That simple sentence already feels like an achievement worth acknowledging. After everything 2025 threw at citizens, just waking up on New Year’s Day 2026 is, in itself, a huge victory. It has not been an easy year. For many households, 2025 was about surviving rather than living. The cost of mealie-meal kept dancing. Load-shedding reminded us daily that candles are still part of modern life in Zambia. Jobs were scarce, money was tighter, and for some families, hope felt like it had permanently diminished. Citizens hustled. Hard. Vendors woke up before sunrise. Bus drivers stretched routes. Parents juggled school fees, rent and food. Young job-seekers sent CVs into the wilderness, hoping at least one employer would reply with something other...