Hilma Nalupe
Young Namibians are stepping up to address health challenges in their communities. Last Friday, the One Economy Foundation hosted the first SparkRx Youth Health Innovation Summit at the #BeFree Youth Campus in Windhoek.
The event brought together more than 200 youth, health workers and innovators to share ideas on how to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and fight gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F) in Namibia.
The summit focused on turning evidence into action, guided by Problematic Mindsets: Volume II, a study highlighting how harmful social norms, untreated trauma and GBV-F weaken SRH outcomes in Namibia.
In her keynote, Dr Esperance Luvindao, Minister of Health and Social Services, challenged young innovators to ensure their solutions meet real needs.
“We are committed to strengthening data interoperability, forging impactful partnerships, expanding youth-friendly sexual reproductive health services and promoting the ethical use of artificial intelligence and digital tools that complement, not replace, essential human care. I vow to listen to you. You can come see me, and we vow to give you the audience and a platform to bring change and healthcare innovation,” she said.
The summit also showcased youth-led initiatives, including digital health innovations addressing gender-based violence prevention, mental health and SRHR.
The SparkRx scorecard, a results-based accountability framework, was introduced to track progress in youth health programmes.
Multi-sector partnerships between government, civil society, academia and private sector actors, were strengthened to ensure youth voices are included in policy-making.
Lelly Amunyela, youth development coordinator at One Economy Foundation, explained the vision behind the summit.
She said SparkRx is about giving young people the tools, data and confidence to create real solutions that improve health and well-being in their own communities.
“The long-term goal is to move beyond conversations and make sure that youth-led innovation becomes part of how Namibia designs its health systems, she saidß”.
The summit amplified the voices of young participants.
Abubakar Fantua, a member of the Children’s Parliament, said the summit “was very informative. I learned a lot and got to meet many people. I now see how young leaders can help improve access to healthcare for everyone”.
With this combination of evidence, innovation and youth participation, the SparkRx Youth Health Innovation summit helped to build inclusive, sustainable and youth-driven solutions that can transform Namibia’s health landscape.