Photo taken on April 6, 2023, shows members of Youth Changing The Mindset Organization visiting senior citizen Theresa Kunda (C) in Ndola, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. (Photo by Lillian Banda/Xinhua)
Youth Changing The Mindsets Organization, a non-profit entity that operates in Ndola, the capital of Zambia's Copperbelt Province, has been winning accolades for offering food and clothing and in some instances shelter to poor and vulnerable senior citizens in Chipulukusu, a sprawling low-income residential area in the eastern part of Ndola.
NDOLA, Zambia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- There are several youth-led organizations in Zambia working to address various challenges facing young people in the country. It, however, is not every day that one comes across a youth-led organization that runs a program offering direct support to senior citizens in need alongside youth-centered interventions.
It is for this reason that Youth Changing The Mindsets Organization (YCMO), a non-profit entity that operates in Ndola, the capital of Zambia's Copperbelt Province, has been winning accolades.
This organization provides food and clothing and in some instances shelter to poor and vulnerable senior citizens in Chipulukusu, a sprawling low-income residential area in the eastern part of Ndola.
Young people from the YCMO have also been undertaking repair works on the homes of senior citizens to make them more habitable.
Since its establishment in June 2022, the YCMO has reached out to more than 50 vulnerable elderly persons in the aforementioned area and offered both material and psychosocial support.
"Many of the items given out to senior citizens come from well-wishers who include youths from Chipulukusu, local business entities, and private individuals," said Comfort Mwansa, the YCMO executive director.
Mwansa, 22, said the YCMO youth members felt compelled to start a food distribution program targeting vulnerable senior citizens in Chipulukusu because no one came through to address the situation. "Our goal is to provide monthly food packs for at least 50 elderly persons. These are senior citizens that are not in any gainful employment and have no capacity to fend for themselves."
"Reaching out to the poor does not require you to have a lot of money; you can help those in need using the little you have. We can not help everyone, but everyone can help someone," Mwansa asserted.
Photo taken on April 6, 2023, shows members of Youth Changing The Mindset Organization visiting a program beneficiary (2nd R) in Ndola, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. (Photo by Lillian Banda/Xinhua)
Theresa Kunda, one of the beneficiaries of the food distribution program, lauded the youth from the YCMO for not only providing her with meals but also supporting her emotionally during difficult times.
Kunda, 82, whose husband recently passed away, was particularly grateful to the youth for being kind to the elderly and offering unwavering support to her and her family. "The support has often been timely and on point," she said after receiving a food pack consisting of bread and a bottle of fruit juice from the YCMO team that went to console her.
Luckson Chisenga, Ndola deputy mayor, observed that the YCMO's work has helped alleviate suffering among the aged in Chipulukusu and surrounding areas.
Chisenga called on the youth in Zambia to emulate their counterparts in Chipulukusu and ensure that they take care of senior citizens in their communities. "The older generation took care of us and sacrificed a lot to make our lives better. It is our turn to ensure that they have a dignified life."
Chisenga further implored the business community and private individuals in Ndola and beyond to partner with the YCMO so that more vulnerable senior citizens can be reached.
Aside from providing support to the elderly, the YCMO helps secure wheelchairs for persons with disabilities in need of such support. The organization also facilitates skills training for younger women from low-income households to be financially independent. ■
