A SET of newly-born triplets in the rural district of Masaiti on the Copperbelt has arrived to the harsh economic times of the country and are having to drink zigolo because their parents can’t afford the nutrious food they require.
In many settings, children are celebrated as greatest blessing of a married couple, filling homes with joy and hope.
And for Davy Juma aged 34 and his 27-year old wife, Bertha of Masaiti district on the Copperbelt have been blessed abundantly.
In their short marriage, the couple has had two sets of twins with a set of triplets born only three months ago.
The joy of their growing family has been overshadowed by the weight of financial hardship.
Their journey began with a double blessing, twins, but tragedy struck when one of them was lost.
Undeterred, the couple welcomed another set of twins, and most recently, triplets who are about three months old.
Their home, once filled with laughter, now echoes with the quiet desperation of parents struggling to provide for their children.
Juma shared that the children have often had to subsist on traditional drinks like Munkoyo and Zigolo due to the lack of funds for adequate nutrition.
“My wife gave birth from Masaiti District Hospital. I’m asking for help from the public…because I have failed to manage taking care of my children, they are a lot,” Juma appealed to the public in Bemba.
“Our first pregnancy, we had twins, her twin died. Our second pregnancy, we had twins too and our third pregnancy, we had triplets. Life is now hard as my children now drink Zigolo and Munkoyo because I have no money to buy them milk shakes or milk. My wife is not able to feed the three months old triplets because her milk is inadequate, sometimes the breast milk is not accessible to the children as it fails to come out.”
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, August 26, 2024
