Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Doreen Mwamba, has paid tribute to Environment Africa Zambia for successfully holding a two-day Children’s Pre-Summit for Zambia and Zimbabwe in Lusaka.
The Minister highlighted the importance of the event, held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, as a precursor to the Children’s Summit scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, next year.
Ms Mwamba noted that the Summit, held under the theme “Seen, Heard and Engaged,” is organized by young people from all ten provinces of Zambia and chaired by 19-year-old George Kande, the Chairperson of the Africa Children’s Summit.
She praised the young organizers for creating an educational platform to voice their views.
The Cabinet Minister emphasized that the Government, under President Hakainde Hichilema’s leadership, is committed to strengthening the healthcare system to ensure that children in Zambia have access to quality healthcare services.
She conveyed this message in a speech delivered on her behalf by the Director of Child Affairs, Beatrice Sabe.
The Minister indicated that the Zambian Government has made considerable strides in improving healthcare services for children through expanded immunization programs, improved maternal and childcare services, and the recruitment of thousands of healthcare personnel nationwide.
Ms Mwamba stressed the government’s recognition of the critical importance of a clean and safe environment for the well-being of Zambian children.
She added that the government has been proactive in addressing environmental issues in Zambia, particularly in lead-polluted areas of Kabwe, through testing, treatment, and cleanup operations to reduce the impact of lead exposure on children.
The children are discussing various issues affecting them in their two countries, such as climate change, child rights, teenage pregnancies, and early marriage, to mention but a few.
Chairperson of the Africa Children’s Summit, George Kande, encouraged young people to be agents of change and make their voices heard on many issues affecting them, such as climate change, children’s rights, and inclusion in education, among others.
He urged the young people not to take the theme as a mere slogan but as a call to action that should make them be seen, heard, and engaged so that they become participants in developmental agendas.
One of the Members of Parliament Robert Munsanje who is also Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Children, implored the young people to leverage education as it is key to unlocking their potential.
Mr Munsanje who is also a Child Rights Advocate, informed the delegates that for the first time, Zambia has enacted the Children’s Code Act, which was recently signed into law by President Hakainde Hichilema, as well as the amendment of the Marriage Act that protects children from early marriage.
The MP expressed sadness that over 16,000 girls drop out of school every year due to early marriage and teenage pregnancies.
He, therefore, embraced the self-advocacy exhibited by the young people in organizing the Summit with the support of Environment Africa and their partners and encouraged them to freely express their ideas on various child-related issues affecting the young people in the country while bringing out actions that need to be taken.
The event was supported by Save the Children International (SCI), Kinder Not Hilfe (KNH), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Terre des Hommes (TDH).
