07/10/2026
๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ โ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐ฌโ
October 7, 2026 โ Serenje Town Council Chairperson Mr. Patrick Munshya has engaged the Zambia National Womenโs Lobby (ZNWL) and the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) to help address the growing presence of street-connected youths, commonly referred to as โjunkiesโ, in the Central Business District (C*D).
Mr. Munshya said the Council could not tackle the problem alone and called for concerted efforts among civil society organisations, parents, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to prevent more youths from becoming junkies.
He said there was need for civil society organisations to intensify sensitisation programmes targeting parents, particularly mothers, on the importance of raising and providing guidance to both boys and girls.
Mr. Munshya was speaking when a delegation led by ZNWL District Chairperson Mrs. Ruth Chikamba paid a courtesy call on him at the Civic Centre in Serenje.
โThese so-called junkies are supposed to be in school because we have free education, including skills training bursaries under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). There is therefore no excuse for our youths to end up on the streets,โ he said.
Mr. Munshya said the Council had decided to engage ZNWL and NGOCC because parents and communities had a critical role to play in addressing the challenges confronting young people.
He urged the two organisations to work with communities in providing counselling and guidance to youths, while encouraging parents to take a more active role in monitoring their children.
Meanwhile, NGOCC and ZNWL observed that some underage youths were frequently patronising bars and nightclubs, a situation they said exposed them to alcohol abuse, early s*xual activity and violence.
ZNWL member Mrs. Charity Mulala said the organisations would commence community sensitisation programmes aimed at encouraging parents to serve as role models and closely monitor both boys and girls.
โWe cannot continue seeing our children engaging in b**r drinking, early s*x and fighting to an extent of causing deaths,โ Mrs. Mulala said.
She said parents and the wider community had a responsibility to intervene before risky behaviour among young people escalated into serious social problems.
Other members of the delegation, ZNWL Vice Chairperson Mrs. Musonda K***a and member Mulenga Chibabila, thanked the Council Chairperson for engaging civil society in efforts to address the escalating social and criminal challenges involving youths in Serenje.
They pledged to work with the Council and other stakeholders in strengthening community sensitisation, parental guidance and youth-focused interventions.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development-Zambia
Local Government Association of Zambia
Central Provincial Administration
Serenje Radio 89.5 FM
Power FM Kabwe - The People's Station
Mkushi Community Radio 92.7 FM
