By CHILA NAMAIKO-
THE Patriotic Front (PF) Youth League in Choma has called for more investment from stakeholders in educating vulnerable children in various orphanages across Zambia.
Presenting a donation of assorted school items to 60 orphans at Children’s Nest Orphanage in Choma at the weekend, PF Youth information and publicity secretary Joel Kamoko said good education was key for vulnerable children to grow responsibly.
Mr Kamoko said, as Zambia turned 50 years on October 24, the PF youths decided to empower the children with school requisites because education was a universal right for every child regardless of their social status.
“As PF youth league in Choma, we are very humbled to be associated with the cause of the orphanage and we assure you (orphans) of our support through community based initiatives such as this one,” he said.
The donation to the orphanage was dubbed ‘Golden Jubilee gift’, with support from the Choma business and farming community, and also saw the youths feed the children at the centre.
Mr Kamoko said that Zambia, being a Christian nation, there was need to appreciate that giving was a Christian virtue, which was also entrenched in the traditional values.
The youths would continue to lobby for the orphanage in collaboration with responsible ministries and other related agencies, to improve the lives of OVCs.
Orphanage director Emerson Sichikata said the centre was crippled with numerous challenges, among them, lack of finances to educate and look after the rising number of orphans.
The donation of books, among other school requisites from the PF youths, was a good motivator for children at the centre to concentrate on education.
Orphanage secretary Clement Chipokolo urged other political leaders and stakeholders to emulate the gesture by the youth to address challenges faced by the centre.