By Frederick Philander MARIENTAL In her opinion, Namibia needs people who can roll up their sleeves and get to work instead of perpetually bemoaning and or criticizing the nation’s limitations and shortcomings. This view was on Monday expressed at the launch of a new community church centre in Aimablaagte at Mariental by the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Marlene Mungunda. The St James AME Church Trust Youth Centre was inaugurated after being completed through sponsorship, of which N$63ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 came from the Federal Republic of Germany and the rest from local businesses. “The youth centre we are launching today primarily caters for a soup kitchen for the town’s senior citizens, orphans and vulnerable children, an elementary ITC centre for school-leavers and a much-needed recreational facility for our young children and youth. It is not just enough to blame our children for bad behaviour without offering them role models, facilities and programmes to keep them actively busy,” Hardap Governor, Katrina Hanse, said in a speech on behalf of Marlene Mungunda who could not attend the inauguration. According to Mungunda, born in Mariental, the Namibian society is plagued by various social challenges in all 13 regions of the country. “There is the killer disease HIV/AIDS. The Namibian government is concerned that even literate and educated people do not listen and act responsibly. As a result, government’s resources are further strained to provide for both the infected and affected parties. However, we are glad that initiatives such as the St James Trust Youth Centre will help alleviate the plight of orphans and vulnerable children as well as provide educational and recreational facilities for the youth,” said the minister, who also expressed great concern for the senior citizens of the country. She also expressed her abhorrence of the effects of alcohol abuse on the Namibian society. “It is not just enough to close illegal shebeens only and to have licensed alcohol outlets only. What we need are adults who will exercise discipline at their homes and on the streets. We need parents who provide Christian life-models, not persons with different lifestyles confusing their own children. “If parents fail in their duty, I believe our children will continue to fail in high numbers in Grade 10 without any prospects for the future,” Mungunda warned.