwabo. Ndinabanakwethu abathandathu abane kubo bephila nentsholongwane kagawulayo. Ndikhulisa abanakwethu abanekwethu abane nomakhulu wam osele ekhulile. Lonto ayithethi ukuba umama wam akaphili nto nje undumahlaleshushu yaye akahlali endlini nathi akasinonopheli uyasixhaphaza engqomdweni. Lento iyandichaphazela engqondweni andikwazi nokumelana nomsebenzi wam wesikolo andifumani ukuphumla ngokwaneleyo. Lonto iyabachaphazela kakhulu abanye abantwana basekhaya   abanalo nethuba lokudlala;. Ndiyacinga ukuba wonke umntwana kumele abanexesha lokudlala njengabo bonke abanye abantwana ndicinga xa oku kungenzeki sube iluhlukumezo. Oku ndicinga ukuba kufuneka kufakwe kwiChildren’€™s Bill ejongene nokukhkhuliswa kwabantwana. Ndiyacela sincedeni ukwenza oku kuphumelele. Ndiyacinga ukba thina nje ngabantwana sinelungelo lokungaphazamiseki engqondweni ngenxa yeengxaki zabazali nengxaki esizifumana ekhaya.

My name is Kurt.

For better health care we recommend that nurses must come out to schools to make sure children get well and give information about HIV/AIDS, Abstinence and Protection.

There should be first aid kits in schools for emergencies and accidents.

Clinics and hospitals should be child ‘€“friendly, like if a girl is pregnant, nurses must not shout at her. Parents must be responsible for their children’€™s health and take children to clinics and hospitals when they are sick. Clinics and hospitals should be nearer to the community, especially in farms and rural areas.

Translation: Igama lam nguKurt. Kwimpilo engcono nononophelo lwempilo ndimisa ukuba abongikazi kufuneka baphume bengena ezikolweni ukuqinisekisa ukuba abantwana basempilweni. Banikezele nangeengcombolo ngogawulayo nentsholongwane yakhe. Ukulinda nangokuzikhusela.   Kufuneka ukuba kubekho ibhokisi zoncedo lokuqala ukulungela ixesha lengozi. Amaziko ezonyango neekliniki kufuneka zibe buthamba zilungelane nabantwana umzekelo ukuba intombazana ikhulelwe kufneka ukuba abongikazi bakhe bayeke ukungxola. Abazali kufuneka babe noxanduva lokujongana nempilo yabantwana babo. Babahambise bebasa ezikliniki nasezibhedlele xa bengaphilanga. Amaziko ezempilo kufuneka abekufuphi eluntwini ingakumbi emaphandleni nasezifameni.

THANDEKA: Children are often abused by people they trust in their communities. Nkosi and his two siblings ran away from home because someone they thought was their father abused them and chased them out of their home when their mother unknowingly died of AIDS. Nkosi was fortunate to be rescued by his community who placed him in a home in Ingwavuma Community Care Centre where he is in Grade 7. His two siblings have since fled to neighbouring Swaziland and nobody knows where they are. He explains his understanding about the Children’€™s Bill. It took Nkosi three years to know that the man he thought was his father was in fact his step-father. His real father had died some years earlier.

Translation: UNkosi nabantwana ababini bakokwabo baye babaleka ekhaya emva kokugxothwa ngumntu ababecinga ukuba ungutata wabo owayebaxhaphaza xa umama wabo wathi wasweleka ebulawa yintsholongwane kagawulayo. UNkosi waba nethamsanqa yena kuba abahlali bamchola bamfunela ikhaya Engwavuma nalapho ahlala khona efunda ibanga (Grade) lesixhenxe. Abanakwabo bona ababini babhacela eSwazini akukho mntu ubaziyo kakuhle apho bakhoyo. Kuthabathe iminyaka emithathu ukuba uNkosi azi ukuba utata wakhe wathi wasweleka yaye utata lo babecinga ukuba ngutata wabo wayengasonguyena tata wabo. UNkosi echaza akwaziyo ngokuqulunqwe yi Children’€™s Bill ejongene nokukhuliswa kwabantwana.

NKOSI: I-Bill isho ukuthi kufanele izingane zihlale kahle zingahlukunyezwa zibe namalungelo azo nabazali bawahloniphe amalungelo engane. Ya, ngikhe ngahlukumezeka ngilala ehlathini ngingakutholi ukudla. Umama washona.

Translation: This Children’€™s Bill means that children should be respected and be cared for and be free from abuse. They too have rights. Parents should respect those rights. Yes, I am a victim of abuse I was homeless, sleeping in the bush. I didn’€™t have food to eat. My mother died.

THANDEKA: Uthi umama washona wabe sophatheka kabi ekhaya?

Translation: You say your mother passed away? And that was why you were abused?

NKOSI: Ewe, ngase ngingasakutholi nokudla sihlala sicela emizini yabantu. Ngifuna uhulumente asinikeze zonke izidingo zethu njengamanzi nokudla nabantu abakade bengaholi bahole le mali eholwa yintandane i-grant.

Translation: Yes, I was deprived of the right to food, we (two siblings) used to beg for food from neighbours. I wish the government could grant us all our basic needs like water and food and give our caregivers the orphans grant that they are not getting.

THANDEKA: Inqununu yase Mpontshini Primary School uHlengiwe Mthimkhulu nojongene nabantwana abadinga uncedo e-Ingwavuma KwaZulu-Natal, uthi kunzima kakhulu kubo akukho nto abanayo kodwa bazimisele ukuba bajonge abantwana abadinga uncedo.

Translation: Hlengiwe Mthimkhulu, Mpontshini Primary School’€™s Principal and a caregiver in Ingwavuma KwaZulu-Natal says as much as it is difficult for them to look after children with nothing at hand, this will not dampen their commitment to look after the needy children.

HLENGIWE: Nama psychologists into engekho mhlawumbi uma uhulumeni ebengenza ukuthi okungenani la eyikoleni kutholakale ama-pyschologists ngoba phela lezi zinkinga ezinjenga nalezi ziningi azizincane. Njeba silapha nje abantwana bathathu kuphela aba la kodwa esibashiye emuva baningi abakudingayo lokhu. Abanye bayadlwengulwa kubekhona lokhu kuthi sizame ukwenza icounseling manje uye ubone umntwana ukuthi akabi kho open kakhulu kuthina njengoba sihlala naye sonke isikhathi. Kuhle ukuthi kufike lomuntu azomethemba ozofika ngalelo langa afika ngalo mhlambe abe adlulele kwezinye iyikole kanjalo. Uhulumeni ma engasicabangela ukuthi mhlawumbe kubekho

loma posts nje anga create(ka) ukuthi ke at least mhlawumbe noma yi ward ne ward noma i-circuit ne-circuit ithole ipyschologist yayo ukubhekana nalezo zinkinga zezingane.

Translation: Psychologists are needed in our area there’€™s a big gap there. We urge the government to consider sending more psychologists to schools. We have major problems that we cannot solve on our own that need to be attended to. We have brought three kids with us but there’€™s a backlog of children back home that need help. Some are rape survivors. Even though we try to give them counseling, you will see that they don’€™t want to talk to use because they know us. We so wish that there can be means made so that somebody from outside can be sent to attend to the problems of the children so that they can open up and speak about their problems. We hope that the service could go beyond and reach other schools as well. If government can create that post even if it can be rendered in one ward or different wards or circuits where a psychologist can address the problems of children.

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