Representatives from the Rob Youth Foundation say they are ready to play their part in addressing the challenges faced by the youth of the country.
Rob Youth Foundation founder and managing director Robert Maseka told The Namibian last week they will start the year on a high note with the launch a national sanitary pad drive.
Donations are due to begin this week through a partnership with Women in Media.
The foundation, alongside Women in Media, International Peace Youth Group and International Women Peace Group travelled to Tsumukwe in the Otjozondjupa region last week to conduct school outreaches.
He said the team were expected to donate at least 500 school uniforms, school shoes and around 500 sanitary pads to pupils at the settlement.
The initiative was spearheaded by Women in Media’s Limba Mupetami and Jemima Beukes.
“Last year, around October, I was approached by Mupetami with the idea of the foundation coming on board to assist with the sanitary pads for the outreach programme,” he said.
In addition, the foundation will also start food production on a 10-hectare plot of land in the Zambezi region, donated by the Lusu Traditional Authority in 2022.
“We have made progress. The office of the governor acquired a tractor for land servicing and ploughing with additional support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform,” said Maseka.
The foundation will also look into the health sector, with plans to fix at least 30 broken beds at Engela State Hospital following a site inspection last year.
“Initially, we planned to fix 70 beds after our donation of 70 mattresses last year, however, after the site inspection by our team, the numbers came down to just over 30 beds.”
The foundation also plans to establish a clinic in the Kavango East region to provide reproductive health services to the youth, especially in the remote areas to reduce the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the region.
Maseka said they also plan to rollout the sanitary pad project to all 14 regions of the country.
“This includes educational outreach programmes on mental health and sexual reproductive health awareness campaigns for learners, teachers and out-of-school youth.”
Maseka said they will close off with a cleaning campaign across all 14 regions, in partnership with various town councils and municipalities.
The organisation also plans to establish another branch in Botswana, with the process at an advanced stage and expected to be finalised by the end of this month.
This is aimed at tackling the social ills and economic challenges faced by African youth, Maseka said.
2023 ACHIEVEMENTS
Last year, the foundation made notable impacts in the health sector by partnering with Sanlam to donate 70 new mattresses to the Engela State Hospital in August, after renovating the maternity ward of the Katutura hospital in 2022.
In May last year, as part of the School Health Task Force, alongside the education and health ministries, the United Nations Population Fund and other organisations, the foundation travelled to Eenhana for the commemoration of International Hygiene Day, donating sanitary pads to 33 schools in the Eenhana circuit.
The foundation, in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, also visited a Botswana junior secondary school last year to motivate pupils to study hard, handing over toiletries and sanitary pads.
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