Mazabuka District Commissioner, Misheck Chiinda, has challenged youths to take advantage of the K120 Million youth development fund released for youth empowerment projects by government.
Mr. Chiinda has advised the youths to desist from engaging in illicit activities
that would expose them to the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS but advised them to
engage in economic viable projects.
Mr Chiinda said in Mazabuka that it is worrying to note that most youths are
engaging in serious anti-social vices despite government putting in place measures
aimed at empowering them economically.
He complained that the K120 Million is lying idle in the Zambia National Commercial
bank because real beneficiaries of the fund are instead shunning the fund due to
drug influence.
The district commissioner, who was speaking when he officially launched an HIV/AIDS
resource centre at ZENGANI Institute in Kaonga township, said the opening up of the
resource centre deserves praise because residents would now freely walk into the
library and access information on various issues about HIV/AIDS.
Mr Chiinda also commended ZENGANI management for initiating a pilot project of
training HIV/AIDS peer educators, who will be deployed to various communities to
educate people especially in rural areas about the dangers of contracting the
pandemic.
He observed that most non governmental organisations championing the cause of
HIV/AIDS were only concentrating their education campaigns in urban areas and have
deprived the people in outlying areas of the necessary information.
And speaking earlier, Zengani institute Director, Norman Sibande, said the fight
against HIV calls for concerted efforts among all stakeholders.
He said Zengani institute will continue supplementing government efforts in the
fight against the pandemic.
ZANIS
