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Where books meet science

Synthia /Uiras, Ceciliana Shekunza and Vilima Nafuka

On 6 September the readers as well as writers of Amazing Kids went on an excursion to the Namibian University of Science and Technology (Nust) to attend the 4th annual book fair.

The book fair was founded as a result of disappointment due to the lack of a national day to celebrate writers in the country. The book fair was founded by Ms Helvi when she as a writer saw that upcoming writers were not encouraged or assisted on a national level.

Delilah Katanga was a vibrant director of ceremony and Mr. Andrew Nikondo gave the welcome remarks by quoting Kofi Annan with the quote “literature is a bridge from misery to hope”.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) statistics that 750 000 000 people still cannot read or write and 250 000 000 children fail to apply basic literature skills in their day to day lives.

The founder and director of Yameca Children’s Media Ms Helvi makes this day possible with the help of the Goethe Institute, FNCC, FNB and NUST. Ms Helvi sees the importance of books in the lives of learners and hopes to introduce every Namibian child and adult to reading.

Ms Mavis Elias, a well renounced ‘readaholic’, was present to share her story of how being literate presented opportunities to her as a young adult. Being a queen’s young leader, a civil engineer, a director, a writer (blogger) Elias enjoys the fruits of her labour.

She just experienced a sleepless night and twitted about how much she wished she could change the status quo of her society. To her greatest surprise she saw that the first lady of Namibia her Excellency Monica ‘Kalondo’ Geingos was retweeting her tweets.

After a while Mrs. Geingos stated that she wanted to work with Elias and that was the beginning of a great partnership. Mavis encourages reading because it is the best way to stimulate the brain.

After visiting the exhibition halls there where awesome writers such as Martha Sibila /Khoeses an author, coach and speaker who showed the power of books. The students went into another exhibition hall where the science and engineering week was in progress.

The exhibition of some creative mechanical creations that were built by the Nust engineering students was also present in the hall.

The learners also went to the computer lab where they attended an hour course to find out a bit more about coding and Mr David said that “coding is the new language every child deserves to be fluent in”. The learners had fun as well as the ability to learn codes. It is not every day that one walks into a room and finds that all the machine are apple products. As they left the room the learners were awed by the beauty and efficiency with which Mr David carried out the task of equipping them for a better future.

Women in Engineering

Also present at the engineering week exhibitions was Mrs. Theopoline Amushendje a co-founder of Namibian Women in Science (NAWIS), deputy dean in the faculty of animal sciences as well as a junior lecturer at the UNAM. The organisation strives to empower women in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) to stay in there and also to encourage upcoming ‘girl’ students to consider going into the STEM fields.

“Women are underrepresented” said Mrs Theopoline as she feels that some women are still living in the era where women do not do much of the meaningful jobs so she wishes to create opportunities for girls in a male dominated world.

Women are usually categorised as social outcasts when choosing to work in male dominated realms. Engineering is rapidly becoming a dynamic industry with many similarities in certain fields. Moreover, engineering degrees can lead to an immense number of career opportunities, with graduates in demand in almost every sector of the economy. These diversities of engineering clear the pathway as it continues to give many women a piece of mind.

The Women in Engineering (WomEng) is a broad initiative that provides necessary information about engineering and equip young women in choosing careers sagaciously. The predominant sponsor of WomEng is Debmarine Namdeb Foundation. Women in Namibia are usually uninformed about the engineering fields or disregarded based on gender. Hence, the De beers group find this initiative timely and reliable for all students that have an aptitude for maths and science.

The WomEng decided to share views and opinions, paying sacrificial attention to women. Women have to endure humiliation and relegation in certain work places which are male dominated. Hence, on the 14th of August 2019, WomEng organised a special workshop. Numerous schools in Windhoek were invited. The workshop commenced at 09h00 with the welcome and overview of the day. The aim of the workshop was to take high school girls on a quick journey of young aspiring engineering leaders. The spokesperson of Honourable Kornelia Shilunga, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, said that the science field is an essential and rewarding field of study. He elaborated on how the Namibian government is adamant in this field of study and distributed a word of encouragement. The workshop was also attended by several engineers. These engineers were required to share an insight and career experiences. Moreover, the most captivating session of the workshop was the #AskAnEngineer Q and A session. In this session attendees were given a candid discussion. Attendees were given the opportunity to ask the speakers questions in relation to engineering or specific fields. In addition, the session also reiterated on the importance of selecting science and mathematics subjects in grade 10, provided practical advice related to subject choices. One of the mind blowing speakers was an elderly sedulous women, Maenge Shipiki Kali. She unpacked the predicaments women face in relation to family and career choices, giving her life story as an example.

The attendees received a pink hardhat, lip gloss, hand cream all in a Black Hand bag as a token of appreciation. Breakfast and lunch was also available and this enhanced better concentration and a productive workshop. The pink hardhat was the centre of attraction as the hall looked majestic with all women wearing the hardhat. Furthermore, the pink hardhat challenge was a leadership development tool which uses the hardhat as a transformational tool for participants. The hardhats were all the same but over the course of the session were turned according to an individual’s personal views, ethics and desired future. When the challenge was completed the hall had a distinct room of hardhats and this showcased that the diversity of hardhats is needed to transform the industry and foster innovation.

In essence, only engineers can make the world a better, cleaner and safer place. Gender has no effect on career paths. Women need to put cultural beliefs aside when deciding on careers. Engineers are conceptual problem solvers and they use mathematics and science to design new products. WomEng is a multi-award winning enterprise developing the next generation of high skilled women for the engineering and technological industries.

The day was well spent as the learners were the highly esteemed guests of the Nust students. When the brains meet the pen and the pen meets the paper than it becomes fire and thunder in Namibia because the writers have hidden talents that once unleashed will never be found roaming the streets with no direction.