Abstract
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.