Pinehas Nakaziko

WINDHOEK – She learned wonderful things that sooner or later are bound to change her life, such as about teenage pregnancy, how to abstain from sex and how a young girl can speak openly to her parents about issues effecting her, says Reefbica /Howoses, 15, one of the girls who attended a VisionCore mentorship programme for girls over the weekend. “I also learned how to say no,” emphasises /Howoses. 

Sidadi /Guiras, 17, says she learned how to be herself and how to approach different people. “I also learned how to find myself and who I am as a person. I learned how to avoid guys so that they cannot ruin me nor my studies,” she says. The three-day educational and empowerment training camp was held at the Zion Youth Centre at Brakwater. It was attended by 45 girls for the development aspect of the camp and 15 for studying, from the regions of Khomas, Hardap, Otjozondjupa, Erongo and Omaheke with most being from the host region Khomas.

 
Various invited speakers engaged the girls on different topics like their identity, thinking styles, decision-making, peer pressure, bullying, essay writing, interpretation of question papers, teenage pregnancy, sexual relationships and the importance of education. The girls also learned creative skills through various team building and group work activities like designing matric farewell dresses, explaining their designs, which focused on speaking skills, building a tower and explaining the type of tower they built and what the tower symbolised in life generally. 

Invited speakers included Julia Musuuo, a lecturer at the University of Namibia (Unam), Vanessa Masiya from the University of Life Group organisation, Otto Kapuka, a motivational speaker, Piachon Sheya, owner of Edi Administration, and the founder of VisionCore, Eises Aletta.