UNMASKING STICKER: The Cruel Drug Destroying Zambia's Street Children

A 16-year-old boy inhaling sticker

By ANNIE ZULU

Bare feet, dirty clothes, foul odour and holding small transparent bottles filled with water-like liquid close to their mouth, is a sight that everyone is quite familiar with of street children in Zambia´s Capital Lusaka.

In those small bottles is a drug, which they call sticker, and it is currently their hot favourite.

Homeless as they are, they run menial errands, beg from motorists and at the end of the day, whatever little money they make goes into buying sticker.

But has anybody asked the obvious questions; What is the composition of this sticker? Where is it coming from? And how does it get down to street children?

To find the answers to these and many more questions, this reporter delved deep into the operations of the street, uncovering an epidemic that is destroying the lives of vulnerable children on the street.

Survival on the Street

The investigation began with a series of interactions with the street children at two spots where street children are found namely, the church road underbridge and National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) area.

In order to have access to these spots and the children, this reporter had to engage street leaders who are the street adults because the street is like a government, it has its own rules and leaders who can be brutal.

At Church Road under-bridge, almost every child had a bottle of sticker in their hand, and it was being sold in the open.

 A 14-year-old boy shares drops of sticker with his friend.

Shaky and attired in a dirty old t-shirt, a 14-year-old boy “Dalitso”, whose real name has been changed like other children in this investigation to protect them, inhaled the fumes from the bottle in his hands and smiled in relief.

When asked what was contained in the bottle, Dalitso said it was jet fuel, but it's called sticker on the street because of its addictiveness.

“It comes from the airports, there are some people who gets it from there and sell it to us, there are found at city market.  My everyday sticker budget ranges between K1 to K20,” Dalitso said.

According to him, sticker inhalation is a survival mechanism on the streets, as it helps him cope with cold, hunger, fear and struggles.

Like most children, Dalitso cannot survive a day without inhaling and recalls how he was once sodomised by an adult for sticker.

“Young girls are sexually abused for a drop of sticker and the boys get sodomised in exchange for sticker, it happened to me once when needed it badly, but had no money,” he explained.

Another boy “James”,16, also disclosed that he buys sticker from agents on the street and City Market.

He acknowledged that despite sticker being a survival lifeline for him and his friends on the street, it was highly dangerous.

“It's an instant killer. It can rip off intestines when consumed and it is flammable.  I am always careful when inhaling it,” James said.

At NIPA area, street children were stranded, as they had fled the Bombay drainage, a place they considered their home due to flooding caused by heavy rains and despite this predicament, they had their sticker intact.

 “Precious”, 15, told this reporter while pulling a bottle of sticker to her nose, that she was introduced to it by her friends on the street.

Like her fellow street children at the Church Road under-bridge, she also attested to sticker being jet fuel, but however said she gets it from Chaisa compound, one of Lusaka´s highly densely populated low-income neighbourhoods with high rate of crime.

Another girl “Grace” ,15, who is also addicted to sticker explained how she has mastered the art of begging for money from motorists and passer byers to buy sticker.

“You need to look very hungry for people to feel sorry and give you the money. It usually works,” she said.

And one of the sticker agents found on at this spot who sought anonymity, said he orders sticker mainly from City Market and Chaisa Compound to resell to street children and expressed guilty about his business.

“I know this is not a good business, the only way to stop this is by arresting the people that package and supply it,” he said.

The exact number of street children in Zambia remains unknown, with some reports suggesting a figure of 75,000, while others argue the population has more than doubled.

Lusaka is believed to house the highest number of street children, with majority of them being addicted to drugs.

Gaps in the law

Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), which is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs mandated to prevent and control illegal cultivation, production, trafficking and abuse of Narcotic drugs, Psychotropic substances and money laundering activities in Zambia is aware of sticker and its composition.

DEC Head of Chemical Department Choolwe Kaliba confirmed in an interview that sticker was made of Jet fuel.

