During the Easter weekend, at a shopping mall here in Oshakati, I was approached by a young boy, younger than thirteen years old. 

He did not ask for money. 

He asked for food.

I stood there, momentarily frozen. 

As a counselling student and from a development study perspective, I felt an immediate emotional response, sadness, concern and a deep sense that something was not right. 

At the same time, I found myself wrestling with difficult questions. 

Should I give him something to eat? 

If I give, am I helping or unintentionally encouraging a pattern? 

If I do not give, what happens to him after I walk away?

This encounter has stayed with me throughout the day, not because it is entirely new, but because it is becoming more visible. 

We are increasingly seeing children in public spaces, malls, streets and traffic lights, asking for help in ways that suggest not mischief, but need.

Namibia is not a country that we associate with child begging. 

Yet, moments like this force us to confront a difficult possibility: are we beginning to see the early signs of a deeper social problem?

We know that Namibia remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. 

Despite progress in many sectors, poverty continues to affect a significant number of households, particularly children. 

In urban areas like Oshakati, economic pressure, unemployment, as well as migration from rural areas and neighbouring countries are creating conditions where some children are pushed into survival strategies that bring them into public spaces to ask for food or money.

But beyond statistics, there is a human reality.

From a counselling perspective, a child asking for food not only expresses hunger. 

It can also reflect neglect, vulnerability, lack of protection or emotional distress. 

Such children may be navigating complex family situations, poverty at home, absence of caregivers or exposure to harmful environments. 

When a child reaches a point of approaching strangers for basic needs, it signals that something within the support system around that child is not functioning as it should.

This is why the situation is not only economic, but also psychosocial.

At the same time, we must acknowledge the dilemma faced by ordinary citizens. 

Many of us want to help. 

Yet, there is also a concern that giving directly to children on the streets may unintentionally sustain the very situation we wish to change. 

Some reports suggest that children may return to the streets because it becomes a source of daily income or survival, especially when alternatives are limited.

So, what should we do?

Doing nothing cannot be the answer. 

Ignoring a hungry child is not consistent with who we are as a society. 

At the same time, responding without reflection may not lead to long-term solutions.

This is where coordinated action becomes critical.

The government has already taken steps through social grants, school feeding programmes and child protection services. 

However, these efforts may need to be strengthened and better coordinated to ensure that vulnerable children are identified early and supported before they end up on the streets.

Schools, social workers and community leaders also have a role to play in identifying at-risk children and ensuring that interventions are not only reactive, but preventive.

As members of the public, perhaps we need guidance on how to respond responsibly. 

Instead of acting individually in ways that may be inconsistent, there could be clear channels, community programmes, shelters or support centres, where children can be directed and assisted in a structured and sustainable way.

But beyond policy and systems, there is a moral dimension that we cannot ignore.

As a counselling student, I cannot separate this experience from how it made me feel. 

It made me sad. 

It made me reflect. 

It made me realise that behind every such encounter is a child whose story we do not fully know, a child who should not have to ask strangers for food.

That boy did not just approach me for help.

He confronted me with a question about the kind of society we are becoming.

Namibia may not yet be defined by child begging, but moments like this suggest that we are at a point where we must pay attention. 

If we respond early, thoughtfully, and collectively, we can prevent a deeper crisis. 

If we ignore it, we risk normalising what should never be normal.

A child asking for food should not be something we get used to.

It should be something that moves us, and more importantly, something that moves us to act.

magnaemmvula@gmail.com.na

*Magnaem Ndeshipanda Mvula is a veteran radio producer at NBC Kati FM.