2017-09-27Staff Report 2 Pinehas Nakaziko The next adventure on her mission is to bring her dreams to life with the Plug-In AU-EU bilateral partnership. “I will be travelling to Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire for the fourth AU-EU Youth Summit in October. Following this, I will be in Addis Ababa for the month of November as part of the AU-EU Youth Plug-In Initiative,” says Hilda Nambili Liswani, adding that the initiative takes place together with the fourth Africa-Europe Youth Summit as part of the main components of the Youth Track towards the fifth AU-EU Summit. “The aim of the Youth Track is to ensure a more meaningful and strengthened inclusion of young people in the run-up to and at the Summit.” The 25-year-old Liswani is an award-winning social innovator, international speaker and participatory development expert with the interests of fellow youths at heart. She co-founded two social enterprises: NamibiaNow, which aims to use media (mobile journalism in particular) as a tool to enhance equality and democracy in Namibia, and #NotSoDifferent, a virtual campaign promoting tolerance, acceptance and diversity. “I am driven primarily by my desire to live a life of meaning and leave a legacy that goes beyond self-interest and shallow pursuits. My desires have fostered proactivity and undeterred passion, which have taken me around the world engaging with young entrepreneurs,” says Liswani. Born in Windhoek in October 1991, Liswani spent the first eight years of her life in Namibia. After that she constantly moved around with her family living in South Africa, Ethiopia and the United Kingdom. Her basic challenge was growing up as a shy person, and no one ever thought she would be speaking in front of people today. “Speaking did not come easily to me, to the point that when I was in South Africa my parents had to put me in speech therapy classes. As I grew older and got in touch with the world and different cultures, I found my voice, and more importantly, I found causes and ambitions which were worth my voice and implored me to break my silence.” Liswani did her BA (Hons) International Relations at Nottingham Trent University, and her Masters in Migration, Mobility and Development at the University of London. Having been extensively immersed in matters around youth, including development and socio-economic emancipation, academically and professionally, demonstrates that she possesses a deeply nuanced sense of exposure, insights and adaptability. “I have a very strong affinity to leave a mark on the world. A mark that will be a reflection of my continuous celebration of diversity, peace, hope and freedom.” Liswani was one of 75 young people, and the first Namibian, to take part in the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), with a mandate to facilitate multicultural and intersectional dialogue among young people around the world. 2017-09-27Staff Report 2
