Zachery is 25 years old. He finished school at the age of 22, three years ago, but has never had a job. With a high unemployment it is difficult for young people to get a job anyway but coupled with his inability to fund any high education he was particularly disadvantaged. Both his parents have died, his brother is ill and lost his job and his family home is about to be repossessed.
We met Zachery as we left the hostel this morning to take a stroll around Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It was 10am and he stopped us on the road a few minutes from the hostel. He asked for a moment of our time because he had 'a problem which he was sure we could help with'. We agreed to listen to him but with very sceptical ears. We listened as this polite young man described how two days ago he received a letter for repossession of his home. The story became more tragic as he continued to describe how not long before that his father passed away, the last member of his family with a job. He showed us an official letter and he was in arrears of over one million kwachas, about $200 US. He was asking for any help we could give him.
Still with an air of scepticism we suggested that we needed a tour guide for the city and we offered 50,000 kwachas, $10 US for a few hours - an amount that someone not really in need would've turned down but would make a real difference if his story was honest.
He agreed and took us on a walking tour of the city for three hours. During this time his story came out about how he lost his mother and then recently his father. He told us about how he is the youngest of seven children and the only one that can work now after his brother lost his job after he fell ill. He has a few nephews and nieces that he has to look after too.
He is devoutly Christian, but he doesn't understand God's purpose for him. He mentions that he asks God what is his purpose here on Earth, as he is suffering and has done for a long time. He looks at us in earnest as if we can answer this question for him. But there were some inconsistencies too, he had a nice shirt and jeans on and after mentioning a few times that he hasn't eaten in two days didn't seem ravaged by hunger when we stopped in a cafe for a cake - although that could've just been to keep up appearances.
Indeed a sad story if all is true. Never were the words HIV or AIDS mentioned, it is not something that people readily admit to, but is rife and devastating in this part of Africa. In many countries in Southern Africa the AIDS crisis is becoming a pandemic with generations of parents and breadwinners literary wiped out. In the best of cases children must become parents to their siblings, grandparents in their old age care for their orphaned grandchildren, in the worst, a generation of street children emerges.
Zachery was very pleased when we parted with him holding his 50,000kwacha note. We hope it would provide him with some food for his family and a little hope too. He certainly earned it.
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