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CYP Africa supports Siasikabole sports for all

25 August 2006

Three day festival held at Siasikabole Basic School aimed at encouraging sports and interaction between urban and rural youth.

"Given the vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy and disease; is there any hope that the Siasikabole Community can turn things around for their youth and children?  My answer is a big YES.  But it takes rejecting the status quo, determining in your hearts that enough is enough and taking decided steps towards a different future for yourselves and for your youth and children. It means breaking a culture of depending on others and, with serious introspection reclaiming your ability to be response-able for sustaining your livelihoods and that of this community. It means rather than wait for handouts because we are poor; we will pick ourselves up, redeem our integrity and do what it takes to provide our next meal."

Valencia K D Mogegeh Regional Director, said this during  the 4th Yothum Muleya Sports Festival held in Choma 330 kilometres outside the capital, Lusaka. The Regional Director and 30 CYP RCA staff made this journey to a rural part of Choma to participate in the festival organised by the Siasikabole Sports for All Association .

The three day festival, which was this year held at Siasikabole Basic School, is aimed at encouraging sports and interaction between urban and rural youth of Southern Province. It drew participants from Mwana Chilenga Basic School and other surrounding schools, the community, representatives from the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association, Zambia Sugar Company and the CYP staff.

The festival's theme: Health and vitality, is everyone's challenge is drawn from the Commonwealth's 2006 theme; Health and Vitality: The Commonwealth Challenge.

Siasikabole Sports for All Association under the patronage of former Member of Parliament, Honourable Jessie Muleya, first held the Yothum Muleya Sports festival in 2003 and drew participants from 2 schools who competed in football and netball. However, over the years participation has been drawn from neighbouring schools (2 Community and 2 High schools) and organizations such as the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association, Zambia Airforce, Zambia Sugar Company and the Commonwealth Youth Programme.

CYP RCA staff participated in football, volley ball and netball, and presented the association with a cash donation.

Fourteen year old Permity Munkombwe said that good health was one thing all people should strive to achieve. HIV and AIDS  and drug abuse are some of the things that threaten the lives of youth and such health hazards have destroyed many hopes and ambitions.

She challenged fellow youth to concentrate on their studies and participate in sporting activities to ensure good health and productivity."Every youth is a potential patient or prisoner, unless authorites put in place programmes that take care of the youth providing life skills and behavior change," she said.

The Siasikabole Sports for All Association chairman, Bill Siamainda stated that the principle behind the associaition was to address issues of health and poverty in the area to encourage knowledge .

Mr Siamainda said that the association has over the years provided sports knowledge and athletics skills to draw talent and create opportunity for the rural youth to participate in national competitions.

He stated that their activities have resulted in participation in six national sporting events and one young lady even won the 3000m women's category race at the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association competition. Adding that they intended to begin coaching clinics in various disciplines in the schools and surrounding communities.

Mr Siamainda however, noted that HIV and AIDS sensitization was poor in the rural areas and that high levels of poverty equally made life hard for young people. He stated that Siasikabole Sports for All had undertaken a Carpentry and Welding Project to increase youth training and employment opportunities and that the project would need about GBP 9,000 and that Siasikabole Sports for All was engaged in several fundraising activities including the purchase and sale of maize from local farmers.

During the tour of Siasikabole Basic School, host for this years festival; the CYP RCA Regional Director, was informed that the children in the area faced many challenges but this was not a hinderance to development. She was also told that incidences of teenage pregnancies were on the rise, the school infrastructure was insufficient and deteriorating and that the school had on 10 teachers to 695 pupils adding that the scenario at neighbouring Mwana Chilenga Basic School was worse with 5 teachers for 700 pupils. The school has managed to renovate a block of class rooms under the government's Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme (BESSIP) funding but still needed a lot of assistance to improve the quality of education they provide.

Mrs. Mogegeh during her remarks stated that it was commendable that the association, the community and participating schools had shown commitment to the cause and encouraged adults to be mindful of the lessons they were teaching the young.

"If we spend our lives totally dependent on others for our sustenance, complaining about everything that can possibly go wrong in our lives, and blaming others for our failures; we are essentially turning our youth and children into beggars, whiners and people who will fail to take responsibility for engineering and directing their own lives," she said.

"The following are tips on how we can make our youth and children champions of their own destiny:

  • Work to build the self-esteem of youth and children 
  • Encourage them to focus on things of real value in life in order to achieve a noble character and true greatness 
  • Encourage them to develop their own interest
  • Create an enjoyable family culture
  • Plan Ahead
  • Set an example of excellence
  • Encourage them to dream and stretch out to realize their own potential
  • Show respect for their choice of friends
  • Teach them to have faith, to believe and trust others, to affirm, build, bless and serve others
  • Provide support, resources and feedback

"My earnest prayer is that we do not dismiss these as radical modern ideas.  I therefore urge all of us to give our youth and children a new beginning and try these ideas.  If we persevere we shall reap plenteously as our youth and children begin to enjoy a positive environment in the home and community, where they are affirmed and they feel valued and respected; with prospects of a very different bright future".   

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