Community leadership training project weathers the storm
Since starting a new community leadership training for the youth and elderly people in Windhoek September last year the Monica Gender Violence Organisation lead by Saanika Nashilongo,the organisation has faced difficulties but through hard work they managed to shine through them.
Saanika, who is the Director of the Monica Gender Violence Organisation said they started the workshop with only 3 participants, but then the numbers increased to 20 participants in November last year, but it was not easy because they faced the challenge of people dropping out.
“Therefore we had to go back to the drawing board and our final decision was to make sure that we teach people what will touch and change their hearts and lives for the better and to pay it forward,” he explained.
According to him, luckily for the organisation the new ideas worked well and more and more people started joining the training.
Nashilongo said the trainings included topics of legal study, giving basic counseling, self and community leadership. “Even thought the participants found it difficult to understand topics like legal study and leadership, we found a solution where as to translate the topics for them in their own languages for them to understand better,” he added.
Nashilongo attributed some of the success of the training to the University of Namibia (UNAM), as the university provided them with students from their Department of Life Long Learning, who were placed at the organisation for practical attachments, which was an encouragement to other community members.
“After the training we gave the participants theory and practical exams to test them on what they had learned and to make sure that they can know go out in to the community and work, and thankfully all of them passed,” he added.
