Mr. Kapungwe said it was unfortunate that many children, who could have been kept by relatives of their deceased parents, ended up without any care because Zambians had abandoned the extended family system. He said this after donating K1 million (US $210) to a children headed household of Nakoli compound in Kabwe.
Mr. Kapungwe said while government was doing what it could within its means to help out such families, it was important that many other people and organizations, took it up to assist such situations.
John Phiri 19, is looking after his brother and sister, Abel 13 and Anna 11, who are in grade five (5) and two (2) at Danford Chilwa school where he is also doing his ninth grade.
He is providing for their education, meals and paying rentals. Phiri said the three were double orphans, who were struggling to make ends meet, as they depended on selling fritters.
He thanked Mr. Kapungwe for the donation, saying the money would go a long way in assisting them meet some of his family’s needs.
Phiri said he was planning to spend the money to build a house of their own since there was already a plot, adding that he would make bricks and only hire a bricklayer while spend some of the money on roofing materials.
He also commended Jesus Cares Ministry, which he said was doing a lot in assisting the family especially in the education field.
ZANIS
Do you think the K3b RB gave to Zimbabwe would have helped our own vulnerable people?
Only a crazy person leaves his own children to starve while he feeds his neighbor’s children
The extended family has NOT been abandoned, it LEFT Zambia a long time ago through the loss of so many responsible adults. This young man could not possibly be suffering alone in this way if there were able uncles, aunties, cousins, even neighbors to help him. You don’t have to be a rocket science to understand why orphans are looking after themselves in Zambia today. Does this DC even know that orphanages were almost non-existent just a short while ago in our country? And why focus on giving a K1 million “fish” when you should concentrate on teaching people to “fish” so they can gain some respectable independence from short-sighted people like you??
Iwe Jona, I don`t see them here!
Some years back, when Zambia was Zambia, if one`s father died in the then RCM/NCCM, they employed the mother to work pa dome (read this in bemba please).
The other thing is it was rare for mother and father to die at the same time. If that was the case, then they got a sibling to start bushi maini.
Theres some truth in the article extended family is almost non existent in Zed.
it sad to hear a story like this, relatives nowadays dont seem to care to want to help their relatives, sometimes if they do they end up mistreating them. theres too much selfishness.