Vox pop

The Namibian Organisation for Youth with Disabilities (NOYD) hosted a strategic planning conference in Swakopmund last week. My Zone caught up with them to find out what they think the biggest challenges facing the disabled youth are.
Mariselle Stofberg
Monika Hamutenya

I think the big challenge is for people with severe disabilities. Many people have no guides or wheelchairs because they cannot afford it.

Obrien Mwaluka

There are so many challenges for people living with disabilities like health, education and employment. I think one of the main ones is employment. Some of us went to school but then it is hard to find jobs. This leaves many disabled people in need of family support. We know that the government is trying, but unfortunately it is not 100%.

Rucas S. Haingura

The main challenge is education because if you’re not educated you cannot get anything. We can only go from pre-primary to higher education, but from there it seems that the tertiary institutions are not prepared for disabilities. Especially us deaf people, because we need to have an interpreter, which we cannot afford.

Mecky Katjinamunene, sign language interpreter

I think many disabled people struggle to be employed. As a sign language interpreter, you need to have papers, but many people want you to work as a volunteer. This is our bread and butter; we cannot work as volunteers. People are often willing to pay for private venues, transport and a master of ceremonies, but they are unwilling to pay a sign language interpreter. This leaves many people unemployed.

Eben-Ezer Tjipanda

I think a challenge many disabled people face is living alone. I have a 17-year-old child and I own a business, but I don’t have a wheelchair. Many people don’t have wheelchairs, especially in my area of Grootfontein.

Orben Muluti, NOYD chairperson

The biggest challenges faced by Namibian youth with disabilities are unemployment and a lack of education, especially at tertiary level, which is caused by a number of factors including no money to pay for tuition, lack of inclusive and accessible education modules, institutions and educational programmes. Out-of-school youth with disabilities face the most challenges and often find themselves in positions where they cannot provide for their basic needs.