USAID Program Breaks Down Barriers

How young Namibian women succeed in the field of woodwork 

Namibia has one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in southern Africa and today, more than 40 percent of the country’s youth are unemployed - nearly three times as many as the global average – and this number is growing. 

It is critical that young women are able to learn skills to help them succeed in Namibia’s difficult job market.  Woodwork is still male dominated, but young women in Katima Mulilo, the capital of Namibia’s Zambezi Region are now receiving the necessary training to change that through the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) program. 

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) support program is funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and promotes economic empowerment among adolescent girls and young women at risk of contracting HIV. 

Financial independence reduces the likelihood that adolescent girls will turn to transactional sex which spreads HIV to sustain themselves. USAID has reached over 175,000 adolescent girls and young women in Namibia with services to empower them and help prevent HIV including improved access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services as well as skills to prevent and address gender-based violence.

In Katima Mulilo, four young women who are part of the DREAMS program, implemented by USAID partner Project HOPE Namibia, completed a six-month training in joinery and cabinet making at the Zambezi Vocational Training Center. After the training, the women were selected for an internship at a woodwork workshop in their community. 

“We learned how to make large items such as beds, tables, and doors, and also how to use power tools to complete bigger jobs,” says Ruth Zambwe, who received the training. During the internship they also learned how to convert readily available and inexpensive materials and turn them into furniture such as couches and chairs. Marlene Nyama, another graduate, says she had no work experience before the internship and had to learn about professionalism and workplace communication on the job. 

Petrus Simataa, the owner of the woodwork shop and mentor, worked with the young women to better understand their needs and has since provided accommodation for them to ensure they can fulfil their responsibilities at home and at work. 

“Mentors like Petrus are critical for the success of the DREAMS program,” says Bernadette Harases, Head of the DREAMS program at Project HOPE Namibia. “These young women are learning skills in a safe and supportive professional environment and because of their success, other young women will now have the chance to enter this field.”

Marlene completes woodwork jobs with a friend who is currently receiving training at the center. They make cupboards, coffee tables, shoe racks and other cabinetry. Through her woodwork projects, Marlene can buy toiletries and groceries for herself and her parents. 

“I hope to gain more professional exposure in my trade, with the goal of starting and running a successful business in my hometown. I want to be a positive role model to other young women in general – and especially in a male-dominated industry like joinery,” says Marlene.