Erongo Governor, Neville Andre Itope has requested the assistance of the church leaders, police and community groups in finding ways to assist the neglected boy child in the region.

Itope during a recent meeting with the three groups said the boy child has been disregarded in society, especially without the guidance of father figures, therefore pushing them into the hands of drug use and other social ills.

“We are leaving the boy child alone and they are taken up by the issues of the world, hence there is an urgent need to address issues faced by the boy child in our communities and this issue requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders.

The boys are not inspired and they tend to become unsuccessful and also personalities that are disturbing our community and societies,” the governor highlighted.

The meeting was held to deliberate on how they can all collaborate to support boys and young men and provide them with the necessary tools and skills to enable them to become valuable members of society.

The governor proposed a regular, structured engagement between community organisations, churches and the police, where he envisions leaders coming to church services to have conversations for about an hour with congregations, to address and discuss these pressing issues.

“It is also vital that we, as parents, support our children to make sure they have the necessary education and support to deal with the challenges they face in life,” the governor added.

Founder of The Blue Project Tangeni Mujoro, who is also a concerned mother of a son, expressed that women face difficult struggles when raising boys in the absence of sufficient male role models.

The project is a platform that invites men to engage, mentor and shape boys into responsible men.

Mujoro noted that as a woman and mother, she is unable to raise her son without adequate male figures in his life.

“We are also struggling to find men to come and mentor our young men and would therefore appreciate it if more take up the responsibility of mentoring our young men,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency