By PASSY HAACHIZO –
Procrastination is the fertiliser that makes difficulties grow; all problems become smaller if you do not dodge them, but confront them.
Touch a thistle timidly and it pricks you; grasp it boldly and its spines crumble.
These are wise sayings that youths of nowadays can put to good use especially that most of them rarely pursue their dreams due to challenges encountered at their early stages of life.
Most of such young people abandon school, do not listen to parents, avoid Church and are given to social vices in some townships and streets.
But some young people do not forget their humble background.

• Taman Banda feeds his rabbits and guinea pigs.

One such person is Taman Banda of John Laing Township in Lusaka who is a good example.
He is one person who does not get easily swayed by peer pressure.
Born 17 years ago to Ernest Banda of John Laing Township, Taman went to sisters nursing school within John Laing.
The boy is in Grade Nine at one of the schools within the same township.
At an early stage, Taman went to Nangoma and Kabwe, two of his father’s farms located in Central Province.
It was during one of these visits that he saw children of his age trapping rabbits. He later joined them.
When he travelled back to Lusaka, he narrated to his friends about his adventure in the rural area and he also developed a new idea of wanting to keep rabbits.
He thought about the idea of keeping rabbits for a long time and later on,  decided that keeping rabbits was something he could do on a large scale even after completing Grade Twelve.
A Tonga proverb goes, “Mbeba kunona Italikila Lubwana”, meaning the future of a young person is noted at kindergarten stage.
This applies to Taman who was faced with some challenges in his education. But he did not forget about his dream of wanting to be a farmer.
In January 2014, Taman bought two rabbits at K15 each.
He kept them in a shelter which he made for  himself using concrete blocks.
After two weeks, he discovered that the rabbits were losing fur.
It was a sign that gestation period was at the peak and within a short period of time, the female rabbit gave birth to four babies. But
within a week, all the baby rabbits died due to negligence.
“After buying these rabbits, I literally had no idea on how to keep them. I just caged them in a small hut made out of blocks,” Taman said.
The death of the baby rabbits made him buy guinea pigs which he kept together with the rabbits.
He also started cleaning the place where he was keeping them regularly and this at least, made a difference.
Two months later the rabbit gave birth again. This time, the rabbit had five young ones and again,  just after a few days one died.
Taman said the death of the baby rabbit did not ditract his plans as he believed he had what was necessary to keep the rabbits.
He came up with a roster on when to clean and feed the rabbits and the guinea pigs and satisfy them with whatever food he could find them.
The gestation period for a female rabbit (doe) is between 28-35 days, although most will kindle (give birth) at 31-32 days. The doe will pull fur from her abdomen and dew lap and, along with hay or other
materials, use it to create a nest.
Taman, who now has over ten guinea pigs and six rabbits, said last year, he sold some rabbits and used the funds raised to buy study materials for his schoolwork.
He said feeding rabbits usually keeps him busy most of the time.
“My plan is to sell some of the rabbits and use the money to meet some of my needs at school because my father cannot meet all my educational expenses. My father is not in any formal employment,” said Taman.
The Grade Nine pupil said once he has completed school, he will go to a veterinary school and learn how to keep the rabbits on a large scale.
He wants to be a farmer and keep all sorts of animals,
including birds.
“Looking at what I have done in two years as far as keeping rabbits and guinea pigs is concerned, I am optimistic that I will be a great farmer and I know God will be on my side,” he said.
Lusaka Veterinary Clinician Isaac Chilombo encouraged youths like Taman to have an interest in using their skills to make something positive out of their lives.
He said agricultural activities, like animal raring, is something young people can get involved in to help their families have a better income.
Mr Chilombo attributed the dying of pet animals like rabbits to lack of care by their owners. He said it was cardinal that animals like rabbits are prevented from getting diseases not only through getting
them vaccinated but also keeping them in a clean environment as this would reduce the diseases.
“It is very important to ensure that animals like rabbits are always kept in a clean environment unlike where owners rarely clean the places where they cage them,” said Mr Chilombo.
He said rabbits are prone to parasites if not kept well. That could cause them to have other infections on their bodies.
He advised Taman to have his rabbits vaccinated to prevent rabies.
Mr Chilombo advised people like Taman to frequently seek veterinary services in order to succeed in their endeavours.
He encouraged the community to seek information from qualified experts rather than  risk contracting diseases like rabies because of keeping animals like dogs and rabbits out of ignorance.
The sky is the limit for Taman who seems determined to change his life through raring animals.
Rather than sit back and just wait for his unemployed father to pay everything for his education, Taman has demonstrated that even young people can make a difference in helping their families achieve what could have been ordinarily difficult.