Choolwe Kaliba - Head of Chemical Department, DEC

Mr. Kaliba however, said the commission cannot investigate or make any arrests with regards to sticker, as it was not listed under the unlawful drug substances in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of the Laws of Zambia, where one can be charged if found in possession or trafficking.

“We are already given a mandate to look at narcotic and psychotropic substances, but sticker does not fall in those we are mandated to control. It has remained a substance which has an effect in the line of what we control, but not among the product we are controlling, so that’s the challenge we are having,” Mr. Kaliba said.

The dangers

For over a decade, Footprints Foundation for Children in Zambia has been providing outreach support to vulnerable children in Zambia, particularly those living on the streets, orphans and victims of abuse.

A 9-year-old boy shows his scar due to sticker intoxication.

The organisation´s Director Vasco Svellino,  noted that sticker inhalation severely affects the sight, which has resulted in many children being hit by vehicles.

“We provide decent burials for children who die on the street and most of the deaths we deal with are of children who are bashed by vehicles. When they are high on the sticker, their sight is affected,” Mr. Svellino said.

According to Medical Expert Dr. Bright Makenzie benzene exposure and inhalation causes serious health implications to children, especially to their brain.

“In Science we call them hydrocarbons, when they take that benzene, it has an effect on the transmission of neurons. The way at which the natural body responds to information is different from when there are chemicals involved,” he said.

Tracing the exploiters

Undercover operations were conducted in the two places that were mentioned as the major suppliers of sticker in Lusaka during interactions with the street children: City Market and Chaisa Compound.

With the help of a Sticker Agent and while posing as a street adult, putting on dirty clothes with unkempt hair, this reporter managed to buy a 750ml bottle of sticker from a restaurant along the Lumumba Road at City Market from a man who seemed to be in his late 40s.

In Chaisa Compound, a 20-year-old ex-sticker addict “Muzo” who is also in support of ending substance abuse among children agreed to go undercover to reveal some of the places where sticker is sold like hot cake.

In a video captured on a hidden camera, he exposed a man selling him a 250ml bottle of sticker at K150 on a road leading to Chaisa Market where all sorts of illicit alcohol, including drugs are sold along this road.

Muzo also visited a house in with Chaisa Compound where a small crowd had assembled, including young children waiting to be sold different drugs.

The Children´s Code Act

In 2022, Zambia´s President Hakainde Hichilema signed into law the Children´s Code Act, which seek to promote the rights of children and protect them from all forms of abuse and exploitation.  

Section 20 of the Act states that “A person shall not subject a child to the use, production, trafficking or distribution of hallucinogens, alcohol, tobacco products, drugs or precursor chemicals.

It further prescribes a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, or a fine not exceeding one million penalty units to the offender.

Beatrice Muyambango- Department of Child Development Director, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services

Department of Child Development Director at the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services Beatrice Muyambango said the Act was in effect and warned perpetrators taking advantage of vulnerable children by supplying them with any form of drugs.

 

“The Children´s Code Act Compels everyone who comes into contact with children to be aware that these little human beings have rights, despite their age or irrespective of where they find themselves. Selling drugs to children is a crime ant it goes with a punishment,” Ms. Muyambango said.

Call for Action

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiatives (Repssi) Zambia, Head of Programmes Chilekwa Chisanga called for inclusion in the implementation of the Children´s Code Act, stressing that the plight of street children is seemingly invisible.

“Let the implementation of the children´s code act also touch on children who are living and working on the street. It’s a child protection issue. And if the Government says every child is the child of the state, we must then think of children in all set ups,” she said.

This investigation unearthed a distressing reality of street children being trapped in a cycle of exploitation, violence, and manipulation, with stickers being employed as a cruel instrument of control.

The sticker leaves indelible physical and emotional scars on their innocent souls, therefore urgent action is imperative to address this grave issue.

Immediate measures must be taken to safeguard these vulnerable children, providing them with comprehensive support, rehabilitation, and a pathway to a brighter future.

Furthermore, those responsible for perpetuating this heinous abuse must face swift and resolute justice. Let these findings serve as a clarion call for accountability and change in the face of this abhorrent injustice.

