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Dr Manoj Kurian in Namibia

Dr Manoj Kurian conducting capacity-building programs on HIV, mental health, and human rights during the annual youth assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.

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During the assembly, comprehensive training program sessions included various group work sessions, debates, and discussions on HIV, mental health, and human rights. The platforms provided space and opportunities for the youth to bring up critical issues to strengthen their capacities and knowledge in dealing with the topics. 

Ester N. Sakaria, a youth leader, said: "There is a good level of knowledge regarding HIV prevention and mental health among the youth. But the complex reality that youth face today—stigma, economic challenges, unemployment, peer pressure,  the expanding scourge of alcoholism and drug abuse, the power imbalances in relationships and gender-based violence, cyberbullying, the lack of trained personnel, limited resources—all contribute to access, help, and treatment and in promoting mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.”

The church leadership took up the commitment to continue to engage with these key issues, with the guidance of the youth, to develop a plan of action to address mental Health and HIV in a substantive manner in Namibia.

Rev. Josef Ngula, director of Mission, Diakonia, and Social Services of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, said: The church needs to be an increasingly friendly place where the young people do not feel judged but rather valued and experience the church as a place where they can contribute and can share their vulnerability in confidence and feel supported.”