By HAJI NAASSOR, PEMBA It is about an hour-and-a-quarter drive from Chake Chake town to Mwambe village in Mkoani District in the Southern Region of Pemba Island within Zanzibar country. The village of Mwambe is located in a rocky area but is more fertile than the surrounding villages. It has three shehias, known here as Jombwe, Mwambe and Mchakwe. The village has a population of 17,525,(2012 census) half of them children. Its people survive on agriculture growing beans for local consumption, and citrus and bananas to sell. It has its own primary and secondary schools and a health centre that provides various medical services. Besides, agriculture, the villagers are also engaged in fishing, stone crashing and mining. Since Mwambe is rocky, most people, especially the elderly and children, are involved in quarrying stone for sale. The stone crashing business has forced many children to abandon school to earn money but this is taking its toll on the