While gender discourse has rightfully championed the empowerment of girls, Zambia faces a quiet but devastating crisis among its young men. Walk through any compound in Lusaka, Ndola, or Kitwe and you will find groups of young men — idle, disengaged, and increasingly vulnerable to substance abuse, crime, and despair.
The statistics are sobering. Youth unemployment in Zambia hovers above 50%, and the majority of those unemployed are young men. Drug abuse among males aged 15–35 has risen alarmingly. Yet societal conversations, donor funding, and government programmes have largely bypassed this group.
The Dr. Rozious Siatwambo Foundation believes that empowering the boy child is not a competition with women's empowerment — it is complementary to it. Healthy, purposeful young men build stronger families, safer communities, and more productive economies. Neglecting them costs everyone.
Our approach is holistic: we address mindset before skills, because a young man who does not believe in himself will not use any skills he acquires. We pair practical vocational training with mentorship, counselling, and community support. We go to where young men are — on the streets, in schools, in rehabilitation centres — because waiting for them to come to us is not enough.
