WINDHOEK– The National Youth Service (NYS) of Namibia and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) of South Africa last Thursday concluded their youth exchange programme.
It aimed at exposing the youths to community development works and to provide them with opportunities to undertake community service in the two respective countries last Thursday. The first phase of the exchange programme was implemented by the NYDA in South Africa from March-August 2014 with 20 Namibian youths undergoing training in various fields by carrying out community work at NYDA offices across South Africa. The second phase of the exchange programme started in Namibia with the arrival of eight South African youths on September 22, 2014. As part of the exchange programme, Namibian and South African youths were paired together and deployed across the country to carry out voluntary services for three months, September-December, 2014, at various hospitals under the Ministry of Health and Social Services and at community fish farms under the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
The South African youths were given an opportunity to undergo three months’ vocational training at the Community Development Trust Centre (COSDEC) in Ondangwa in the Oshana region while the NYS youths went to complete their third phase of the NYS training programme at the NYS Riefontein Training Centre. So far 24 participants have successfully completed the programme. Fifteen were from the NYDA in South Africa and nine from the NYS. Some youths who took part in the programme share their views on how they benefited from the programme. “It has been a great opportunity to all of us Namibian and South African youths to have been chosen to be part of the exchange programme, to present Namibia and South Africa,’’ says Sikesha Munida, one of the Namibian participants.
Munida adds that this programme has made them successful interns as they were trained in giving full services and information on what both organisation offer young people. They were exposed to various activities such as life skills, career guidance, job preparedness, and entrepreneurship development. “We have gained experience in speaking to young people [about the] challenges that we youth of today are facing. While in Namibia it was a great opportunity for us to work in various communities. We have experienced a lot because we were delegated in various activities,’’ says Munida.
Another youth, Nontombi Zozo, from South African was excited to share her experience saying they were deployed in the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in different regions in Namibia. They acquired skills in youth development, volunteerism, community service and were exposed to real workplace and businesse experience as well as gaining leadership skills. “I’m tired of being stereotyped as a statistic and I’m sure I don’t speak for myself, alone but for all hard working youths and we can change other peoples’ perceptions about youths and it’s all up to you. Hard work has it’s rewards. Surely our mentors and superiors can pat themselves on the back because they have taught us well and I stand here with true conviction that we’ve changed completely and surely we have exceeded the expectations of the programme. But the race is still on and we are the chosen generation and there is still yet more that we can do for our communities, our countries and for ourselves,’’ notes Zozo.
Jerry Ekandjo, Minister of Youth, National Service and Sports says this exchange is a clear testimony to the strong bilateral relations between the two sister countries, Namibia and South Africa.“I am informed that the exchange activities were a great success and that the South African youths had a wonderful time during their six months of stay in Namibia. I would like to congratulate the participants and the officials from the NYS and NYDA for ensuring that the programme was successfully implemented and completed,’’ he says.
Ekandjo wishes that the mutual exchanges between volunteer groups in Namibia and South Africa will be accelerated, allowing the group to learn together, share ideas and skills and together face the challenge of realising their dreams and conquering the problems that relate to the global society. “I hope this exchange programme will lay the foundations for more and better programmes in cooperation between Namibia and South Africa,’’ he says giving his ministry’s assurance in supporting initiatives aimed at cooperation going beyond this exchange programme. “Let us see the end of this exchange programme as a foundation for further cooperation and not as end in itself,’’ Ekandjo concludes.