Eugenia Moche
The German government has invested N$1.9 million to support the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA) in rolling out the “Pamwe” project.
The initiative is aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among young people in Namibia’s rural regions.
The agreement was signed on Monday by German Ambassador to Namibia Thorsten Hutter and NAPPA, represented by its chairperson, Sevelia Kasuto, dxecutive director, Natalia Ihemba, and communication and advocacy manager, Louise Mhundwa.
The project is being implemented in the Kavango, Kunene, and Omusati regions from 1 May to 31 December 2026.
‘Pamwe’, which means “Together” in several Namibian dialects, seeks to address teenage pregnancies, challenge cultural barriers, and expand access to youth-friendly health services.
The main objective of the Pamwe project is to reduce teenage pregnancies and confront attitudes that undermine SRHR, while building local, regional, and national capacity for gender-transformative change.
It will deliver sexuality education, menstrual health and hygiene promotion, and improved access to health services for adolescent girls and boys, young women and men, and young people with disabilities across the three regions.
Hutter described teenage pregnancy as “one of the most significant barriers to equality and opportunity for young women and girls in Namibia.”
He noted that Namibia’s adolescent pregnancy rate is twice the global average, with rural areas recording even higher figures.
“This is a challenge that demands a thoughtful, community-rooted response. The ‘Pamwe’ project does exactly that: meeting young people where they are, promoting knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights while at the same time expanding their access to the health services they need and deserve,” he said.
Ihemba, said the Pamwe project is not only a service delivery intervention but an investment in prevention, dignity and informed choice.
“Teenage pregnancy is often the visible outcome of deeper structural challenges, including poverty, limited access to accurate information, unequal gender relations, disability exclusion, and cultural barriers that silence young people from seeking help,” she added.
She further noted that collaboration is key, stating: “As ‘Pamwe’ means ‘Together’, this is exactly the spirit required to address teenage pregnancy and protect sexual and reproductive health and rights.
No single institution can solve this challenge alone. It requires families, communities, government, civil society, development partners and young people working together to transform attitudes, strengthen referral pathways, and ensure that SRHR services are practical, confidential, youth-friendly and accessible to those most at risk.”
Teenage pregnancy in Namibia remains a critical public health and human rights concern.
With a national rate of 82 pregnancies per 1,000 adolescents aged 15 to 19, according to the Namibia Demographic and Health Survey of 2013, the consequences are far-reaching.
Incidents involving school dropouts, increased gender inequality, unsafe abortions and in some case, infanticide are most acute in rural regions.
The Kunene, Kavango, and Omusati regions record some of the highest rates in the country.
The Pamwe project addresses these challenges through a multifaceted approach that includes training community leaders, educators and healthcare workers in gender-transformative methods.
These methods include delivering SRHR education in schools, communities, and health facilities, conducting mobile clinic outreaches, and ensuring that young people with disabilities have access to targeted SRHR information and services.
The funding forms part of the German Federal Foreign Office’s global human rights programme, which supports around 130 projects annually across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe.
NAPPA, a Namibian welfare organisation that has been active since 1996, has worked to improve sexual and reproductive health and HIV services for adolescents and young people nationwide.
With the Pamwe project, the association aims to strengthen its community-based interventions and ensure that young people in rural Namibia are not left behind.
By tackling teenage pregnancy through education, outreach, and collaboration, Pamwe seeks to create safer, more informed environments where adolescents can access services without fear, stigma or discrimination.
