Children from every stratum of society are exposed to physical, sexual and psychological violence, abuse and exploitation.
Children by their nature are vulnerable and the United Nations (UN) agreed that children need a special convention of their own.
This culminated in the UN convention on the Rights of the child.
It states that people under 18 have rights and responsibilities whatever their race, religion, sex and abilities.
However, in Zimbabwe children are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, girls are more susceptible to abuse.
Mavambo Orphan Care (MOC) is bent on helping OVC realise and understand their rights as well as their responsibilities.
Despite providing OVC with services such as educational support, food, blankets, Birth registration assistance and medical assistance, there is need to support OVC who are grieving, experiencing stigma and discrimination or who are being abused emotionally, sexually and or physically.
Care to OVC helps in moulding socially adjusted, self-sustaining, healthy and responsible citizens.
Psychosocial Support (PSS) strategies being implored by Mavambo are; building community capacity to recognise and respond to psychosocial distress, therapeutic activities (music, dance and art, speak out sessions, role plays, poetry), life skills support (teaching parenting skills, boosting self-confidence and cognitive skills), community-based camps, support groups, excursions, addressing secondary trauma and psychotherapy through counselling sessions.
Young people appreciate and are influenced in positive ways by a peer-led intervention if it is well-designed and properly supervised.
In-line with this Mavambo works with peer educators and teach them child rights and responsibility.
In turn the peer educators cascade the information to their peers.
The inclusion of children to help other children creates a friendly environment were they can share and relate.
Serving as a peer educator provides a challenging but rewarding opportunity for young people to develop leadership skills, gain the respect of their peers, and improve their own knowledge base and skills.
Mavambo also supports PSS teacher who assist in offering guidance and counselling to learners and work hand in glove with peer educators.
This creates fulfilling relationships between teachers and students;
It can give girls legitimacy to talk about sex without the risk of being stigmatised as sexually promiscuous (particularly when peer led activities take place in single-sex groups);
Peer educators can provide a valuable link to health services;
Peer education has had a positive effect on reported attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS;
They have shown in some cases to be more effective than adults in establishing norms and in changing attitudes related to sexual behaviour.
However, they are not necessarily better in transmitting factual health information.
Peer educators and adult-led education can thus complement each other hence the PSS teacher compliments.