Kuomboka Youth Group scoops the prestigious Commonwealth Silver Award

In her speech, the guest of honor, Mrs. Alice Mutemwa, District Administrative Officer, said that the award has not only brought joy and honor to the organisation but also to the province and country as a whole. The guest of Honor pointed out that many people in rural and urban areas had knowledge on human rights. “For a long time, girls have continuously suffered in their own homes and some have been abused with their own fathers and other members of the community. Forced marriage has for a long time been a serious problem in our district.” She said. Mrs. Mutemwa, commended the Kuomboka Youth Group for their efforts in addressing human rights based issues in the community.

With about 3,000 young people; Mongu like many other districts in Zambia, has been facing a number of challenges especially with youth. Unemployment, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancies, early marriages have continued to take lead in the district. Kuomboka which means getting out of water depicts the problem which happens in Mongu during rainy season. The area experiences floods forcing inhabitants to move out of the affected areas to dry lands. Therefore the group picked this name to urge young people to move away of their problems. The executive director of the group explained.

Speaking about the group; Kuomboka Youth Group Board Representative Mr. Mulwanda Richard noted that, it has not been easy to address community challenges. The group administers three programmes; HIV/AIDS, good governance and sustainable livelihood. He congratulated the Commonwealth Youth Programme for the CYDA initiative stating that it is not only motivating the youth but also developing communities.

Congratulating the Group, the Commonwealth Youth Programme Representative Ms. Nellie Munala said that efforts like these make CYP proud of investing in young people. “It is clear that a number of people in our society are not aware of their rights as well as responsibilities, this puts them in a compromising situation when it comes to their participation in governance and development processes. This project is not only beneficial to young people but to all groups in the community as it creates awareness on human rights”. She added.

Ms. Munala thanked the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Child Development for their continued efforts in addressing the challenges faced by young people in Zambia and mostly for facilitating the CYDA initiative in the country.

The CYP Team was able to visit the Kashembe Community; one of the area benefiting from the Human Rights awareness project. The community received education on human rights through dramas and traditional dances. The audience was then given an opportunity to ask questions and give opinions on the lesson learnt. This event was graced by the presence of the Induna of Kashembe community, his Excellency Evans Mwiya Mwendende who appreciated young people’s efforts in addressing community challenges.