Realising capabilities for street young people in Harare, Zimbabwe: A new approach to social protection

TY - JOUR

T1 - Realising capabilities for street young people in Harare, Zimbabwe

T2 - A new approach to social protection

AU - Chikoko, Witness

AU - van Blerk, Lorraine

AU - Hunter, Janine

AU - Shand, Wayne

N1 - Funding Information: We are grateful to Scottish Funding Council Global Challenges Research Fund 2019/2020 for funding the Growing up on the Streets Fellowship Programme which hosted Chikoko Jan-Mar 2020. We are indebted to the late Professor Ruth Freeman for introducing Robeyns’ model to us and mentoring Chikoko in Dundee.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Living in social contexts characterised by poverty and inequality, street young people have limited access to healthcare, water sanitation and hygiene services; exacerbating effects of ill health, infections, lack of nutrition and substance abuse that undermine their wellbeing. In Harare, Zimbabwe, they are also excluded from Social Protection Programmes (SPPs) which potentially assist other impoverished Zimbabweans, two-thirds of whom live below the poverty line (WFP 2019. Zimbabwe Annual Country Report 2019. World Food Programme). In this paper, we propose a reassessment of SPPs, in particular the Assisted Medical Treatment Order (AMTO), identifying barriers to access, and benefits for extending access to street young people. Drawing on secondary analysis of data from Growing up on the Streets, this paper re-conceptualises Ingrid Robeyns’ (2005. “The Capability Approach: A Theoretical Survey.” Journal of Human Development 6 (1): 93–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/146498805200034266) model of capabilities and applies it to the reversal of street youth exclusion and the application of government-targeted initiatives which have failed to reach those in the most vulnerable situations. In so doing, we propose an adapted model which recognises how the capabilities of street young people are enhanced when they are integrated into SPPs. This adapted model can be replicated and applied to relevant interventions for other groups of marginalised people in across contexts.

AB - Living in social contexts characterised by poverty and inequality, street young people have limited access to healthcare, water sanitation and hygiene services; exacerbating effects of ill health, infections, lack of nutrition and substance abuse that undermine their wellbeing. In Harare, Zimbabwe, they are also excluded from Social Protection Programmes (SPPs) which potentially assist other impoverished Zimbabweans, two-thirds of whom live below the poverty line (WFP 2019. Zimbabwe Annual Country Report 2019. World Food Programme). In this paper, we propose a reassessment of SPPs, in particular the Assisted Medical Treatment Order (AMTO), identifying barriers to access, and benefits for extending access to street young people. Drawing on secondary analysis of data from Growing up on the Streets, this paper re-conceptualises Ingrid Robeyns’ (2005. “The Capability Approach: A Theoretical Survey.” Journal of Human Development 6 (1): 93–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/146498805200034266) model of capabilities and applies it to the reversal of street youth exclusion and the application of government-targeted initiatives which have failed to reach those in the most vulnerable situations. In so doing, we propose an adapted model which recognises how the capabilities of street young people are enhanced when they are integrated into SPPs. This adapted model can be replicated and applied to relevant interventions for other groups of marginalised people in across contexts.

KW - Capability approach

KW - young street people

KW - social protection

KW - Zimbabwe

KW - social protection programmes

KW - ‌Assisted Medical Treatment Order (AMTO)

KW - street young people

KW - Accessing healthcare

KW - Wellbeing‌

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85173977726

U2 - 10.1080/19452829.2023.2261868

DO - 10.1080/19452829.2023.2261868

M3 - Article

SN - 1945-2829

VL - 25

SP - 110

EP - 130

JO - Journal of Human Development and Capabilities

JF - Journal of Human Development and Capabilities

IS - 1

ER -