By Foibe N Paavo
SWAKOPMUND, 13 April – Unemployment is currently a huge factor in Namibia and, according to the Ministry of Higher Education, the country has over 67 000 unemployed graduates.
Thus, people have slowly adapted to the norm of wanting to be free from all their responsibilities. They take on anything that brings bread to the table, but as long as the sun sets they try again the next day. However, the choices we make, determine our destinies.
I spoke to Maria Nakale, a hairdresser in Mondesa, Swakopmund, who has her qualifications locked away to fulfil her duties as a mother, due to job market failure.
Maria is a 35-year-old mother of four who obtained a certificate in hospitality management. She majored to work in restaurants, hotels and the laundry business at Hales Catering CC in Oshakati and did her attachment at Punyu Hotel. After that she started submitting her CVs on a daily basis, but until today she hasn’t got a job in her field. The worst part is that she does not even get calls inviting her for interviews.
In 2016, she gave up searching and decided to use her gift as a hairdresser to provide for her family.
That’s why she now struggles in salons since it’s the only thing that she can do to get her on her feet due to the failure in the Job market. “It’s been almost six years now,” she claimed.
“I have no choice, I have to pay for my kids’ school needs, to buy food for them and also afford my basic needs. I work in the salons as a hairdresser and there’s honestly no customers. I lack money to afford my accommodation and my rented chair in the salon.
“I can only afford to pay rent whenever I get customers but it’s been three weeks now without a single customer. However, we had customers before lockdown and Corona, unfortunately it’s just not the same any more,” said Maria.
She said that the same money she gets from doing clients’ hair is the money used to buy food and pay rent at the same time. She claims that her situation is not special, that she has other friends she lives with who go through the same adversity.
“I have a young child that needs bread every day and she goes to kindergarden that needs to be paid at the same time. She’s not the only one, I have other three kids that need support.”
“I fear I might lose hope for the future,” sighed Maria. – Namibia Daily News
