Youths can be solution to issues

YOUTHS can build or destroy a society, says a youth leader.
Roger Enoch Sakambari, the founder of the Kaindi Ward Five Youth group in Wewak, East Sepik, believes that youths are the cause of many problems but can also be the solution to them.
“As seen in so many parts of the country, youths are either involved or the reason of issues in our societies. (But) I believe they can also be the solutions to them,” Sakambari said.
He started the ward five Kaindi Youth Group in Wewak to combat some of the problems and address the needs in his community.
Sakambari noticed that the community he grew up in was the breeding ground of some of Sepik’s worst criminals.
With a Masters degree in Environment Resource Management, he decided to use his knowledge to assist his people by finding jobs and building a positive society.
Sakambari started the group in 2013 but it did not receive much support. In May this year, he revived it “because there are needs in our communities that need to be addressed”.
“Someone has to stand up to put a stop to some of the issues concerning young people in our communities like alcohol abuse, violence, criminal activities,” he said.
“We have come up with by-laws and plans for every individual members to follow.
“The aim is to encourage youths to understand the importance of respecting the law, looking at better ways to live life instead of resorting to violence, crimes, alcohol and homebrew, build a healthy community by addressing their needs and those of the people.”
Sakambari engaged the youths to take on the initiative. “We want to create a safer home and community, and a healthy surrounding for our mothers, sisters, fathers and the town as a whole,” he said.
They started cleaning up the ward, cut grass on the roadside and helped projects in the community such as assisting a family to build a home, erecting a small hut for their mothers to sell items and food.
“If you visit Wewak, you will notice that it (the ward) looks very clean,” he said.
Sakambari has noticed that the boys have started controlling their drinking, the community was clean, there is no noise pollution and everyone is behaving well. From the positive results that they have seen from the initiative, they are now reaching out to other communities in town to encourage them to do the same.
They are now focusing on bigger projects like organising advocacy programmes, putting up billboards which display positive messages, building community bus stops and putting up solar lights.
They are looking for funding support to build nine community bus stops, two billboards and flower beds along the Kaindi road.
“No leaders have supported us. We have raised concerns to a number of officers but there are no responses yet. Leaders need to step down, see the needs, cries and understand the youths and assist,” he said.
Some youths have been offered employment opportunities.
From the positive results that they have seen from the initiative, they are now reaching out to other communities in town to encourage them to do the same.