Africa-Press – Namibia. JUGGLING a 12-hour job, mothering three children and studying has not been a walk in the park for 42-year-old Emilia Hamunyela. However, through motivation and self-dedication, she managed to obtain a university diploma.
Hamunyela, from Onamugolo-Oshaango in the Ohangwena Region, completed her Diploma in Pre-Primary Education at the Institute for Open Learning (IOL), leaving behind 11 years of being a security guard.
Her career in guarding properties started in 2003, working for companies such as Etotongwe, Professional Security Force Services and Rubicon Securities, as well as the Goethe Institute where she was employed last.
“Growing up, I thought only rich people go to college. On my graduation day, I cried. I could not believe I made it this far,” she recalls.
While Hamunyela officially became a qualified teacher in November 2020, she remains part of the many unemployed Namibian graduates. The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) shows that the country’s overall unemployment rate dropped by a mere 0.6% in 2016 to 33.4% in 2018.
She, however, remains hopeful that she will one day land her dream job as a school teacher. Hamunyela said activist Monica Nambelela, whom she met at her last place of employment, convinced her to further her studies.
She said she hesitated at first because of her endless challenges. As one of eight siblings, she was the only one who made it to grade 12 in the family.
Her father had passed away and her unemployed mother struggled to put food on the table. She applied at the University of Science and Technology, then the former Polytechnic and wrote a mature age entry test.
She did not make it. However, such challenges turned out to be a motivation, Hamunyela said. She then applied to IOL, wrote the test and made it. In the meantime, her third child was born, putting extra pressure on her to finish her studies and get a better-paying job.
Hamunyela enrolled for the three-year IOL course in 2014 at IOL and passed most of her modules with distinctions. IOL gave her hope during a time when she was not certain if she could study, she said.
Hamunyela stated that many women often give up on their dreams to accommodate other people’s needs. “Don’t give up. Don’t submit to poverty. Try and find ways to leave it,” she said.
“If you search for opportunities or speak to the right people, they will guide you.”
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
