From CHARLES SIMENGWA in Paris, France –
. LUNGU
FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has appealed to the private sector in Zambia to pool their efforts in setting up centres for teenage mothers. She said it is unfortunate that many girls have become victims of unwanted pregnancies, due to poverty and increased cases of defilement. Ms Lungu said if young mothers were kept in safe shelters and exposed to life skills, they would have a fair chance of re-establishing themselves and to take good care of their children. The First Lady said this at Le Meurice Hotel on Tuesday evening before departure from France, where she had accompanied President Edgar Lungu, who was here at the invitation of French President, François Hollande. She said her tour, on Monday, of Villa Deaurer Centre in Palaiseau, which provided a social safety net for teenage mothers who failed to provide for their children, was a learning experience that had inspired her to press for the protection of young, vulnerable mothers. Ms Lungu said Zambia should have centres set up around the Tasintha model, which helped commercial sex workers to reform their lives using a positive, non-judgmental approach. Tasintha, which meant ‘deeper transformation’ in Chewa, was started in 1992, with the goal of curbing the HIV pandemic. The Tasintha programme, which was spearheaded by Gender Minister Nkandu Luo, trained more than 5,000 commercial sex workers in alternative ways of generating income, in a bid to curb the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Some income-generating activities included tailoring and embroidery, door mat making and mechanics. The First Lady said such programmes should be revived to assist the young mothers and protect them from social vices. “The private sector should complement Government’s efforts in empowering young mothers and their children who are vulnerable. If the teenage mothers are kept in centres like Tasintha used to do, they will not go back to prostitution. They can be productive members of society if they are given skills and capital,” Ms Lungu said.