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THE WOMEN CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS OF KATIBUNGA

 

By Annie Zulu

“My husband gave up on poaching and joined my crop farming and livestock business which I set up using my savings,” Maureen Kayula, a 53-year-old a famer and member of the Natwafwane Community Conservation Bank (COCOBA) group established with support of the North Luangwa Conservation Programme, told her group in Katibunga, a small community in Mwila village, Mpika District.

The members applauded Maureen´s announcement, as poaching is one of the major issues that the group strongly advocate against, aside from empowering its members with economic security.

Mwila Village is in Mukungule Game Management Area (GMA) located on the western boundary of the North Luangwa National Park, one of Zambia´s wildlife rich national park.

Members of the Natwafwane COCOBA group, consisting of 30 women meet once every week under a shady mango tree to hand in their savings contributions, get loans and discuss wildlife conservation.

COCOBA group members dancing

According to the group´s Secretary Loveness Mumbi ,55, the group has been in existence since 2015, and like any other savings group has helped its members improve their economic livelihoods.

Loveness said the group has also played a key role stopping poaching and advocating for wildlife conservation in the area.

She acknowledged that this has been made possible with the support from the North Luangwa Conservation Programme, a partnership between the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife to conserve the North Luangwa National Park and its adjoining GMAs.

“After setting up the group, members were trained on conservation by the North Luangwa Conservation Programme and since then we have been conducting activities aimed at sensitizing the community on the negative effects of poaching, deforestation and the benefits of conservation.

“We do door to door campaigns, organise meetings with community members and sometimes we get invited to speak on conservation at local meetings. Wildlife conservation has more benefits, compared to poaching and cutting down trees,” Loveness said.

Community Liaison Assistant Davis Chanda told this reporter in an interview that the North Luangwa Conservation Programme, together with the Frankfurt Zoological Society has been working with women in GMA communities through initiatives such as COCOBAs to stop poaching.

“The purpose of the COCOBA groups is to help women venture into different sustainable financial pathways and prevent them from engaging in poaching activities. We offer the groups with financial help when setting them up and also equip members with knowledge on conservation,” Mr Chanda said.

He added that women in GMAs tend to interact with wildlife more than men through activities such as fetching water, harvesting crop and collecting firewood, hence the need to engage them in conservation initiatives.

“These experiences make women observe and learn from animal patterns and behaviours and that knowledge is critical when it comes to solving conservation dilemmas. As primary caregivers at home and in their communities, women are also uniquely positioned to share their deep knowledge of local wildlife,” he said.

 

MEET JANE NAKASAMU- THE YOUNG WOMAN TURNING WORLD GREEN

 By ANNIE ZULU

GREEN Technology is becoming increasingly critical in addressing climate change and is currently a male-dominated field, despite women being more affected by this global phenomenon than men.

A recent study by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub shows the existing disparity between men and women working in the clean energy industry in 2020; 30% female to 70% male.

However, this might soon change as more women are joining the industry and changing that narrative by taking the lead in developing Green Tech innovations to help protect the planet.

Green Technology is an umbrella term that describes the use of technology and science to create products and services that are environmentally friendly.

Jane Nakasamu ,26, is one of young female Green Tech innovators in Zambia who are making a mark with their innovations in the country.

                    Chief Executive Officer-Greenbelt Energy Zambia Jane Nakasamu

Jane is a Renewable Energy Expert and Chief Executive Officer for Greenbelt Energy Zambia, a company bottling biogas from organic waste and producing smart stoves, as an affordable energy solution that enables primarily women to cook fast, safe and clean.

According to her, the high rate of deforestation in Zambia prompted her to set up her company and be part of the people offering solutions to climate change.

¨In Zambia 90% of the population are dependent on charcoal and firewood for cooking, this has led to charcoal led to deforestation, making Zambia one of the highest in the world with 300,000 ha of forest being lost every year, so Greenbelt Energy is a social enterprise saving trees and lives, ¨ Jane said.

She works with women, youths and farmers in selected communities around the country to turn waste into energy.

