Onesmus Embula

WINDHOEK – “We have a voice and it needs to be heard and we will not stop searching for new ideas,” says Tuna-Ombili Hanghome (9) pointing out the need for new skills and new problem solving skills.

She was among children who attended World Children’s Day in Windhoek yesterday.  “Our generation is 100 percent of a future”, before her fellow group members backed up chanting “join us, generation unlimited, our time, our turn, our future.” Collectively, youngsters in their presentation detailed their problems, adding many of them especially those living in rural areas have to walk long distances with most schools two kilometres or more away from their homesteads, with these schools for that matter poorly serviced.   “We live in a country where 10 percent of our population is richer than all of us, yet 18 percent of Namibian children live in houses made of iron sheet, mud or sticks, with no access to safe water, no ablution facility and no electricity,” said the group, during their presentation.

Moreover, they are worried with unemployed graduates sitting at home, questioning the need for schooling in the first place.  “For some of us who finished primary or high school all the way to tertiary, the despair continues whereby 72 650 of us are still unemployed and yet in this technological world, more than 25 000 of youth do not have access to radio, television, newspaper or even internet,” voiced the group. Tunohole Uundjenu (10), another group member, told the gathering, “These are our generation’s problems, but we have the solution and you have the power, influence, expertise and resource, so let us partner to deliver positive results for all children in Namibia.”

This year, for World Children’s Day, UNICEF Namibia held a Business Council meeting for children in Windhoek to create a forum consisting of the business community, to partner with and deliver sustainable results for all children in Namibia.  World Children’s Day is commemorated globally on 20 November each year and marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  At the event, the children made their voices heard in the business world by asking private sectors to #GoBlue for every child as part of effort to look for and promote the delivery of results for children and advance the rights of every Namibian child.

In their presentation, a group consisting of 15 children raised concerns that are dear to their daily lives such as the alarming statistics contained in their presentation document of over 500 000 young people living in Namibia of which 26 500 have never been in school. 

Additionally, the event was also in recognition of essential role the private sectors play in driving the 2030 agenda for children, hence UNICEF created a Business Council meeting by leveraging companies’ core competencies, expertise and resources and explored the potential of a robust alliance and partnership between government, private and development sectors.  The hashtag #GoBlue initiative of UNICEF seeks to help build a world where every child is in school and feels safe from harm and empowered to fulfil their potential. Children in gathering found the event delightful as they long felt the need to be recognised as kids and not sidelined.