By: Ashley Jantjies
She may have chosen accountancy as a profession but her steadfast passion for community development and empowering fellow youth is the catalyst for all her accomplishments. Meet Beatha Iileka, whose drive for change, proves that, age is not a deterrent to making an impact.
Currently an Ambassador and finance trainee at African Pathfinder Leaders Initiative (APLI), Beatha is also an Orange Babies Namibia Ambassador and a 2019 Graduate of the Youth Leadership Development Program. Life’s hardships made her realize at a young age, that she wanted to be the voice for the voiceless and represent young people.
“An empowered youth is important, when one is empowered, you are able to know your dignity and that you are worth a lot despite where you come from and what you have. An empowered youth is able to differentiate between good and bad and has good values that they can stand firm. I believe with an empowered youth Namibia can become a safe home for everyone because we’ll know the values of being a good citizen. We will be a generation of unleashed potentials, able to become the change that we want to see,” said Beatha.
According to Beatha, living in an informal settlement for the past 21 years and experiencing being underprivileged, witnessing her peers fall victim to teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and losing their identity led her to finding the United Youth Charity Association. “Starting an organization was not easy. I faced a lot of obstacles, but financial assistance from Bank Windhoek enabled me to register the Organization with BIPA in 2018,” she narrates.
Beatha adds that, “What motivates me to help others is the struggles I’m faced with to date. I know how it feels to go a day without food, to want to help and make home a better place but you can’t. I know what it feels to be mentally drained and the only option you have is giving up, ” she said.
The 21 year old shares her dream of instilling hope into others. “They shouldn’t have togo through the hardships of life alone. I want my life to be a testimony for anyone struggling to survive,” said Beatha.
“It’s truly an honor and I’m grateful that I am able to help where I can and inspire others even when I’m going through the same.
Beatha would like to be remembered as a self-less child of God, who dared to fly even with her broken wings and was willing to prove that one does not need to come from a good background to be the change.
“When we have God and even just two people who believe in us it’s enough to pull us through, because all our dreams are valid, ” she said.
