LET’S END CHILD MARRIAGE, SAYS FRIST LADY MUTINTA
FIRST Lady Mutinta Hichilema has made a clarion call to communities and various stakeholders to take up the responsibility of ending child marriages in Zambia.
Speaking at the 2024 First Lady Mentorship programme aimed at stopping early childhood marriages, Mrs Hichilema has encouraged young people to stay in school and always speak out when forced into early marriages.
Mrs Hichilema has thanked various stakeholders and cooperating partners for making this year’s mentorship program a success.
And Stanbic Bank chief executive officer Mwindwa Siakalima has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to support programs aimed at empowering young people and helping them stay in school.
Mr Siakalima said the Bank had over the years focused on uplifting young people mainly in rural areas through donations, Career Mentorship, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs in a quest to curb early marriages and other vices among young people in the country.
He said that through the mentorship program, young people are guided to leverage on limitless career choices to shape their future.
Meanwhile Men’s Network Zambia Chairperson Nelson Banda has challenged men in various communities to take part in initiatives aimed at ending gender based violence and early child marriages in the country.
Mr Banda said the network had come up with Boys Network in various schools across the country to create spaces that will groom young boys into men that will be able to stand against early marriages now and in the future.
And Education Permanent Secretary Noriana Muneka has assured of Governments commitment in coming up with a holistic approach to vocation and skills training in primary and secondary schools to improve and promote innovation among young people.
She says the ministry is set to hold a career exhibition program for 100,000 learners across the country from which 300 learners will be selected to partake internship programs in their career path so as to contribute to the mission of the 2030 Vision in the education sector.