¨ We are currently working in Lusaka, Kitwe and Chipata where we have 100 direct sales agents mostly women and youths who effectively distribute our products to target customers. We recently conducted in feasibility study in Chipata in partnership with the Global Council for Sustainable Industrial Development and Msekera Junction Industrial Park to provide biogas a biogas stoves to 2,500 households within the industrial park, she said.

Her innovation has won awards among them, the 2021 Meaningful Business Award, 2021 SEED Award, 2020 Africa Funding Tour Award, 2019 Boost up award from the Southern African Innovation Support Program and 2019 Fembiobiz Award from the Southern African Network for Biosciences.

Jane was in 2021 also appointed by the World Business Angels Investment Forum as an International Partner for Zambia during its Grand Assembly.

¨I have always dreamed of becoming a diplomat, the appointment enables me to function as an 'International Business Diplomat' supporting start-ups and companies in Zambia to access the world’s equity investment markets and, Zambia will now be able to connect more with the global investors market, which will open up splendid opportunities for the country,¨ she said.

Several investors have shown interest too in funding her innovation and talks are still ongoing.

Asides the business aspect, Jane has been active in advocacy work on climate change too, as she views it a serious issue that needs to be addressed urgently.

She has been sensitizing young people in communities, mainly on the effects of deforestation.

¨We have had trainings with young people on climate change, we can not ignore it anymore, because its impact is been seen and felt. Over the years in Zambia we have our rain season delayed. If we do not pay much attention it may be even worse than covid-19,¨ she said.

 

 

DEFORSTATION IN SIAVONGA WORRIES TRADITIONAL LEADER

By ANNIE ZULU

Chief Simamba of the Tonga people of  Siavonga District has bemoaned the alarming levels of deforestation in the district. 

Speaking through his representative Phanwel Simamba,  the Traditional Leader observed that some of trees around the water bodies in the district have been cut for solid fuel consumption thereby affecting the rain patterns. 

He said Siavonga has not been receiving enough rainfall for some years and gets extremely hot. 

“The fishing industry in Siavonga has gone down drastically, it is not like in our days when we were growing up in the 1970s up to the 1990s when we had enough water and fishers who were mainly the white community made a lot of money because the catches were good.” 

“Now a lot of trees have been cut down which is now affecting the weather. Siavonga is hot most of the times and sometimes when you get on the lake, the water is as hot as if it's being boiled. There is a temperature for fish, so when it's too hot the fish go down deeper and most artisanal fishers don’t have nets that can go 10 meters down,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Siavonga District Council Chairperson Given Kwapu also noted the irritably high temperature in the district as a result of uncontrolled cutting down of trees. According to him, the temperature gets as high as 43 degrees Celsius. 

“When you are coming from Lusaka, just a few kilometres away there is rain, but Siavonga has no rain and is very hot, mainly because of cutting down of trees,” Mr Kwapu said. 

He however, stressed that the local authority is working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in finding ways of preserving trees. 

WWF is an international non-governmental organization that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. 

“I’m happy with the coming in of WWF to partner with us in coming up with ways to mitigate climate change activities,” he said.

FROM TEARS TO JOY: SUPPORTING WOMEN´S LIVELIHOODS SUCCESS STORIES

Prisca Kakulwa looks on as her brother Lazarus and his friend work on sewing machines at her store

By Annie Zulu

Prisca Kakulwa, 38, sits on a wooden chair at the entrance of her small shop in Chikunyu Village, Samfya District of Luapula Province as she passionately cuts fabric in readiness for sewing. Her young brother Lazarus Mulenga stands nearby and helps her arrange the pieces in order.

She is making school uniforms to sell to parents and guardians, whose children have passed the Grade Seven and Nine Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) exams in her village and nearby villages.

From the number of uniforms sewn so far, and yet to be sown, one can tell that business is booming for Prisca and she is cashing in big.

Chikunyu village has few tailors with sewing machines, which is a plus for Prisca´s business. She reveals that she makes over K2, 000 every month from her tailoring business.

