Africa Untamed: ‘Generation 2030; What’s in it for Africa’s children and youth?’

Linda Kamtsendero from Malawi attained her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Malawi in 2016. ‘I am the central youth coordinator for youth empowerment. Our organization is called Youth to Youth Empowerment Network. We are passionate about youth and national development. Our focus area is mainly mentorship and nurturing skills for the youth. Our team is comprised of individuals from different backgrounds and professions. For example, we have nurses and entrepreneurs. We visit secondary schools, especially community day secondary schools because this is where you find that youth lack information about opportunities that exist outside school and we also offer career guidance. They also lack resources such as books. We listen to what they need in different areas of their lives such as sexual reproductive health,’ she explains.

For Linda, the generation 2030 report is a big opportunity for African youth to discover what areas in society need to be addressed and even how to improve on existing projects. The report wants to see more young people who are productive as compared to those who aren’t. She hopes to share her insights on the report in Malawi.

She is also involved with Maphunziro 265 as a facilitator. During their mentorship sessions, they realise that some students couldn’t even afford to pay for the community day secondary schools, a worrying situation. Therefore, they decided to form this Nongovernmental organisation to link needy scholars to financial providers. Several organisations and individuals have stepped in to provide bursaries.

To empower young people who are at risk of early pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, they conducted a study called Girl Power (Protecting Our Women Through Empowerment and Resilience). As a research officer, she worked and interacted with 1000 young women aged 15-24.

 Linda urges the youth to start taking advantage of the information and skills they have to change the society. She believes in starting small and doing your best.

Marie-Emilienne Adiko from Cote d’ivoire is a blogger and social activist. She is passionate about conversations revolving around public participation, civic behaviour, public policy, security and social well being. She is a senior student at the American University majoring in political science and a minor in International Relations. She is also a content manager in a web agency. When she started taking her classes, she realised that she was more informed as compared to other people. That is how she started educating people about their rights.

‘The generation 2030 has been a new and exciting experience for me. This is the first time I have visited an English speaking country and I have met lots of new people. I am happy about the report because the collective statistics inform us of where we are at the moment as a continent. Therefore, we are able to actively identify what we need to do in our own capacity,’ reminisced a happy Marie.

She hopes to see a blog grow further in the coming years and even be recognized internationally. She wants to see a platform that is highly educative and interactive. She writes in French but sees that there is a need to start writing in English too. Her desire is to see Anglophone countries more aware of the both challenges and opportunities that exist in Francophone countries.

Albertina Zandamela is from Mozambique. She works in a radio station called Radio Mozambique. The department she works in focuses on children and youth programs. The platform exists in many countries. In total, there are about 200 children working on a similar platform across the board. The program has shows that talk about subjects such as life skills, education, responsibility and health. This has enabled them to reach out to government ministries and agencies to create better living conditions for children in Mozambique.

‘It is the responsibility of the media to show the world what is happening on the ground especially matters that affect children and youth. Our shows are sponsored by our government and UNICEF,’ she elaborates.

Albertina was excited about her stay in South Africa. Like her peers, she had the chance of learning what other countries are doing to solve the challenges that affect children and youth in their countries. She would like to implement the ideas she got in her own country and design them to suit the needs of the children and youth in Mozambique.

Speaking at the launch
Credit: UNICEF/Antony Kariuki

‘I am now more empowered. This is why I want to share what I have learnt about the generation 2030 report. I will do this on a one on one basis and through radio,’ she asserts.

 

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