The Mwansa Bwale Foundation is a non-profit organisation that specifically deals with the plight of children with special needs as well as those from vulnerable homes. It seeks to encourage communities to embrace special needs children and highlight the struggles faced by their parents .
The foundation has since adopted a school in Lusaka’s Linda township called Benevolence Special Needs School. 

“I have always been passionate about children, especially those with special needs or those less fortunate than I am. I live around that area and I noticed that the school was almost abandoned, yet there are a lot of children with special needs who do not access education for various reasons,” said Mwansa Bwale

Mwansa Bwale is a 28 year old Zambian Humanitarian and Entrepreneur, Founder and Chairperson of two Non-Governmental Organizations; ‘Mwansa Bwale Foundation for Children with Disabilities’ and ‘Single Mums Club Zambia’.

She Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Zambia and is passionate about empowering the girl child.

She is a soon to be published author and has a Facebook page called “Mwansa Bwale ” with a growing following of over 27000 followers where she shares motivational posts about relationships, careers, fashion and her main passion; community service. She uses her real life experiences to encourage women to “get back up and conquer”

We caught up with her for an interview ;

KAPA187: Briefly tell us about yourself.

MWANSA BWALE:  I’m a philanthropist and a humanitarian. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Zambia, an advanced diploma in Human Rights, a diploma in law and a certificate in Human Rights!
I’m founder of two NGOs namely the “Mwansa Bwale Foundation for Children with Disabilities” and “Single Mums Club Zambia“. Above everything else, I’m a mother to a lovely boy CJ. I’m passionate about women and youth empowerment. I’m passionate about children with special needs hence the vision behind the Mwansa Bwale Foundation. I’m also an entrepreneur, speaker and writer.

KAPA187: What made you decide to set up the Mwansa Bwale Foundation for Children With Disabilities?

MWANSA BWALE: I’m passionate about children with disabilities because I feel they are a very vulnerable group in our society who do not get equal opportunities as able-bodied children do. I also feel that there are not adequate rights that support persons with disabilities so hence my passion to start this organization.

KAPA187: What exactly are the objectives of the foundation?

MWANSA BWALE: The objectives of the foundation are to provide basic health care and basic education to children with disabilities. To cater to their needs whilst we educate them. To make them feel loved and cared for and to make a huge positive impact in their and their families’ lives. And above all, to ensure that they get equal opportunities in all sectors of life regardless of their disabilities.

KAPA187: From the time you started your foundation, what have you learnt about the way society in general regards children with disabilities.

MWANSA BWALE: I have learnt that one of the important things about EDUCATION is to broaden your mind. Most societies in rural areas have misconceptions regarding disabilities and this is mainly because of being uneducated. There is a lot of stigma and discrimination towards persons with disabilities especially among uneducated individuals.

KAPA187: Working with children who have special needs can sometimes be physically and emotionally draining, What keeps you going?

MWANSA BWALE: . I believe when you have the passion for it, you won’t see any challenge as draining but exciting to achieve and conquer it. So since I do my work out of passion and interest, I do not see it draining at all. I love the activities that I do with the kids no matter how tiring because the bigger picture is what matters to me… When I succeed in my plight to achieve my goals for them, I work even harder and enjoy it while I’m at it.

KAPA187: As a foundation you adopted the Benevolence special needs school. In what way do you support them?

MWANSA BWALE: We help them in paying the teacher’s salary, providing them with stationary, and we are currently working on a school uniform for them as well renovating the school when we get funding.

KAPA187: Last December you hosted a Christmas party for kids in Linda Compound, tell us about that event.

MWANSA BWALE: We hosted a Christmas party for the kids in Linda Compound which was a huge success. It was such a rainy day but that did not stop us. We organized the Christmas party very well and had support from our foundation members who donated clothes and even money. We had individuals contribute different amounts and clothes too… We had the Radisson Blu Hotel team join our Christmas party and donate juice and dessert to our kids. We also had the St Paul Praise Team of Kabwata, “Showers Of Blessings” donate lots of stationary consisting of pencils, books, sharpeners, erasers, even snacks, as well as clothes to our children”. The Christmas party attracted quiet a huge crowd from within the entire community of Linda Compound. We had over 200 children show up, about 80 of which have disabilities.

KAPA187: How is your foundation funded, and how do you ensure that the money goes to its intended purpose?

