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Nawa 22 |
Dec 15 2003 |
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COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT
 The Southern Sun Media Trust is an organization that conducts activities to facilitate the flow of information between diverse stakeholders in the Southern Regions of Namibia. One such activity is the appointment of representatives to hear grievances people have in the respective communities. Based on the work of one such liaison person, the Trust was able to make a submission to the Hardap Regional Council on alleged corruption in the Council`s affairs, relating to a fraudulent credit transfer and the unauthorized issuing of a check. The Hardap Regional Governor, consequently, ordered an investigation into the matter, leading to the arrest of six persons who are currently on trial.
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The Trust has also collaborated with the Namibia Development Trust and the Legal Assistance Centre, two more experienced NGOs, to provide support to a local group, the Bondelswarts, in their efforts to reclaim the historic Warmbad hot springs and develop the springs as a tourist attraction. As a result of assistance provided to the Bondelswarts, the Government bought the land from the owner and subsequently allocated an amount equivalent to $250,000 to develop the area.
Another effort of the Trust is the successful "Southern Sun"newspaper, which aims to objectively and impartially report on topics of interest to `people of the south.` The paper closed its activities for the year with a highlight: the group was awarded the "Best Community Media"prize by the Media Institute of Southern Africa, receiving public acknowledgement and praise for its efforts to provide a strong platform for previously voiceless communities.
The Trust is one of the many groups throughout Namibia receiving capacity strengthening support from the Namibia Institute for Democracy under the USAID-funded Civil Society Development Program. |
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NAMIBIAN ACHIEVERS JOIN LEARNERS FROM 101 OTHER COUNTRIES
 Every year Junior Achievement Youth Enterprise (JA/YE) member nations worldwide are invited to select their top performing students to attend the annual Global Trade Institute Conference, a one-week conference, aimed at enhancing the current JA/YE experience of young achievers by engaging them in activities and lectures on international business, ethics, networking and management. In addition to the one-week conference, learners participate in a number of pre-conference activities that will prepare them for this high impact event.
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 Two learners represented Namibia in the 2003 Global Trade Institute (GTI) conference held in Chicago, U.S. Hannelie Heyman represented the Eldorado Secondary School in Windhoek, while Justina Frans represented Oshakati Secondary School in Oshakati. Hannelie and Justina were top performers in the JA Company program in 2003. The conference was attended by representatives from over one hundred countries. Justina and Hannelie had never been outside the borders of Namibia before, and attending the Global Trade Institutes Conference in the U.S. was a major learning and rewarding personal experience.
According to Justina, "three vital aspects to be a successful entrepreneur came to the fore. If you do not have a vision, you won`t focus to achieve goals. It helps you to stay focused and committed. You must be prepared to take risks and risk should be seen as an opportunity. Teamwork involves giving up someone`s independence, but it should not mean giving up your soul or intelligence. Teamwork always wins and makes work perfect."
Hannelie had the following to share on her return: "Not only did I enjoy myself, but I also learned a lot and gained more confidence. We attended workshops and seminars every day presented by business people and it was really an eye opener to see how involved the private sector is in the development of the youth by sharing experiences. I would like to urge the Namibian private sector to become more involved and share experiences with young people through the Junior Achievement Namibia programs. I also learned about the real business out there and what it takes to run your own business. I am going to start my own business after graduating."
See more on what JA/YE is teaching Namibia`s young people by clicking on the speeches JA/YE Managing Directors made at a recent awards ceremony: ../Speeches |
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LAUNCH OF YOUTHNET PROGRAM IN NAMIBIA
 On October 28, 2003, the Namibia YouthNet Program was officially launched in Windhoek and on November 5th in Walvis Bay, Erongo region, the second YouthNet site.
YouthNet, a USAID-funded program awarded to FHI and partners - CARE USA, MSCI, RTI and Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu, is a global program to improve reproductive health and prevent the spread of HIV in young people. The Namibia YouthNet program is aimed at young people between the ages of 8-16 through the implementation of the Christian Family Life Education (CFLE) curriculum. The program is implemented in collaboration with Change of Life Style (COLS), a local non-denominational faith-based youth organization. Twenty churches and faith-based organizations in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund communities are currently participating in the program.
Over 70 people representing churches, faith-based organizations, government sectors, UN agencies, youth structures and non-governmental organizations, attended the launch in Windhoek.
Key speakers at the Windhoek event included, Dr. Tshapaka Kapolo who delivered a speech on the role of the churches and faith-based organizations in youth HIV prevention on behalf of the General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Namibia, Dr. Nobert Foster, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, delivered a keynote address on behalf of the Deputy Minister, while Diana Swain, Director of USAID/Namibia made the closing remarks.
Youth choirs from participating churches entertained the audience with inspiring messages during the launch.
See Dr. Forster`s speech at ../Speeches |
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