A local author has taken the stories of women on the streets of his native Zambia, and compiled them in a new book.

Between 2009 and 2012, Wesley Ngwenya gathered the stories of over forty women in the city of Lusaka.

His book, Nightlife, profiles 25 of those stories to convey the reality of many women in Zambia and the desperate circumstances that drive them to prostitution.

Ngwenya explains the idea for the book came after returning to Lusaka after spending time abroad studying. He was surprised to find his city had changed since his childhood.

Overwhelmed by the poverty and unemployment, and seeing the women lining the streets, Ngwenya needed to know what changed.

"I was curious about what had happened, and why," he says. "It didn't take long before I realized that these women were living on life's edge."

After moving to Canada in 2013, the stories he heard stayed with him; stories of young girls orphaned and resorting to prostitution to feed themselves and their siblings.

An orphan himself, Ngwenya says he felt it was his responsiblity to be a voice for these women.

"People are surprised that this is a reality, that people are pushed to the verge where they get involved in such activities," he says.

However, he hopes the stories drive readers to take action, whether it's becoming more aware of the issue or lending support to organizations already at work in the midst of the situation.

"When there is an issue in society, ideally people will stand up and do something about it," Ngwenya says. "I've seen that not taking action has not helped but only hurt the issue."

You can find "Nightlife" online.

Ngwenya moved to Canada in 2013. He lives with his wife in Winkler.