Bishop Mfula Slams Society for Failing Zambia’s Youth: “We Are Breeding a Lost Generation”
Bishop Billy Mfula, Patron of the World Changers Youth Movement, has delivered a scathing critique of society’s role in the downfall of Zambia’s youth, accusing both leaders and families of neglecting their responsibilities and pushing young people into a life of hopelessness and self-destruction.
Speaking during the National Youth Day celebrations in Lusaka under the theme “Raising Responsible Youth”, Bishop Mfula didn’t mince his words, declaring that Zambia is “breeding a lost generation” due to the collective failure to guide and empower its young population.
“We are raising a generation of young people who are confused, angry, and hopeless not because they want to be, but because we, as a society, have abandoned them,” he said. “We have left them at the mercy of social media lies, drug dealers, and toxic influences.”
The bishop condemned what he described as a dangerous gap between the youth and their elders, blaming parents for being too preoccupied with their own lives to provide proper mentorship.
“Parents are too busy chasing money or scrolling through their phones to notice that their children are drowning,” Bishop Mfula declared. “We cannot blame the youth for their rebellion when we are the ones who have left them without direction.”
He further charged that the government’s “half-hearted” youth programs, accusing leaders of offering empty promises without addressing the root causes of unemployment, substance abuse, and lack of educational resources.
“Our leaders love to speak about youth empowerment during events like this, but what happens the next day?” he asked. “There are no jobs, no skills training, no libraries only poverty and broken dreams.”
Bishop Mfula pointed to the rising rates of drug abuse among Zambia’s youth, calling it a “silent epidemic” that has been ignored for far too long.
“Look around our young people are trapped in drug addiction,” he said. “Yet, instead of tackling the dealers and rehabilitating the victims, we pretend it’s not happening. We are watching our future leaders waste away.”
The bishop also criticized schools and churches for failing to step up when parents are absent, arguing that these institutions have become “shadows of their former selves,” offering little more than routine lessons and sermons without tackling real-world issues.
“Schools have become examination factories, and churches have become places for ceremonial prayers,” he stated. “Who is teaching our youth about life, about discipline, about responsibility? No one.”
Bishop Mfula urged Zambia’s leaders, parents, and institutions to stop the “public relations stunts” and start investing in practical solutions, including the creation of community mentorship programs, skills workshops, and safe spaces for young people to express their struggles.
“We don’t need more speeches. We need action,” he said. “If we don’t fight for our youth today, we will be fighting against them tomorrow.”
In a brutal message to fellow religious leaders, Bishop Mfula accused the church of becoming complacent, too focused on tithes and numbers instead of souls and change.
“Pastors are more concerned about filling seats than filling hearts,” he said. “The church must wake up and remember its duty to guide, to protect, and to raise a righteous generation.”
Echoing Bishop Mfula’s call for action, Steve Ndubene, Scripture Union Lusaka Coordinator, admitted that Zambia is at a breaking point, adding that free education alone is not enough if the youth lack moral and spiritual guidance.
“Free education means nothing if the students are lost,” Ndubene said. “We must bring back discipline, responsibility, and a sense of purpose among our young people.”
Students Daniel Mujajati and Chewe Gift from Nelson Mandela Secondary School also spoke, sharing their experiences of battling peer pressure and negative influences.
“Most of my friends have dropped out because of drugs and crime,” said Mujajati. “We need help not just with school but with life.”
Chewe Gift added: “We want a future, but we feel like no one cares. It’s painful to watch our friends lose their way while adults do nothing.”
As Zambia marks National Youth Day, Bishop Mfula’s words serve as a harsh reminder: the nation’s future rests in its youth, and without urgent intervention, the country risks raising a generation without purpose or hope.
“Our youth are not just Zambia’s tomorrow they are Zambia’s today,” Bishop Mfula concluded. “And if we continue to fail them, we will have no nation left to save.”
March 14, 2025
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