Over 500 individuals benefited from a large-scale community health outreach event held on Saturday at Okahandja Park’s Akaduku Soccer Field.

The initiative, themed “#BeFree Building Communities: Empower Through Health,” was a collaborative effort by The One Economy Foundation and #BeFree Cares Clinic, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association, and the Walvis Bay Corridor Group.

The event brought essential healthcare services and youth empowerment programming directly to one of Windhoek’s most underserved communities.

Over 1400 residents from Okahandja Park and surrounding areas attended the event, while over 500 accessed free health services including Health Education, HIV testing and counselling, contraceptives and PrEP & PEP, psychosocial support, and more. Community members also engaged with educational booths, youth-driven performances, and family-friendly wellness activities.

The initiative formed part of the Foundation’s broader vision to make health a right, not a privilege, and to create safe, inclusive spaces where community-led development can thrive.

Delivering the keynote remarks, Mrs Taimi Amaambo, Deputy Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services: Regional Health & Social Welfare Services, emphasised that accessible health services are essential for young people to unlock their potential.

“When a young girl can access contraception, she can stay in school. When a young man knows his HIV status, he can plan his future. When mental health is prioritised, communities are more resilient, more productive, and more hopeful,” she said.

She also reflected on the urgency of addressing Namibia’s SRHR realities, including the 8.2% HIV prevalence rate among youth aged 15–24, adolescent pregnancy, and gaps in GBV and mental health services.

“These statistics are not just numbers, they are lives. That is why today’s outreach is such a vital demonstration of what’s possible when we meet people where they are.”

Delivering official welcoming remarks, Hon. Christopher Likuwa, Tobias Hainyeko Constituency Councillor, applauded the Foundation’s community-led approach, stating, “To our young people and the entire Okahandja Park community, you are not just beneficiaries of this event, you are its heartbeat.”

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Veronica Theron, Director of Health and Wellness at the One Economy Foundation, emphasised that the event represents not just another outreach, but the manifestation of a vision we have long held. A vision rooted in dignity, access, and agency.”

She elaborated on the foundation’s mission to promote holistic well-being. “Health is not the absence of illness, but the presence of well-being in every part of a person’s life. Our programming does not treat health in isolation. Through the #BeFree Cares Clinic and our psychosocial support services, we provide trauma-informed, youth-centred, and stigma-free SRH services that complement the national health system.”

Dr. Theron also honoured the power of collaboration, noting that none of this would have been possible without our strategic and long-term partnerships with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia Planned Parenthood Association, Regain Trust, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, the Ministry of Gender, UNFPA, and many others.

She concluded with a call to continued collective action: “Health is not just power; it is progress. And that progress is most effective when it is collectively led.”

One of the young people who attended the outreach, 20-year-old Cassie Iassck, expressed her excitement and appreciation for the initiative, noting that it was the first time such an event had taken place in her community.

“I came to check on myself and see if I’m healthy,” she shared, beaming with enthusiasm.

Another Okahandja Park resident, 22-year-old Anatolia Norbet, expressed her appreciation for the outreach, saying she was pleased to see the #BeFree Movement bringing essential services directly to the community.

A key component of ‘#BeFree Building Communities’ included supporting economic growth by inviting local entrepreneurs to sell their food products at the outreach.

Pauline Thomas Kahupi, Executive Director at the One Economy Foundation, closed the event with reflections, describing the outreach as “a celebration of health, dignity, and collective action.”