Zimbabwe's Child Exodus

[tabatha]

Over the past decade, tens of thousands of Zimbabwean children have taken quite remarkable risks to smuggle themselves across the border into South Africa. For the most part they are acting illegally, and most travel alone or unaccompanied by adult relatives, but it is the only way that many of them feel they can escape the debilitating poverty, disease and violence they have experienced under Robert Mugabe's regime.

'The African story, told the African way' - Zimbabwean journalist Stanley Kwenda says African journalists have grown used to having foreign correspondents, often with little local knowledge, telling their stories
This extraordinary exodus is part of a wider migration that has seen almost two million Zimbabweans leave the country in search of a better life. Some will find it, but many will find that life in South Africa will never be the safe and prosperous existence they once dreamed of.

Investigative journalist Stanley Kwenda fled Zimbabwe in 2010 when his life was threatened by senior police officers after he exposed corruption in the country's police force. For Africa Investigates, Stanley has returned to his homeland, once one of the richest countries on the continent, to reveal the disturbing story behind the flight of his country's children.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/africainvestigates/2011/11/2011111682030843189.html

[HappyMe]

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