MWANSA BWALE: We are currently not funded. Our foundation members each donate an amount every month which goes to our cause. We also hold fundraising activities as a foundation such as car washing which enables us to raise money to provide for our kids at our adopted school. We have a board which ensures all financial transparency and a record of all funds and projects achieved which we review every month.

KAPA187: Apart from your foundation you also run ‘Single Moms Club’, What is it about and why did you decide to start it?

MWANSA BWALE: I started it after my own experience as a single mother. Raising a child single-handedly has a lot of challenges which I noticed that a lot of women in our country actually experience. When I launched it to the public, the response was overwhelming. Many single mothers joined our club and it has since then been successful. It’s an empowerment forum for single mothers. We mentor mothers in various ways of how they can sustain an income, we help struggling mothers by paying for their children’s school fees and basic needs in their homes as well as mentoring high school students about the importance of an education so as to be able to be independent before becoming parents.

KAPA187: You are also an entrepreneur, motivator, and a mother. How do you keep your life balanced and prevent getting overwhelmed?

MWANSA BWALE: LOL, I’m a very proud mother to a lovely boy named CJ. He is my world. I feel blessed that God saw me fit enough to be the vessel that carried and birthed such a start, so it’s such divine favour to be his mother. I enjoy raising him so it’s not at all overwhelming as such. Well perhaps because I have an amazing family who supports me in everything that I do. I have amazing siblings (2 younger sisters and 1 big brother) and I have both my mother and father. They all support me in raising and parenting CJ. Being an entrepreneur is a childhood passion. I see myself on that Forbes list sooner than later, LOL. And ultimately when it all feels rather challenging, I surrender it all to the Lord. I pray a lot. I love God above everything else and only through him can you succeed and keep sane, LOL. God cannot take me where he surely will not see me through 🙂

KAPA187: You seem to have a lot on your plate. What do you do to relax and have fun?

MWANSA BWALE: I spend a lot of quality time with my son and my family. I love spending time with them actually because it is so refreshing and soul soothing. I also spend time with my friends and do dinners and movies. I also love travelling a lot. And because I have a deep passion for writing, I spend relaxing time just writing and pouring out my soul on paper. It’s quiet refreshing for me.

KAPA187: What word of advice do you have for the youth who may think they are too young to make a difference in this country?

MWANSA BWALE: God does not call the qualified, he QUALIFIES the called! You are never too young to make a difference. The future is not tomorrow but NOW! Young people have fresh minds with such brilliant ideas made to be generators of hope for this and the next generation. Bring out those ideas and birth the dreams. Act now and never feel inadequate no matter who you are or where you come from. Always remember that the future is in the hands of us the Youth and you can only make a difference when you start. Remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. So take that step, take a leap of faith, and watch what the Lord has in store for you.

KAPA187: Is there anything you would like to add?

MWANSA BWALE: I’m praying to be a Mandela Washington Fellow for 2016.I was shortlisted this month and went for interviews at our respective US Embassy. For me that was a huge milestone and success on its own, but it will be more complete if I make it as a fellow for it will give me a huge platform and network to internationally put all our works on the international map as well as network internationally so as to come and implement in our country. So I’m appealing to my fellow Zambians to put me in their prayers as I wait for the results next month… Also like my page on Facebook, “MWANSA BWALE” to follow all my works. Thank you.

Interact with Mwansa Bwale on her official Facebook page :” Mwansa Bwale ”

BY KAPA187

Mr Lungu said here yesterday that his one year in office had been marked by massive development projects which Zambians had appreciated.

He said this during an interview with Radio France International journalist, Laura-Angela Bagnetto and in another interview with France 24’s ‘Eye on Africa’ producer, Georja Calvin-Smith at Le Meurice Hotel.

The Head of State said he had sufficient trust in the Electoral Commission of Zambia and Zambia Police Service to facilitate credible and peaceful polls, respectively.

“The ground is even and I have confidence in the robust Electoral Commission of Zambia while the police service is equal to the task. I just expect all the players to cooperate,” he said.

Mr Lungu dispelled the notion that his administration had stifled Press freedom in the country, and cited some foreign journalists who had been operating in Zambia freely.

“I don’t have any record of stopping any journalists, even the hostile media,” he said.

The President said he was proud of the progress so far made in implementing development projects which had been widely applauded by Zambians.

He extended an invitation to investors in France to consider setting up businesses in Zambia as it was one of the most politically stable countries in Africa.

The Government, he said, had focused on economic diplomacy for the mutual benefit of both the investors and Zambians.

He said the Government had shifted its attention to agriculture, infrastructure development, manufacturing, tourism and other crucial sectors to grow its economy.

