Zambia starts screening street kids for skills training

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - The Zambian government has started the process of identifying street kids who would be trained in various skills and later integrated into society.

Community Development and Social Services Minister Doreen Mwamba told reporters in the capital Lusaka on Wednesday that the program is being undertaken in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense, which runs the Zambia National Service (ZNS) centers.

"The identified street kids will be placed in different training centers across the country," said Mwamba, adding “the government will use the ZNS centers to impart skills to the young people.”

She said the beneficiaries, who mostly come from broken families, would be counseled, rehabilitated and taught different skills to enable them to generate income for self-dependence.

The ZNS is a defense force wing that is mandated to train citizens to serve the republic, develop infrastructure, enhance national food security and contribute to socio-economic development, according to the ministry’s website.

Zambia has a population of over 19 million, of which more than half are young people between the ages of 18 and 35.

Many young people turn out to be jobless due to high unemployment levels and resort to street life and abusing drugs and other substances such as alcohol.

This has led to an increase in street children nationwide, with a ripple effect being high crime levels, especially in densely populated cities like Lusaka, which accommodates over 2 million people.