NGOCC calls for youth policies

By STEVEN ZANDE –
THE Non-Governmental Organisation Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC) has called on the Government to implement policies which support and enhance the growth of youths in rural areas.
NGOCC chairperson Sarah Longwe said the Government should ensure that it puts in place interventions such as direct support and provision of life skills to help young people in the country attain their full potential.
She said the NGOCC would continue to work with the Government and other stakeholders to ensure there was gender equality in the upbringing of youths.
Ms Longwe said this in Lusaka yesterday at the official opening of a youth meeting dubbed ‘Rural Youth Exposure Conference’, organised by Women for Change (WfC) with a view to identifying talent among the rural youth.
“Young people, including youths, need to be equipped if they are to fully realise their potential and become who they want to be in the future and contribute to national development,” Ms Longwe said.
She said Zambia had a young population which entailed the country had vast potential to produce strong ideas that would foster national development.
Ms Longwe said improved education among young people was crucial to ending political violence, hence the need for the youth to continue sharpening their skills to develop life-long learning habits.
WfC board chairperson Margaret Maimbolwa urged the youth to be ambitious and innovative because their success was vital to Zambia’s future development.
Dr Maimbolwa implored youths to ensure they lived responsibly by maintaining focus on their academic objectives in order for them to be better-positioned for future leadership roles in the country.
Victoria International Development Educational Assistance (VIDEA) programmes manager Hillary Ronald said VIDEA in partnership with WfC would continue to support initiatives that were aimed at providing education to rural youths.
A beneficiary of the partnership Veronica Nyirongo, 19, of Lundazi District in Eastern Province said the sponsorship had restored hope to her life because she was now pursuing a teaching course in English and art at Evelyn Hone College.
Ms Nyirongo urged her fellow youths to focus their efforts on academic work because their success and their future contribution to national development hinged on a sound foundation.