It is difficult for blind parents in Zambia to find work, so their children often become beggars at an early age to earn money for food and rent. As the government here begins to focus on blindness prevention, as most cases are curable, nongovernmental organizations say that more needs to be done immediately to secure a future for the children of the blind.
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by Dando Mweetwa Reporter, Thursday - April 14, 2011
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – At 12, Bwalya Mulenga says he already knows what it feels like to provide for his family. He knows the city like the back of his hand. Every day he guides his blind parents to and from downtown Lusaka, the capital.
“I guide my parents to a site in town where they sit the whole day and beg,” he says.
Bwalya says that once he leaves his parents, he quickly moves to another part of the city to beg. He walks into the roads when cars stop at traffic lights. He reaches out to the drivers to ask for 500 kwacha, 10 cents USD, or 1,000 kwacha, 20 cents USD, before the vehicles drive off.
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