Aletta Shikololo
WINDHOEK – As a youth empowerment activist, Namibia representative on the student wing of SADC Lawyers Association, representative for Southern Africa on the Commonwealth Students Association and the country director for the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYOF) the vivid Patience Masua is concerned about current challenges the youth face, saying they need to be tackled as soon as possible as the future belongs to the youth.
Youth unemployment, gender-based violence (GBV) among the youth, youth education, mental health issues just to mention a few, are what Masua complained undeniably remain the most challenging issues that will bring massive changes if they are tackled instantly.
She said even though the youth are doing an amazing job at creating awareness and speaking on issues of national concern, there is still a gap when it comes to involvement in structures which allow meaningful change.
“GBV maintains a firm grip on our youth; and youth education, we do not value technical education enough in our country. There is so much potential and so much more we can do to speed up what other countries like Singapore and Germany are doing. Mental health issues, all these issues are intertwined and affect one another, therefore, when we look at youth integration on an economic level, automatically you deal with issues of poverty which directly act as a cause of violence,”
she says.
Masua, who is a third-year student studying towards a bachelor of law degree, is also passionate about human rights and is planning on doing a master’s degree in international human rights law.
She maintains that no society can thrive where human rights are not respected, protected and promoted to the highest possible standard – a standard that Namibia still needs to work hard towards attaining and maintaining.
Despite her busy schedule, Masua leads the African youth and serves on different positions continentally and internationally, which does not bother her much as she aims to leave an impact and legacy which will inspire a new generation of capable fresh leaders to serve and add value on even bigger scales.
“My aim is simple: to serve in the positions I’m in during my term and also hope to use the facilities I have to allow more youth to have access to the type of exposure I’ve had through my leadership journey and create a greater international presence for Namibian youth,” she says.
Currently, most of her work is centred around the Southern African Youth Forum as a country director where their focus is on the xenophobic attacks in SA, specifically around the youth.
She says, “We’ve released many statements regarding our position on this, and we are working with CSOs in our neighbouring countries, specifically in South Africa in assisting in our own capacity, with the recent tragic events which took place in SA. Other areas of focus nationally are also voter education, with the upcoming elections, so working on publications around the issue of voter apathy and really what we are expecting from the upcoming elections.”
Born and raised in Otjiwarongo, Masua said her dream has always been to change the world and be the voice of the voiceless which is what she is currently doing as she waits for a brighter future ahead of her.