AFRICANEWS
ZambiaNew hopes for slum youthsWomenby Newton Sibanda
Mary Kasakule, 23, left school in Grade 9 in 1992 due to lack of financial support. Her only source of support, a brother who was working in Lusaka was pruned and that left Mary helpless. At that point, she felt her future was shattered as her school career had suddenly come to an end. "I left school in Grade 9 at Mukinge Girls Secondary School in Kasempa (North Western Province) due to lack of support. I came here (Lusaka) for holidays but my brother was pruned. So I didn't have money to go back. I felt that my future was shattered," said Mary. But today, Mary is a proud and enterprising tailor earning a decent living through her tailoring business in the sprawling township of Kanyama; thanks to the Kanyama Youth Programme Trust where she underwent a tailoring course. Mary makes ladies' suits and trousers, and tie and dye and batik which she sells within the township on installment basis for those who cannot afford to pay cash. "My fiance advised me in 1997 to come here and I am really happy that I did. I don't make a lot of money, but at least I can afford to be on my own," she says with beaming confidence. Mary has been using the programme's workshop facilities at the Kanyama Centre under the "incubator" programme as she cannot afford to have her own workshop at the moment. She hopes to be on her own by next year. Greydon Chilufya, 25, also of Kanyama township is another proud beneficiary of Kanyama Youth Programme Trust. He had his future almost shattered when he dropped out of school in Grade 9 in 1993. "I left school in Grade 9 at Musofu Basic School in Mkushi because I had no sponsors. My father and mother passed away and that was the end of my school career," said Greydon. "My elder brother who was looking after me, gave me the idea of coming to Kanyama Youth Programme Trust for skills training in carpentry. At first I didn't have any interest in carpentry but now I have developed interest in the career," he said. "Though he doesn't make 'millions,' he is at least happy and able to live decently on his own. Greydon is currently using the trust's workshop facilities at Kanyama centre under the 'incubator' programme for graduates who are not yet able to stand on own their own. He hopes to open his own workshop soon but he has not yet decided on the probable location. The Kanyama Youth Programme Trust is a community-based organisation (CBO) offering skills training to under-privileged youth especially in the locality of Kanyama which includes such areas as Kanyama, Chibolya, John Laing, Chawama, Chinika and part of Makeni. "But if someone comes from areas other than those within the locality, we do assess and take them. We don't segregate though the exception is those who come from very far away places because we don't provide boarding facilities," explained Chibolya centre manager Grace Mushibwe. The objectives of the trust are to prepare the students for further training, to prepare youth for self-employment and to prepare them for formal employment. The youths are offered skills training in auto-mechanics, auto-electrical, catering, poultry management, tailoring, carpentry and brick-laying. From its inception, the trust which runs two centres (Kanyama and Chibolya) has churned out over 700 graduates, most of whom go into self employment. The major qualification for admission is the ability to speak English. "We are actually more into preparing them for self-employment because we do accept even students with the basic understanding of English. Formal employers on the other hand want highly qualified people," Mrs Mushibwe said. The youths enroll for skills training at only K10,000 and K15,000 (US$4 and US$6) for courses that require less acquisition of materials and those that require more acquisition of materials respectively. Previously, the trust used to give small loans to graduates to start their own businesses but most of them defaulted. "Sometime back, there was a system of giving small loans to graduates but most of them used to default. We can't really fault them because if you don't have money and you are given, you do 'first things first' and that is to put food in your mouth," Mrs Mushibwe said. "So what we did was to introduce 'incubator' workshops where graduates mature. Those who don't have the capacity to start their own business are admitted into the 'incubator' workshops where we provide them with a room and implements at a very minimal fee which is used to service the tools," she said. The courses run for one year and the 'incubation' period also runs for one year and at the end of this programme, the graduate is expected to be on his own. "It can however be extended depending on need. The graduates' goal is that during the incubation period, they should use everything for practically nothing so they can save to start their own business. If someone is responsible, he can save and go into some ventures," said Mrs Mushibwe. PThe trust used to be shunned because of its location, which made people think the courses were inferior but has now become so popular that limited classroom has become a major problem. "Initially people used to shun the programme. You know this stigma where people feel if you train in Chibolya (a sprawling shanty township on western side of town), you are inferior and prefer to train in places with prestigious names," Mrs Mushibwe said. P The trust, which runs on minimal fees paid by students is also largely dependent on sympathisers and partners like the Danish Association for International Cooperation (MS-Zambia), NORAD and Irish Aid. Kanyama Centre manager Victor Chola says the centre which was originally a communal ablution has since been expanded with the assistance of NORAD. "The original building was a communal ablution block but when the council started giving plots, it fell into the Kanyama Youth Programme grounds. We have made modifications and partitions to expand workshops and classrooms with the assistance of NORAD," Mr Chola said. "We will soon start a mini production to supplement funding because mainly we depend on student fees," he said. The importance of the trust in moulding the youths from Kanyama and surrounding areas into functional citizens cannot be over-emphasised. As Mrs Mushibwe said; "Because of our vision of targeting the poor youth, you don't see the results immediately because they are not direct. But we believe that if we provide education to the youths, we are removing potential robbers from the community."
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