WASHINGTON, D.C., 19th March 2024.
FORMER International Momentary Fund IMF Resident Representative to Zambia, Kenneth Meyers, says the future of Zambia looks bright despite the challenges of the debt crisis.
Mr. Meyers said this when he and his wife, Jane Kinney Meyers, who is President and founder of Lubuto Library Partners, paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Chibamba Kanyama in Washington, D.C. ahead of their visit to Zambia to celebrate the Lubuto Library network and reopening of the expanded Lubuto Model Library and Training Center in Lusaka’s Garden Township.
Mr. Meyers who served as International Monetary Fund Country Representative to Zambia from 1998 to 2001, noted the strides made by the Government demonstrate its commitment to addressing key issues.
“The future of Zambia is not fighting with the debt crisis but finding what makes Zambia more productive. Young people deserve to be happy and curious and to learn and grow. Despite the challenges of the debt crisis, the economic outlook of the country is looking good,” said Mr. Meyers.
And Ms. Meyers said the Lubuto Library Centers have positively impacted over 150,000 young people, with approximately 2,500 individuals visiting their centers each week.
She emphasised that Lubuto Libraries has successfully challenged conventional perceptions about what a library can be and do through the impactful work with young people in Zambia.
“Lubuto promotes inclusion by proactively reaching out to highly-vulnerable children and youth, including out-of-school children, street children, adolescent mothers, children with disabilities, and other stigmatized or marginalized groups. The centers are a safe haven and refuge for children needing help as well as HIV and AIDS education. Lubuto has also provided shelter partnered with traditional leaders in Southern Province to fight early marriages and promote education,” Ms. Meyers said.
She said the free education introduced by the New Dawn Government must be scomplemented with modern libraries and study materials, adding that Lubuto Libraries provide equitable access to safe, inclusive, and joy-filled spaces for Zambia’s young people, offering them opportunities to grow, learn, and thrive.
Ms. Meyers added that public libraries serve as a cornerstone of democracy, fostering dignity, imagination, and resilience in the lives of the libraries’ users, and enabling them to participate fully in their society.
Lubuto open-access library centers include the Lubuto Model Library at Ngwerere Basic School in Garden Township, Mthunzi Library in west Lusaka, and the Nabukuyu Library situated 23 kilometres east of Monze.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Kanyama said the journey of transformation begins with the education and empowerment of the girl child.
“This is the support that we look for. To support our children especially the girl child to have access to quality formal education that can expose them in society,’ said Mr. Kanyama.
This his contained in a statement issued by first Secretary Press and Public Relations at the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia Charles Tembo.
