TSUMEB – The 22-year old Castro Gaoab is the latest addition to a group of young people who instead of waiting for employment, find ways of being self employed.
Gaoab has established a little business installing digital satellite television dishes and decoders, as well as repairing computers. His knowledge though was learnt on-the-job, from watching his brother in-law at work. He also made use of the knowledge of a friend, who studied information technology at the University of Namibia, to teach him about fixing computers. Learning how to fix computers came about by sheer coincidence, the young Gaoab says.
“I learned from a friend who studied Information Technology at the University of Namibia. My computer kept giving me problems. As a result I would always ask my friend to fix it.
My curiosity eventually got the better of me and I asked him to teach me to which he agreed. That is how I got into fixing computers,” says Gaoab, who is planning to study IT at the university this year. Being the fourth child out of five children, Gaoab lived with his elder sister and her husband until the sister passed away. It was after his sister’s death, that his brother in-law introduced him to installing satellite dishes. He says his brother in-law saw that giving Gaoab pocket money would eventually become unsustainable.
“I was schooling at Tsintsabis where I passed my Grade 10 in 2010 and moved from Tsintsabis to Tsumeb where I stayed with my older sister and her husband. I continued working hard in school and matriculated in 2012, this was a very sad year for me because it was the same year I lost my older sister,” says an emotional Gaoab. “Even after my sister passed away I continued staying with Alfonso and my two nieces. The two of us always did get along like a house on fire,” he says smiling.
“The thought of moving out after my sister’s death has never crossed my mind, we are still family and always will be,” Gaoab says, clearly fond of his brother in-law.
“My brother-in-law said to me, ‘I can give you the skills you need to make money for yourself, since your big sister is not around to contribute towards your pocket money’,” says Gaoab.
“Both my brothers work outside Tsumeb, one works at Mukuti Lodge near Namutoni and the other at Markhams in Walvis Bay.” His younger sister is still in Grade 5.
By John Travolter Matali