Prisca, who is a widow and mother of four, is one of the beneficiaries who received a productivity grant from the Supporting Women´s Livelihoods (SWL), a component of the Girl´s Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) Project being implemented by the Zambian Government through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services with support from the World Bank.

The SWL initiative provides women between the ages of 19-64 in rural areas with grants of up to K3, 790, training in Life and Business skills, mentorship and helps them with setting up of Savings Groups to improve their livelihoods.

It is through the SWL programme that Prisca was able to establish her tailoring business in 2022 to earn a sustainable livelihood and feed her children.

She tells this reporter that life was unbearable before she was identified as a beneficiary of the initiative, as she was struggling to feed her family following the demise of her husband.

Despite having some knowledge about tailoring, she could not afford a sewing machine and pay rent for a store at an accessible location for her tailoring work.

“My husband who was the provider of the family died a few years ago. I had no source of income and was struggling to feed my children. I was hurting and I would sit alone and cry,” Prisca said.

However, Prisca´s struggles and tears became a thing of the past when she received a grant from the SWL initiative and since then, her whole life changed.

“Nobody has ever given me such an amount of money in my entire life, the SWL grant has really helped me a lot and my life will never be the same again. My tailoring business is doing great and I am now able to stand on my own and feed my children,” she said.

In addition to the grant, she also received training in Life and Business skills to equip her with knowledge of how to run a successful business.

“We were taught how to use the money and save part of it, so I can now apply whatever I learnt during the training in my business and that has helped me,” she said.

According to Prisca´s brother, Lazarus, his sister´s empowerment story is an indication that women have the potential to prosper and become breadwinners just like their male counterparts when empowered.

He says his sister´s business has also created employment for him as he gets paid for helping out at the shop.

“When a woman is empowered, everyone else around her gets empowered too, my sister is a great example for that. I was jobless, but I am now working, my sister is my hero,” Lazarus says.

For Norah Chilufya, 26, another beneficiary of SWL and a single mother of one from Chifunabuli District, the programme has revived her dream of attaining tertiary education which looked impossible.

Norah used her productivity grant to set up a restaurant right in the main market of the district, which gives her a profit of not less than K3, 000 per month.

She uses part of her profit to pay rentals for her restaurant, buy basic needs for herself and her child, and saves the rest for her education, as she has plans to go to nursing school.

“I didn’t do very well in my grade 12 exams, so I want to re-sit for the exams so that I can have good grades and finally pursue my dream career-nursing. I also belong to a Savings Group, and I am saving part of the money I make from my business towards my tertiary education,” Norah said.

She counselled other single mothers that having a child should not hinder them from becoming a better person and pursuing their dreams.

“It's normal to make mistakes in life because we are humans, but what is important is the lessons we learn from those mistakes. Even as a single mother one can still achieve their dreams, I encourage fellow single mothers to grab every opportunity that comes their way. I am grateful for the grant I was given and the knowledge I have gained from the SWL initiative,” she said.

Agness Chongo ,59, of Stadi Village in Kawambwa District invested her grant in Poultry and Livestock business.

She makes a profit of over K4,000 per month when business is good and has single-handendly sponsored her two children through college.

Agness Chongo tending to her chickens

“My older son is now a graduate and a certified clinician; my younger son will also be going to college this year. I can sponsor my children through my business,” she said.

And Esnart Chansa ,30, from  Lufubu village, in Mwansabombwe District said ever since she got the grant and ventured into her second-hand clothes selling business, her husband treats her with more respect.

Esnart believes that financial independence of a woman reduces chances of Gender Based Violence (GBV) among women and brings about peace in the home.

                                                        Esnart Chansa arranging clothes for sale

 “Gone are the days when women would just sit at home and wait for their husbands to provide for them. Women must start engaging in income-generating activities and assist in providing for the family, this brings peace to a home and reduces unnecessary fights among couples. This empowerment has brought so much peace in my home,” she said.

Poverty remains predominantly a rural phenomenon standing at 76.6 percent compared to 23.4 percent in urban areas, according to Zambia Statistical Agency (Zamstats) and it affects women and girls more than their male counterparts.

