By Koviao Matuzee
According to Sylvia Haoses, known artistically as Zion, winning the Ma/Gaisa Season 4 music competition was not simply a personal achievement.
It gave her a platform, and she now wants to use that platform to help young people make better choices.
The Okahandja-born and raised musician has launched an Anti-Drug and Alcohol Abuse Campaign aimed at confronting what she describes as a growing substance abuse crisis among young people in the town and across Namibia.
The campaign will use sport, music and community engagement to bring young people together while creating space for conversations about drugs, alcohol addiction and the challenges facing the youth.
“I came as a role model to others, so I think that is the main area that I need to cater for and help my fellow friends,” Haoses said.
According to the musician, the campaign is deeply personal.
Having been raised in Okahandja, she said returning to the town after her music victory made her increasingly aware of the challenges facing young people.
She said she felt compelled to give back to the community that shaped her, using her influence to encourage young people to make choices that could positively shape their futures.
Her concerns are particularly centered on the prevalence of substance abuse in Okahandja, which she believes has reached a critical stage.
“It is currently at a critical stage. It is all over Okahandja,” she said, adding that young people are increasingly being affected by drugs and alcohol.
Rather than simply warning young people about the dangers of substance abuse, Haoses believes they need to be given positive alternatives and safe spaces where they can express themselves.
The campaign will bring together soccer and netball teams from all 14 regions of Namibia, turning sport into a vehicle for awareness and dialogue.
“Sports is an activity that brings the youth together. That brings people together,” she said.
Through the games and campaign activities, Haoses hopes young people will not only have fun, but also feel comfortable enough to speak about their struggles and seek help.
The campaign is being supported by stakeholders including the Namibia Police, Okahandja Municipality, the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare.
However, Haoses is currently carrying much of the financial burden herself, using her personal savings to pay for T-shirts, venues, posters, sound systems, and other campaign expenses.
“Financial support is a challenge because I am using my own funds. All my life savings, I am investing back into my community because it is because of them that I am where I am,” she said.
Despite the financial challenges, she says the campaign will continue and is appealing to companies and organizations to come on board.
The campaign is scheduled for 5 September, followed by activities over the third and fourth weekends of October 2026.
According to her, success will not be measured by the size of the crowds or the number of matches played. It will be measured by lives changed. I want at least one person to be safe.”
Her bigger dream is to establish an organization in the future that can provide access to help without financial barriers to young people who are battling addiction.
Her message to young Namibians is simple, “There is hope. There is a better place to make a choice for yourself.” she said.
