KITWE MAYOR, MWAYA PREACHED HYGIENE AMONG YOUTHS
KITWE Mayor Mpasa Mwaya has challenged youths to be responsible and look after their surroundings so that they can be part of the collaborative effort of propelling the local authority towards a cleaner, hygienic, healthy and better environment in the once vibrant giant mining town.
Ms Mwaya said youths were future leaders and so they must strive to prove themselves that they were prepared for leadership roles by engaging in progressive activities like being responsible for their health and also looking after their environment.
Ms Mwaya was speaking at the weekend when she officiated at the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Global Youth Day where all the SDA youths engage themselves in various communities’ activities which include cleaning up the city, giving medical services and blood donation.
At the same occasion, which was held at city square, the SDA youths donated eight bins to the Kitwe City Council (KCC), brooms and other materials for cleaning purposes.
Ms Mwaya said she was grateful to the SDA youths for the support given to the local authority, saying their conduct
was a testament to the collaborative spirit that propels the local towards a cleaner and more efficient city.
"As Kitwe Mayor, I will always embrace collaborative efforts especially from the church. I hope this gesture will not start and end today, but will continue so that the SDA youths become Ambassadors of clean and healthy city of Kitwe.
"As a woman , am usually disappointed that some of my fellow women, during rain season send their children to throw garbage in the drainage thereby blocking the drainage system. Am sure that these youths who have donated bins will refuse to throw garbage in the drainage but will throw it in the bins,'' Ms
Mwaya said.
And President of the Copperbelt Zambia Conference of the SDA church Webster Chabe urged the youths to continue engaging themselves in progressive projects and activities that will make them to gain and hold the confidence of those in authority.
Dr Chabe said those in authority will only be convinced to involve the youths in various national programmes and projects if they prove themselves that they were ready to implement programmes that were in national interest.
He said the policy of Humanism under the UNIP government of first republican President Kenneth Kaunda helped to mould youths into
responsible citizens by ensuring that during the Humanism week, they were actively involved in community programmes.
"Under the UNIP government of Dr Kaunda, we had the Humanism week where the youths would identify which areas or communities they will go and work in. This humanism helped youths to become responsible people.
"So in the same vein, youths as future leaders must prove themselves that they were ready to implement programmes that were in national interest. Youths must have a positive mind and find their place in society through being part of the solutions t the challenges facing the country,'' Dr Chabe said.