No-show at Boy Child Talk

Councillor for the Arandis and Henties Bay constituency, Benitha Imbamba on Wednesday had to address a near empty hall when only a handful of boys showed up for her motivational talk for boys.Imbamba was hoping to have all 160 boys attending Kamwandi Junior Secondary School in Henties Bay present at the ‘Boy Child Talk’ to listen to motivational messages by herself and a number of other speakers, but only about 30 showed up at the community hall.“We informed the school principal on time to tell the boys to come; she even chose this date as it suits their calendar, now we show up to this disappointment,” said the councillor.Besides an apparent lack of interest by the boys, there was also some delay in the start of the talk, which was scheduled for 15:30 but only started at 17:30.The ‘Boy Child Talk’ teaches boys about discipline, respect for girls and women, staying away from drugs and alcohol and concentrating on completing their education.It is an extension of the Girl Child Talk Imbamba introduced at Arandis in April, focussing on gender-based violence (GBV), women’s rights and empowerment and how girls can succeed in life.Approached for comment, Kamwandi Junior Secondary School principal Mrs Speelman, who asked for her first name not to be mentioned, took the blame and said there must have been some sort of miscommunication.She said the boys were informed that the event would start at 15:30.Speelman, however, said even a change in time is not a good excuse for those who might have showed up and left.She said they made a mistake in letting the boys go home and should have instead scheduled it for directly after school.“I am very angry about what happened, I will definitely write a letter of apology to the councillor,” said Speelman.Elaborating more on the purpose of the event, Imbamba said she realised there is a need for boys and girls to receive further encouragement away from home, because some miss that guidance.She amongst others hopes to help reduce GBV, HIV/Aids and teenage pregnancies and contribute to a society where boys and men are confident and responsible.Pastors, police officers, social workers and people considered national role models form part of the motivational speakers at her events.The councillor plans to regularly host such talks at schools in the constituency.NAMPA

No-show at Boy Child Talk

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-25

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No-show at Boy Child Talk

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-25

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