The high poverty level among rural women and girls has continued to disadvantage them from participating in the development of the country.

To address this challenge, the Zambian Government in collaboration with the World Bank introduced the Supporting Women´s Livelihoods (SWL) component of the Girl´s Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) Project in 2016.

Community Development and Social Services Minister Doreen Mwamba said in an interview that 91,474 women have so far been paid productivity grants since the inception of the project.

Ms. Mwamba further noted that Government is targeting to reach out to 129,400 beneficiaries at a total cost of USD 71.8 million by 2024 in 81 districts.

“Payment of the grant is being done in phases. Before receiving the grants, SWL beneficiaries are trained in Life and Business skills, the knowledge helps them run their businesses very well,” Ms. Mwamba said.

She said the initiative has also facilitated the formation of Savings Groups among the SWL beneficiaries and non-SWL beneficiaries in all implementing districts.

“A total of 4,856 Savings Groups have been formed with a membership of over 52,000, all females,” She added.

                                       Community Development and Social Services Minister-Doreen Mwamba

The SWL initiative also responds to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 5 which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Gender Activist Mary Mumba commended Government for prioritizing women empowerment especially in rural areas.

Ms. Mumba said the SWL initiative will go a long way in improving the economic life of rural women and also the well-being of their families and communities.

“Well done to Government and its partners for coming up with the SWL initiative. To empower vulnerable women and give them hope for a better life is indeed worthy of commendation,” Ms. Mumba said.

Rural women are the backbone of rural societies and the SWL initiative has proved that empowering them is key to economic development, as such, they need more empowerment opportunities. 

ZAMBIA COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Community Development and Social Services Minister Doreen Mwamba touring stands

By ANNIE ZULU

Zambia joined the rest of world in the commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) which falls on 3rd December. 

This year's commemoration whose theme was: " 'Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world', started with a March past from the University of Zambia (UNZA) to the Lusaka Show Grounds where the event was held.

Speaking during the commemoration, Community Development and Social Services Minister Doreen Mwamba who was Guest of Honour said persons with disabilities are equal partners in Zambia's development, hence Government's commitment to ensuring their inclusion in all activities, especially decision-making processes.

Ms. Mwamba said this can be seen in President Hakainde Hichilema`s appointments of persons with disabilities in a number of key positions.

She also indicated that this year's theme was strategically chosen to create awareness on disability issues as the country strive for a sustainable future for all by addressing challenges such as poverty, inequality and exclusion.

"Government has enhanced access to digital educational materials by making available tablets to enable digital access by learners including learners with disabilities. Sign language has also been included in the curriculum for health personnel particularly that of nurses as fronts line staff in service delivery.

"In quest to end poverty, budgetary allocation under the Social Cash Transfer and Food Security Pack programmes have been increased thereby resulting in an increase in the number of beneficiaries," the Minister said.

United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali applauded Government on its efforts and commitment towards promoting the rights and access to equal opportunities for all. 

Ms. Mutali reassured the UN`s support to Government in promoting a society that values the participation of all persons regardless of their abilities.

"The UN team in Zambia is currently implementing the United Nations Joint Programme on Social Protection which supports Government in strengthening systems and frameworks which promote disability inclusion," she said.  

She further stressed the need to address physical barriers that hinder persons with disabilities from enjoying their rights.

"We need to ensure, among other things, that buildings have appropriate signage, elevators have sensors, and all buildings are generally accessible to persons with disabilities. This should cut across both state and non-state infrastructure," Ms. Mutali said. 

And Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) Moses Luneta thanked Government for its effort in inclusion of persons with disabilities in country's development. 

 "The new dawn Government is a pro-disability Government, persons with disabilities were recruited in the recent education and health workers recruitments. For the first time, persons with disabilities feel included," Mr. Luneta said.

Giving a vote of thanks, Zambia Federation of Disability Organizations (ZAFOD) vice president Paul Mbewe expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who participated in the commemoration and called on members of the public to be champions of equality of persons with disabilities.