Page 53 - Start Up_Genesis

FIGHT

YOUR

UNEMPLOYMENT

Mainga Munsanje - Staff Writer

any economies today have diverted robust efforts
towards the agenda of job creation and this has been
Mdone through the implementation of policies that
seek to stimulate healthy economic growth. Despite this, there
are still many factors that inhibit youths from getting jobs.
Unemployment statistics show that youths have continued to
contribute little to the nation’s economy. Knowing that they can’t
get formal employment, the young folk have adopted a mindset
of reluctance; opting to roam the streets in broad daylight and
venturing into acts that don’t add value to their lives.
Nonetheless, there are still some young people who believe that
there is light at the end of the tunnel despite the accruing levels
of unemployment. These youths are discovering that they are the
masters of their own destinies and are utilising their passions
and talents to break barriers, carve out a living and pursue their
wildest dreams. Creatively, bravely and boldly, they’ve stepped
out and taken ownership of their challenges and the solutions
required to make their lives better.
One such youth is Simon Mutale, a third-year student at the
University of Zambia (UNZA). He is pursuing a Bachelor’s
Degree in Education Management and Administration and
believes youths still have the potential to turn the tables around.
He is the first born in a family of six and was omitted from the
government-sponsored loan scheme twice; at the Copperbelt
University and at UNZA. Simon asserts that youths should
always seek to meet their financial needs by starting businesses.
He became popular from a tweet he shared on June 21, 2019. The
post was a photo of him washing used bottles of the infamous,
local whisky ‘Junta’ in readiness for sale to a beverage company.
“Coming from a humble background, I started selling flash disks
and headsets upon enrolling at UNZA so I could supplement my
financial needs at school. I later switched to selling used whisky
bottles to Sai Beverages, a company in Chinika, at K180 per full
50kg bag,” He states.
Simon says he goes around bars and taverns to collect the bottles
before cleaning them up for sale. He also relies on supplies from
bottle vendors, which he buys at K0.5 per bottle.
Drawing his inspiration from his widowed mother, who is a
marketer, the 25-year-old entrepreneur says his engagement in
business-related activities stems from his childhood.

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