When a Job Can’t Feed You, It Kills You Slowly

Every day, thousands of young Namibians wake up with a single mission: to survive.

Not thrive, not build a future, just survive. We line up at company gates before sunrise, CVs in hand, dressed in borrowed confidence. And still, we’re told we are lazy. But the truth is: We’re not lazy; we’re locked out.

It’s not just about needing a job. We need decent jobs. Jobs that don’t leave us worse than we started off – emotionally drained, underpaid, overworked, and invisible. Namibia is not short of talent or willpower, but we are stuck in a system where effort is not rewarded, where the grind doesn’t guarantee even a basic life.

A payslip should mean progress. But for many, it means more debt, more hunger, more anxiety. People are working full time and still can’t afford transport, food, rent, or school fees. And yet we are told to be grateful.

Low wages are not just a financial issue, but a mental health crisis.

People are dying on the inside. Some are even taking their own lives.

Because what do you do when you’re doing everything right and it’s still not enough? It chips away at your self-worth. Slowly. Quietly. Fatally.

We don’t want handouts. We want fair chances. We want jobs that respect our time, our skills, and our humanity.

We are not a lazy generation. We are a generation trapped in an economy that asks too much and gives too little. And we are tired of working ourselves into the ground for nothing.

It’s easy to say work harder. But when you work full time as a security guard or cleaner for barely more than the minimum wage, working harder often means longer hours, more exhaustion, and still coming up short. The ‘working poor’ exist right here in Namibia – people who do everything expected and still face hunger and hopelessness.

Many young people juggle multiple jobs or side hustles to fill the gap. They wake before dawn to sell fruit, run tuckshops, or do deliveries just to make ends meet. The mental toll of this constant hustle is enormous. Anxiety, depression, and despair silently grow.

And when wages are so low, people can’t afford basic healthcare or mental health services. This leaves many isolated, with no support system when the pressure becomes unbearable.

The suicide rate among young Namibians have been rising quietly but steadily. Behind many tragic stories is financial despair, coupled with the humiliation of feeling worthless despite hard work.

Men often bear this burden alone, trapped by societal expectations to be providers without the means to provide. Women juggle unpaid care work with low-paid jobs, leaving them exhausted and vulnerable.

The stigma around mental health means many suffer in silence. There’s no safety net, no open conversation, no professional help readily accessible. And the result is too many lives lost, too many dreams crushed.

We urgently need a national conversation about decent work, fair pay, and mental health support. This means raising the minimum wage, enforcing labour laws that protect workers from exploitation, providing mental health resources and safe spaces in workplaces and communities, creating real career paths, and investing in skills development and entrepreneurship for young people.

Employers and the government must remember that behind every job title is a human being – someone with hopes, a family, and dreams.

Work is not just about survival. It is about dignity, identity, and hope.

When jobs pay too little or demand too much without respect, they break us.

Namibian young people are not lazy or unwilling. We are exhausted, locked out, and yearning for change. We deserve the chance to live fully, to contribute meaningfully, and to build futures without sacrificing our health and humanity.

Because when a job can’t feed you, it kills you slowly.

– Junias Ndiliowike

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