02/09/2025
Your Excellency, Mr. President Hakainde Hichilema
With due respect, I come to you as a mother, a citizen of Zambia, and someone who is trying to make a difference in my own small way.
I once worked as a maid myself just to earn a living. I also know the struggles of being a single mother raising a child with special needs, with little support. Many mothers in my situation cannot work because they have no one to help them care for their children. That is why I came up with an initiative to train maids on how to handle children with special needs. This way, women who never had the chance to go to school can be empowered. Some earn at least K1,500 per month as live-in maids, while gardeners earn between K1,000 and K3,000 to support their families. It is not enough, but at least it gives them hope and a chance to survive.
But my concern today is for those who depend on small businesses that require electricity every single day—barbershops, salons, internet cafés, butcheries, and many others. These people cannot afford solar panels or generators to sustain their businesses. Without power, they cannot work, and without work, they cannot feed their families. Mr. President, people are suffering, and many are losing hope.
Worse still, the load shedding has affected water and sanitation. In some areas, families do not have boreholes, and those who do still rely on power to pump water. Others depend on Lusaka Water and Sewerage, which also fails when there is no power. This leaves families without water in their homes. Toilets inside houses cannot be used, hygiene becomes impossible, and the risk of diseases grows every day. Mr. President, I ask you to please send your ministers into communities to see how people are truly surviving—they will find that things are not okay.
We voted for you because you gave us hope for change. We understand that the global economy is difficult, but here at home, things are becoming worse instead of better. I believe that if we work together and find fair solutions, we can change things. At the very least, can power be available during the day for a few hours so that people can run their errands, serve their customers, and earn something small to put food on the table? Even five hours of electricity during the day would mean a barber can cut 10 heads of hair, a salon can serve clients, and families can buy food.
If this situation is not addressed urgently, Zambia risks producing more junkies, criminals, and hopeless young people instead of responsible citizens who can make decisions and contribute to national development.
Your Excellency, I speak not only for myself but for many mothers, fathers, and families across the country. We are not asking for luxury—we are asking for fairness, for hope, and for solutions that allow the vulnerable to survive.
Respectfully,
A Concerned Mother and Citizen of Zambia