“We are not going to abandon mining, but all we are saying is that we have learnt a lesson from being a mono-economy.

“Zambia has depended on copper for many years and the economy has been disrupted each time the commodity prices fell,” Mr Lungu said.

He said climate change had had a profound effect on agriculture and the environment, adding that part of the reason he was in France was to forge progressive partnerships with entrepreneurs willing to invest in the country’s energy sector.

The Head of State said as much as the Government wanted to implement cost-reflective tariffs, it would not rush the decision to avoid hurting consumers.

“It’s like the issue of re-introducing the national airline; we haven’t reversed the idea, but we will do it gradually,” he said.

He said Zambia would continue playing a role in ending conflicts in Burundi, and was confident that the forthcoming meeting in Angola under the auspices of the Great Lakes Region would find solutions to the political turmoil which was affecting neighbouring countries.

Mr Lungu said he was deeply proud of the peace Zambia had enjoyed across the years despite people holding different opinions on national matters.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has directed Energy Minister Dora Siliya and her Commerce counterpart, Margaret Mwanakatwe to ensure all the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed with French institutions are speedily implemented.

Mr Lungu told journalists after the France-Zambia business forum at the Movement for French Enterprises (MEDEF) centre that the Government was in a hurry to unlock the country’s economic potential.

Among the MoUs signed during the President’s three-day State visit here included one between Zambia and France Development Agency (AFD) framework convention on AFD’s activities in Zambia.

Other MoUs were between France 24 and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Declaration of Intent between Business France and Zambia Development Agency, and Paris 1 Panthon Sorbonne University and the Hotel Tourism Training Institute Trust.

Independent Broadcasting Authority director-general Josephine Mapoma on Monday issued France 24 a licence to start operating in Zambia.

Mr Lungu said he had asked the two ministers to work at an appropriate speed and ensure that the MoUs were implemented.

He expressed gratitude to the French Government for pledging to help Zambia re-establish its national airline.

He said Zambia was a hub of tourism which needed to be air-linked for easier transportation of tourists into and out of the country.

The Head of State later attended a side event dedicated to renewable energy with top business executives, and facilitated by the Union of Renewable Energies (URE) at the MEDEF centre.

He said Zambia’s energy sector was in a crisis because hydro power formed 90 per cent of the country’s total supply.

Mr Lungu said following the Paris climate conference, dubbed COP 21, his administration had bought into the idea of alternative sources of energy to avoid depending on hydro power.

URE president Jean-Louis Bal said the association was interested in cooperating closely with Zambia in setting up renewable energy plants.

Mr Bal was excited about the legal framework Zambia was framing for renewable energy sources, which was in line with the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative formed after COP 21 and aimed at achieving universal access to energy in Africa.
He said the meeting would lead to more networking between French companies and Zambian entrepreneurs in the energy sector.

The President was hosted for lunch by the Association of International Exchanges in Agricultural and Agrifood Products and Techniques at Le Meurice Hotel, where he said Zambia was migrating towards increased investments in the livestock sector.

He said his administration was now looking at agriculture in a broader sense and had, as a result, split the Agriculture ministry to better manage livestock and fisheries.

Mr Lungu said depending on crop production alone, chiefly maize, was not a sustainable way of ensuring food security.

The President, who was accompanied to France by First Lady Esther Lungu and some Government officials, was expected to leave Paris at 21:25 hours, local time.

ZNFU President Evelyn Nguleka said the Union believes this move by ZESCO will now help farmers increase their production of irrigated crop particularly in areas that are experiencing dry spells in the country.

Dr Nguleka added that it will be easier for farmers to engage in planting winter crops including wheat, sugar cane and barley in the next few weeks.

She said these crops require affordable electricity to support massive irrigation regimes for improved productivity to achieve food security for the nation while earning foreign exchange from exports of the surplus crop.

“It was indeed difficult and costly for farmers to undertake meaningful irrigation when electricity tariffs had increased by 350 per cent for farmers falling under the MD category at a time when commodity prices have remained low on both local and international markets,” she said.

Dr Nguleka said the Union is, however, aware of the limited progress recorded so far in growing the energy sector largely due to the electricity tariffs that have remained low for a long time.

She said ZNFU has always advocated for a phased approach in electricity tariff increments as opposed to a huge one-off increase that would have not only have undermined crop and agro-processing, but also threatened food security in the country.

