Well-Wishers Build House for Poor Boy Found Stealing Onions from a School

Well-Wishers Build House for Poor Boy Found Stealing Onions from a School

  • A video that would have ordinarily ashamed eight-year-old Joackim Musenga became the proverbial blessing in disguise
  • This is after a teacher filmed him stealing onions from a school and sharing the video online
  • It went viral but helped well-wishers know that the little boy is poor and has a mom who is not only widowed but also physically impaired
  • Kind-hearted people thus came together to buy food for the family as well as build a new house for them

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It may have looked like a spirited attempt to make a young boy look bad in the court of public opinion after a teacher filmed and shared a video of him stealing onions from a school.

Joackim was filmed stealing onions from Shimpa Primary School in Zambia.
Joackim's mother is widowed as well as physically impaired, which makes it difficult for her to provide for the family. Photo credits: Nkani/ Remmy Kangwa.
Source: UGC

When the video went viral on social media, the woman's act was condemned by the Zambia police service through spokesperson Esther Katongo.

According to Katongo, the law requires juvenile offenders in criminal matters to remain protected as they still have room to change and have a productive future.

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Making their faces public, therefore, engraves a mark on them that can haunt them permanently.

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"The madam in that video involving a child alleged to have stolen onions was wrong to take the video of a juvenile and post it on social media," she explained.

She urged anyone with the video to blur the face of the minor for the sake of his future.

Boy is from poor background

In a positive turn of events, well-wishers sought to find out the boy's story, leading them to uncover that eight-year-old Joackim Musenga lives with his mother who is widowed and physically impaired.

It was established that the two live near Shimpa Primary School, the place he was filmed stealing onions.

Sadly, as much as the boy lives close to the institution he does not attend school due to poverty.

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The mother accepted responsibility for her son's misdemeanour but requested support from anyone willing to help her start a business and support her children.

Well-wishers build house for family

Meanwhile, Lawrence Demebu, a 61-year-old farmer who lives with a visual impairment has had his ultimate heart desire fulfilled in the strangest of ways.

As some readers may recall, YEN.com.gh published a story in 2020 concerning how Lawrence used to spend all his time alone and on his farm.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Ebenezer Agbey Quist avatar

Ebenezer Agbey Quist (HOD Human-Interest) Ebenezer Agbey Quist is the Head of the Human Interest Desk at YEN.com.gh. He has a BSc in Chemical Engineering from KNUST (2017) with 8 years of experience as a writer and 3 years as an editor. He has certificates in AFP courses on digital investigation techniques. At YEN.com.gh, Ebenezer has won the Outstanding Achievement for Professional Conduct Award and the Best Human Interest Editor Award. He is also the author of 3 books. You can contact him via ebenezer.quist@yen.com.gh.

Aba Afful avatar

Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.