Breaking the Silence: Communities United Against GBV

YWEN, working in the Ohangwena region, has taken its fight against Gender-Based Violence directly into the communities most affected by it. Through initiatives such as the Life Skills Bootcamp at Okongo ELCIN Parish, which brought together adolescent girls and young women alongside boys and young men, and the Young Women and Young Mothers Camp reaching participants from Ekoka, Onghulushe, and surrounding communities, YWEN created safe, participatory spaces for young people to confront the realities driving GBV in their lives, harmful cultural norms, gender inequality, HIV, and youth unemployment.

Beyond dialogue, these interventions equipped young people with practical knowledge on SRHR, HIV prevention, consent, and healthy relationships, while a small-scale poultry initiative gave young mothers a pathway to economic independence, recognising that resilience against violence is built not only through awareness, but through opportunity.

This work has been made possible through the generous support and partnership of the UNFPA and the Delegation of the European Union to Namibia, whose shared commitment to ending Gender-Based Violence continues to strengthen community-driven responses in Ohangwena and beyond. YWEN is deeply grateful for this collaboration, which has enabled young women, young mothers, and young people across Okongo, Ekoka, Onghulushe and more yet to come to access life-saving information, supportive spaces, and real opportunities to build safer, more equitable futures for themselves and their communities.