Natalie Danielle Kotze (Namibia)

Me and Journalism

It was clear from childhood that I would choose journalism as my career. I always had something to say and was curious to find out things. I was never afraid of going on stage and entertaining people.

For me, journalism is the investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience. Because of my curiosity about the development of countries, politics and culture, journalism is the expression of this curiosity -- and to share, explore and make a difference with the truth once it’s out there.

Me and Development Cooperation

I can proudly say that I have contributed to development cooperation in my hometown, Swakopmund, Namibia. The main focus of my “Warm 'n lyfie' project was on the homeless people of my town. With the help of volunteers, I mobilised the community to donate blankets and used clothes to this project so that we can provide the homeless with a little warmth during the cold and wet nights in Swakopmund. These people only have cardboard boxes to sleep in, while we enjoy the comforts of our warm beds and houses. This was small, but I know it was big for them....

I've offered my help as a volunteer at Fuerther Tafel, a Charity project which aims to help people find jobs, reduce the cost of food when received from other shops and making it affordable for unemployed people.

Me and Africa

The beautiful land of the brave.... Independent from South Africa for 21 years, with its wonderful landscapes together with the dunes and ocean, Namibia has yet to improve much in terms of education, health and employment. But most of all, education...Although education has been called ‘the engine of the nation’ (David Namwandi, Deputy Minister of Education) chaos remains highly visible because of overcrowded schools, a lack of teachers, unqualified teachers, examination curricula remaining as it was for decades, thus no improvement at all.