Voices Inspiring Change – The Activist: Luciano Kambala
Namibia
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When Luciano strolls into the café, he immediately apologizes for being late, even though he’s right on time and has taken hours out of his day to come to meet with us. He’s wearing an elegant black coat, grey turtleneck, and pointy leather loafers, an outfit so debonair he looks like he just stepped out of a Parisian café.
Luciano is the Secretary General of the African Youth and Adolescent Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN), a UNFPA-funded network active in 43 African countries that coordinates and empowers youth around issues of sexual and reproductive health and development. Luciano also works with the Namibia National Students Organization (NANSO) where he serves as the National Programs and Projects Coordinator.
“I’ve always known I wanted to help people,” he says.
Luciano was born in Oshakati, moved to Walvis Bay in high school, and came to Windhoek for university. “Growing up,” he says, “my parents would take care of other people. It was an environment where, if someone didn’t have what they needed, it was about: what can we do to take care of that need that exists in their house or their community? I think their example instilled the same sort of passion in me.”
