WINDHOEK, Namibia – “Young people can only be our future if we invest in them today and the investment that we are looking at is to ensure that young people are educated, they have relevant skills and that they are healthy,” said Gift Malunga, the United Nations Populations Fund  (UNFPA) Namibia Representative ai, as she attended the Leaving No One Behind shoe shine and laundry training in Windhoek. 

From 6 - 7 September 2023, the Leaving No One Behind Project in collaboration with the #BeFree Movement hosted a transformative event for young people in Namibia - a two-day Shoe Laundry Training. This initiative aimed to empower young individuals by providing them with income-generating skills that can support their self-sufficiency and ultimately enable them to protect their sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

With support from the Japanese Government, the UNFPA and the #BeFree Movement supported 16 young people from diverse regions, arming them with entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to kick-start and manage their own shoeshine and laundry businesses effectively.

In the spirit of facilitating sustainable livelihoods, the Leaving No One Behind project provided starter kits consisting of brushes, polish, microfiber, cloths, and other essential items that would help support the start of their new businesses.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Malunga emphasised how critical the Japanese Government has been in uplifting Namibian youth through the Leaving No One Behind project.

“We are very fortunate that the Government of Japan has given us resources to work in seven regions to try and improve the lives of vulnerable population groups in Namibia. For UNFPA and our partners, it is very important that we also contribute to alleviating the unemployment in the country”, said Malunga.

According to the 2018 Labour Force Survey, 46.1% of young people are unemployed in the country. Lack of livelihood opportunities reduces young people's self-efficacy and self-esteem and further creates gender power inequalities, putting women and girls in vulnerable positions and exposing them to risks of violence. Furthermore, economic independence is key for survivors of gender-based violence to break this vicious cycle.

In addition to receiving hands-on training in shoe cleaning and shining from local entrepreneur in the industry, participants were also trained in a variety of complementary skills including an introduction to entrepreneurship, financial management, basic accounting principles, budgeting, marketing, customer service, branding strategies as well as being familiarized with the municipality’s regulation and compliance processes for microbusinesses. 

Certificates were awarded to all participants as a testament to their commitment and successful completion of the training programme.