calamities: whose affected more?

Over the centuries, children have borne the brunt of suffering. Helpless and dependant, they often have been caught in the cross fires of wars, conflict, public riots and family feuds.
It was mostly children who bore the impact of the recent Burmese cyclone that marshaled millions of the country’s population into horrible destitution in seconds.
It was infants again who were decimated in the 1990s when the concept of streetism came into the Zambian vocabulary.

To that end, UNDP national economist, Elda Chirwa in an interview, said escalating global food crisis, energy shortages and erratic fuel price adjustments will soon paralyze the effectiveness of most households, a situation that would distract human efforts aimed at improving standards of living.

Ms Chirwa said those cross cutting economic upheavals would usher children into insurmountable sufferings if not handled with the seriousness they deserve as some households tended to leave children to fend for themselves when things were hard-hitting.

She argued that even the achievements Zambia had recorded in health, nutrition and the provision of antiretroviral drugs to HIV and AIDS clients would be paralysed as the current crises of food, energy and fuel, affected most strategic sectors that anchor the viability of society’s production capacity.

Ms Chirwa said the provision of Anti Retrial Viral (ARVs) to clients that do not have access to food to supplement the life boosting drugs would lead to serious side effects even unprecedented deaths.

In the 1970s, the double dosage of oil shocks and the reduction in copper prices introduced most Zambians to the untold misery that they have continued to experience to date in different facets.

Yet with the current food challenge, they are expected to get ready for more afflictions in addition to their current lack of access to a decent meal.

Ms Chirwa added that what was more disheartening in situations of prolonged inadequate food availability at the household level was that such situations tended to eventually seen as a norm, a way of living.

“Worse still, for most of Africa, inadequate food availability, disease, ignorance, and the like, were occurrences that have not received the necessary urgency in reactions, which can be stressed in the slow pace of dedication to some global commitments such as the Millennium Goals (MDGs),” she said.

The UNDP economic chief added that it was time for the country to consider irrigation serious for households to access basic food staffs that could hasten the health of children who are window of the country’s future.

She said more children would be vulnerable and their future would be blurred if right measures were not put in place to address the food crisis, energy shortages and annoying fuel price increases, all of which drain savable resources by households.

Ms Chirwa said without food, the future of the country was at risk as a starving generation’s growth rate would be stunted and its performance in school goes down.

Scientifically, it has been proved that lack of adequate food to a child dwindles its growth and ability to conceptualise things in class.

Coupled with energy shortage and high fuel prices challenges which are almost becoming a disaster, Zambia’s future would be un-pleasing.

Poverty levels would increase following lack of access to food by households both in rural and urban setup.

Inflation rate could shoot up, and the cost of living would become more expensive than what most households could afford.

The value of the Kwacha or its buying power would be eroded further that chaos (like strikes) would be attained as society often becomes violent when food insecurity worsens.

The country thus needed to re-strategise its food security measures to ensure that the children have a bright future.

Food insecurity could lead to high levels of school drop outs, a situation that would worsen illiteracy levels in the country.

High levels of illiteracy would put the future of the country at challenge as ignorant generation has little to contribute to the economy because of their limited ability to use their genie to create national income.

The low level of income generation would worsen the economic status of Zambia, and supporting its developmental programmes would be unattainable.

The number of street children would swore when households run out of food as children are often used as food seekers in most quarters of society.

Some parents would leave children to beg for food and other alms of the street for survival, a state of affairs that would frustrate the current efforts of training former street children surviving skills.

Bembas say imiti iikula empanga (today’s shrubs are tomorrow’s future), shape that future; make policies that would provide children a haven of prosperity.

Their future is in your hands!