Zephania x

For a little under a year now I have been emailing a young man called Zephania, he lives in Lusaka in Zambia.

When i first met Zep in the chat rooms I thought yeah yeah another foreign person with a scam. That couldnt have been further from the truth. He has never asked me for anything, and I have never sent him any money. There is for sure gonna be some of you that tut and roll yer eyes an say oh soppy cath is off again then I urge you not to bother reading any further or indeed to make any sarcastic comments.

For those of you who do read on then light a candle for Zep and all the young people like him in the world.

Zephania is 23 years old. He has no family to speak off, didnt know his dad and his mum wasnt able to cope with the single parent life. He had a baby sister who died at 2 years old and has been pretty much fending for himself for years now, although he did have grandparents who he absolutely adored.

When Zep was 11 he tagged on to the line to go to school, his parents couldnt afford to send him to school, so he just presented himself in the classroom one day lol. The teacher asked him who he was and why was he there and he insisted that he could and would learn if they just gave him a chance.

Zep was allowed to stay and worked his way through school till he was 19 years old when he left. Why did he leave ? cos in his own words he felt like a beggar, he was cleaning teachers houses and doing the washing of other students and like all young people do his pride got in the way and he went to work ‘in service’.

Again pride got in the way and he left. He lived then as one of the street boys as they call them over there, but with a difference he didnt rob or mug he worked. Worked doing anything and everything. He would wash cars and for 5 cars he would get the equivalent of £1.80. He also worked in the British Library there, tidying up after students had been in and helping out wherever there was anything that needed doing. He didnt get paid for this but was allowed to use the internet when there was no one using the computors, he was also able to read the books within the Library, not allowed to take them out but any book he wanted to read he could within the confines of the library.

One of the other things he did to feed his passion for the internet was he had a deal with a local internet cafe owner and the more people Zep directed there the more time he was ‘given’ to use the computors. Lol, i will never forget the day the cafe owner allowed him to use the cam so I could see him lol he was like a big kid ffs.

We talked on a daily basis for hours on end. This was earlier in the year when I was off work so I definately had the time. However, there was a time where this young man became more and more demanding of my time, Zep had not particularly had a constant relationship of any sort in his life before let alone a freindship.

One of the things that did make me laugh was he never understood why i put an x at the end of the messages, and, when he learnt it was a kiss lol he went into raptures lol. It was then he nicknamed me ummy lol, it was a typo he had said I was like a mummy to him lol but missed the m at the beginning so it stood.

Zep desperately wants to get on in life and go back to school. In Africa you get no where without qualifications so it is important that he finishes school, and you know what? I think he will make it, he is so determined.

I spoke to Zep about christmas and he has never had a christmas present in his life let alone seen christmas cards or wrapping paper and I have been collecting little things for christmas for him. Simple things like books, crossword puzzle books (lol he is a crossword fanatic and finishes all the crosswords in the papers at the library)

I suggested to Zep to go to the red cross and join there, I said he should say although he has no qualifications they could give him an apptitude test and see what he could do. I thought maybe through the red cross he would get voluntary work and at least that would give him bed and board. The red cross centre told him he couldnt do anything without taking a first aid course which he said he would do. However, they wanted £25 for him to take it ffs, £25!!!!! he had no chance. I actually wrote to the red cross in england and expressed my disgust at the attitude of this branch of theirs in Africa, I never heard back from them.

Zep himself has said on many occasions how corrupt things are over there.

Zep now has now gone to find work, he had heard that their was some work in some copper mines around 2 hours from Lusaka. I havent heard from him now for about 2 weeks and I pray he is well and has found some employment.

I will be raising my glass this year to Zephaniah and to all the other ‘Zephaniahs’ in this world and I pray his safe return and his greatest wish to go back and finish his education works out for him.