Germany backs N$1.9m youth health project
Germany has committed nearly N$1.9 million towards a new project aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies and improving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among adolescents and young people in Namibia. The funding agreement for the "Pamwe" project, valued at approximately N$1.9 million, was signed by German Ambassador to Namibia, Dr Thorsten Hutter, and representatives of the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA), including Chairperson Sevelia Kasuto, Executive Director Natalia Ihemba, and Communication and Advocacy Manager Louise Mhundwa.
The project will run from 1 May to 31 December 2026 and will focus on the Kavango, Kunene and Omusati regions, which record some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country. Pamwe, which means "Together" in several Namibian dialects, seeks to address teenage pregnancies by improving access to youth-friendly health services, providing comprehensive sexuality education, promoting menstrual health and hygiene, and challenging cultural attitudes that undermine sexual and reproductive health rights.
The initiative targets adolescent girls and young women, adolescent boys and young men, as well as young people living with disabilities. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Hutter said teenage pregnancy remains one of the greatest barriers to equality and opportunity for young women and girls in Namibia. "With a national rate twice the global average, and even higher figures in rural regions, this is a challenge that demands a thoughtful, community-rooted response," he said.
"The Pamwe project does exactly that by meeting young people where they are, promoting knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights while expanding access to the health services they need and deserve." NAPPA Executive Director Natalia Ihemba described the project as an investment in prevention, dignity and informed choice. She said teenage pregnancy is often the visible result of deeper social and economic challenges, including poverty, unequal gender relations, limited access to accurate information, exclusion of persons with disabilities, and cultural barriers that prevent young people from seeking help.
"Through this partnership with the Government of Germany, NAPPA will work with communities, schools, health workers, traditional leaders, parents and young people themselves to create safer, more informed and supportive environments where adolescents can make healthy decisions and access services without fear, stigma or discrimination," she said.
Ihemba added that the success of the project would depend on collaboration between families, communities, government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and young people. According to the Namibia Demographic and Health Survey, Namibia records 82 pregnancies per 1000 girls aged between 15 and 19 years. The consequences include school dropouts, increased gender inequality, unsafe abortions and, in some cases, infanticide.
To address these challenges, the Pamwe project will train community leaders, educators and healthcare workers in gender-transformative approaches, deliver SRHR education in schools and communities, conduct mobile clinic outreach programmes and improve access to services for young people with disabilities.
The funding forms part of the German Federal Foreign Office's global human rights programme, which supports around 130 projects annually in developing and emerging countries across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe.
Established in 1996, NAPPA is a Namibian welfare organisation that provides public health interventions aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health and HIV-related services for adolescents and young people throughout the country.
