NWASCO in World Cup Frenzy
NWASCO IN WORLD CUP FRENZY
With the world's biggest soccer event hitting the African soil for the first time, football fever seems to have gripped the children, youths, and old all over Africa.
The 2010 FIFA world cup being held in South Africa has invoked a lot of interest among many stakeholders to turn to football to help tackle some of Africa’s many challenges of inadequate access to education, safe water supply and inadequate sanitation services among other issues.
On 5th June 2010, the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) and Stakeholders (German Technical Cooperation GTZ, Youth Development Football YDF, Devolution Trust Fund DTF, Edusport and Breakthrough Academy) hosted the spectacular and memorable German-Zambia Friendship Youth Development Sanitation Soccer extravaganza to help create awareness on water and sanitation issues among the children. As part of the sanitation education campaign, various points where mounted to educate the children on health and hygiene related interventions that help prevent water borne diseases.
The sanitation challenge cup which was held at Kapilyomba Basic School in Lusaka’s Kamanga Township saw six teams of boys and girls between the ages of 12-16 battle it out to win the prestigious Sanitation Challenge Cup. Mufulira Kansuswa Football Club of the Copperbelt emerged victorious after beating Chiparamba one nil in the finals. The German ambassador to Zambia Frank Mayke presented a full soccer kit which included football jerseys, and soccer balls to the winners.
Unlike the 2010 World Cup which has been characterized with vuvuzelas, the Youth Development Sanitation Cup was characterized by lots of entertainment with different performances including Zambia’s prominent musician “Dalitso”. Dalitso graced the occasion with a newly composed sanitation song “Bola Bola”. Children from the nearby Kamanga township could not resist dancing to the song.
Local Zambian Artist “Dalitso” entertaining the crowd with the tournament theme song “Bola”
And speaking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development, Maynard Misapa noted that government recognizes the water supply and sanitation sector as an important component in development especially in low income areas.
Mr. Misapa revealed that since the year 2002, the Zambian government has been implementing a Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Programme to enhance sanitation service provision in the country.
The deputy minister commended NWASCO for its increased efficiency in regulating water utilities across the nation over the last 10years as well as the DTF for providing finances to the water utility companies to enable them extend water supply and sanitation services to low-income urban areas.
Mr. Misapa applauded the German government’s continued support to the development of the country. He reiterated the Zambian governments’ commitment to improving water and sanitation services for all Zambians throughout the country.
Teams that participated in the Youth Development Sanitation Cup include Libuyu of Livingstone, Kandundu of Solwezi, and Kariba of Ndola, Mufulira’s Kansuswa Football Club, Chiparamba Soccer academy as well as Edu-sport.
