USAKOS – The small town of Usakos is one of many in Namibia grappling a high unemployment rate, which not only exacerbates poverty, but also fuels cases of domestic violence.
About 80% of the town’s young people are reportedly unemployed, leaving many families destitute.
To alleviate the situation and uplift the community, the Usakos Town Council launched the Mayor’s Youth Empowerment and Training Programme, which aims at assisting young people with financial support to access training opportunities.
This year, the programme enrolled 44 young people at the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (Nimt) and 22 at Anistemi College.
“We realised that the unemployment rate is very high, especially among our youth. Eighty percent of our youth are unemployed; they are literally roaming the streets. We had to come up with something tangible to yield positive results,” mayor Irene Simeon-Kurz said.
The mayor said they had engaged training institutions that offer businesses related courses to address not only unemployment but also the skills shortage among the youth of Usakos.
“The trainees are doing welding, brickmaking, diesel mechanics and similar courses. Once they finish this training, they will be placed on internships with various companies to gain experience,” she said.
The mayor is hopeful that the trainees would get employment or start their own businesses after completing the internships.
Simeon-Kurz said, the programme will make a difference in some households in Usakos, as the youths will not only enhance skills availability in the town, but will also alleviate the burden of poverty in families.
“Another good Samaritan who preferred anonymity, has been sponsoring the young people with food parcels.
“This is to ensure that they or their families do not need to worry and also to allow the students to give their full attention to their training,” she said.
The benefactor expressed hope the trainees will all do well and further contribute to the town’s development.
Freddie Dausab, one of the youths attending training in Uis, said he was grateful for the opportunity afforded to him and his fellow youth. “Words cannot express how I feel,” he said.
Another youth also expressed gratitude: “I want to make the best of everything, and we are grateful to our mayor, Nimt and Aims, for making this opportunity available to all of us,” he said.