“It is our sincere hope that dialogue between government and private sector players will continue in arriving at an appropriate level of electricity tariffs that would attract more investments in the energy sector while at the same time supporting primary production in agriculture.”

ZAMTEL faces imminent collapse as a result of serious management and financial crisis, civil rights activist Brebner Changala has warned.

Government, he said, must urgently intervene by instituting a thorough forensic audit which senior employees are demanding.

Mr Changala cited the case of the crippled and non-performing internet service for which Zamtel was continuing to receive payment.

“Instead of alerting the nation about the breakdown, they have continued to collect money from customers. This is virtual theft,” Mr Changala said.

But when contacted for a comment Zamtel managing director Mupanga Mwanakatwe told the Daily Nation newspaper to write to his office requesting for a comment.

Mr Changala revealed that ZAMTEL had in the past one month failed to provide internet services and that the workforce at the institution had become highly demotivated because of the management crisis at the institution.

“Senior management employees are despondent and demotivated by the kind of situation prevailing in the company which must be dealt with urgently. Zamtel is in very bad hands and unless Government comes to this realization it will be too late to take remedial measures,” Mr Changala said.

He called on the Minister of Transport and Communications Kapembwa Simbao and the Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda to immediately order for a forensic audit at ZAMTEL because there were fears that the company was being extensively mismanaged.

Mr Changala said in an interview yesterday that ZAMTEL, in its current form and shape, was ‘‘nothing but a failed project’’ and unless drastic measures were taken, there was a danger that one of the country’s sensitive installations was going to collapse.

Mr Changala said the security of the country could easily be compromised if Government was going to hesitate to take drastic measures that could save ZAMTEL from total collapse.

ZAMTEL was sold to LapGreen of Libya barely five years ago but the Patriotic Front (PF) reversed the sale soon after assuming power in 2011 under former president Michael Sata and now the country’s single telecommunication company is on the brink of insolvency.

He said he was disappointed that the Zambia Information and Communication Technology (ZICTA) had lamentably failed to supervise ZAMTEL and should therefore take full responsibility for its state.

“ZAMTEL is going through serious management and financial crisis and until and unless Government moves fast to commence forensic audit at the company, there is a real danger that the only State-owned telecommunication installation could easily collapse. We must not wait until such a calamity befalls us and that is why I am appealing to Mr Simbao and Mr Chikwanda to immediately commence a forensic audit to establish the extent of the management and financial crisis that has hit the company,” Mr Changala said.

He revealed that management at ZAMTEL had also cancelled leave days for all its workers because the company had no capacity to liquidate the amount of money that had been accrued by its workers.

Mr Changala said there had been a lot of disenchantment among workers and that it had become important that the management and financial chaos be corrected in the shortest time possible.

Mr Changala complained that his internet service had not been working from 22nd January and that management at the institution had not provided him with any answers to his queries.

But Mr Mwanakatwe said he had no idea what Mr Changala was talking about and urged the Daily Nation to write him a press query before he could respond to the matter.

“If you want any information about Zamtel put it in writing and we shall respond… but if you want to go ahead and publish the story, you are free to do so,” he said.

The hiked presidential nomination fee has given room for the two top political parties to compete without much interference, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has said.

YALI president Andrew Ntewewe said the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) were the only parties capable of winning this year’s elections and the rest should consider rallying behind them.

‘’The problem is that we have had people that form a political party today and tomorrow they want to run for presidency; this is what we as YALI term as jokers. Why not support the candidates that are already there, because it is an open secret that we have two contenders for the presidency, even a child will tell you if you do a simple survey they will tell you that it is either Edgar Lungu or Hakainde Hichilema, why are we failing to accept that ?” Mr Ntewewe asked.

He explained that such leadership could no longer be supported as the new Constitution demanded a popular president.

He added that elections were very expensive and couldn’t afford to embrace political games.

“The spirit of the new Constitution is such that people who aspire for presidency must be popular and acceptable,” he explained.

Mr Ntewewe said issues like those of the national voters register which each presidential candidate had to be given was draining tax payer’s money with the mushrooming of many parties.

He also noted that requirements such as ferrying polling assistants from every political party to observe the ballot paper printing process was costly hence the cutting down on the numbers of candidates would be cost effective.

He said the required k75,000 fee for an aspiring presidential candidate would filter all smaller political parties to pave way for serious parties to contest.

Mr Ntewewe said the fee was a way for aspiring candidates to contribute to the running of elections which was expensive.

He said there were a lot of costs associated to the preparation of elections which needed sharing.