By Feni Hiveluah
In the quiet moments between the bustling Rundu streets of Millennium Park and the dusty Kehemu, a young Irene Zinyetu Kavhura began to notice the cracks in the world. She saw the ‘whys’ before she saw the awards and today, Kavhura is no longer just asking ‘why’, she is the answer.
As a 2024 Girl Hero Honoree and Green Hydrogen Youth Ambassador, she traded the narrow views of her childhood for global stages, yet her feet remain firmly planted in the Namibian soil. Kavhura maintains that her love for social justice was sparked by growing up in Kehemu, where many realities pushed her to want to do more.
According to her, the contrast between Millennium Park and Kehemu made her ask why some learners had books while others, like her friend Emmy at Kehemu Primary School, struggled without stationery or uniform. These questions gave birth to an inherent desire to want every learner in Emmy’s class to have a school uniform.
“My neighbourhood had everyone. There was Kashivi who could not go back to school after failing Grade 10 because she did not have money and there was my uncle going in and out of prison. There were shebeens around my house, so all I saw was drunk people. And there was Aunty Kado who was always drinking tombo but loved to hear me read anything,” Kavhura said.
She explained that reading exposed her to the idea that these challenges could be addressed, as people elsewhere were doing so and in 2024 she was named a 2024 Girl Hero Honoree and said being a girl hero means using her platform as regional president of Girl Up Namibia to tackle systemic issues affecting young girls.
“It is empowering the girl in Kayengona to choose fields like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It is giving her a voice and trying to bridge the gap between policy and the people it affects,” she noted. Being a girl hero, She believes, is about education and empowerment, describing education as the most powerful tool. Kavhura is of the opinion that advocacy is not compliance or a task, but a commitment.
“I remember my friends and I travelling in a bakkie in the rain to deliver stationery to children in Nkutu village. I remember us weeding grass at the Rundu Sports Stadium because we could not afford N$4,000 to have it cleaned for a fundraising event.”
She said people often forget the work of previous generations that made current opportunities possible, and that awareness keeps her and her team motivated. Appointed as Green Hydrogen Youth Ambassador in 2025,
Kavhura said she has learned that new industries can either widen or close inequality gaps.
She said the issue is not a lack of care or potential, but a lack of access and information before adding: “They do not have access to resources, so approach has been deliberate. I bring conversations about these industries to girls and women. When they understand them, they begin to see themselves in them.”
Kavhura said the energy sector is still developing and while she has not experienced direct gatekeeping, she has found strong mentorship among women in the field.
She mentioned figures such as Toni Beukes, Elsie Kambala and Nillian Mulemi, as modeling a leadership style that creates access.
As Speaker of student parliament, Kavhura said she has engaged with young leaders from vulnerable communities and seen how resilience is being redefined. She admitted balancing academics and leadership is challenging, but said the role has taught her to separate emotion from responsibility and strengthened her understanding of leadership.
Kavhura said one issue still not receiving enough attention in Namibia is access to quality specialized education for children with intellectual and developmental challenges, including autism.
“Quality cannot exist if a child is in a classroom without the support they need. There are too few specialized centres, long waiting lists, and not enough trained educators. Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis also mean many children do not get the help they deserve. This is more than an education gap, it is a justice issue,” she said.
As regional president of Girl Up Namibia, she said the realities faced by Namibian girls are central to her advocacy on international platforms. “I do not see myself separate from that voice, I carry it. When I speak, I speak the language of the OmuHerero girl, the struggles of the Damara girl, the dreams of a girl in a rural classroom. I take lived experiences into rooms where decisions are made.”
To young girls, Kavhura’s said: “Begin. Start now. Do not wait. The world will bring the right people to you, but you have to take the first step.”
