Who is Elsabe van Vuuren?

Answer 1

At the age of 19, Elsabe van Vuuren is a young Namibian leader and an exceptional activist. She attended Windhoek High Schoolsince the 8th grade and was selected as the school representative to the City of Windhoek Junior Town Council chambers in the 10th grade.

Although she has already been involved in community work and civil service at a much younger age, the City of Windhoek Junior Council was the first socio-political platform she participated in.

Her participation in the Junior Council unveiled her strong sense of responsibility and her commitment towards progressive change. During this time she initiated youth-led projects at her school, including a support group reaching out to Orphans and Vulnerable Children and, in association with the Dr. Christina Swart-Oppermann foundation, a trust fund for education among her peers. In her second year as Councillor, Elsabe was elected Chairperson of the assembly and Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek. Her term of office was remarkable and it will be remembered well, that during this time, she was elected through a program of the British Council to represent Namibiaat the Guildford Global Youth Summit in the United Kingdom.

60 Young people from all over the World participated in the Guildford Global Youth Summit and Elsabe van Vuuren was elected as one of 6 out of these 60 to represent the views of the next generation at the 2009 Annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

As young ambassador and representative of Namibiaat the World Economic Forum, Elsabe participated in various panel sessions, including a review with Riz Khan from Aljazeera and Mary Robinson former President of Ireland. She had the opportunity to speak on issues such as the Global Financial Crisis, Marginalisation, Conflict zones and International Law.

Elsabe also met several world leaders including Gordon Brown, Bill Clinton and Kofi Annan.

Shortly after this, Elsabe was nominated for the Young Laureates, Rolex Award 2009.

In her final year at High school, Elsabe passed the title of Junior Mayor on to the next young leader, but her work in the community and role as young influencer did not cease, it just got bigger.

By midyear 2009 Elsabe had established a new international project known as "Interconnected for Children" in which young people in both the developed and developing world engage in community work. The project is partly managed by Elsabe herself, and partly by her Swiss associate Patricia Kaiser, who is based in the City of Basel, Switzerland. The project currently focuses on engaging high-school students in community work, particularly in orphanages and places of safety, supporting University students with their internships and community projects, and conducting trainings for families and foster parents.

In October 2009, Elsabe graduated from Windhoek High school as one of Namibia's top students with 1 gradings in 6 HIGCSE subjects.

Elsabe holds and Unconditional invitation from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to study International Relations and Law there for the next 4 years. She plans to commence her studies at Edinburgh in September this year.

In November 2009, Elsabe represented Namibiaat the 2009 Uplands Youth Summit in London, UK, this time facilitating sessions and leading discussions as a member of the organisational team.

Early this year, Elsabe was asked by OXFAM International to represent Namibiaas an International Action Partner for OXFAM International.

Elsabe recently represented Namibiaat the Civic Concepts International Youth Leadership Conference in Prague, Czech Republic where she had the opportunity to address various concerns in International Relations and World politics. She also participated in mock-panel sessions of the United Nations Security Council, International Criminal Court and European Parliament.

During her time in Prague, Elsabe met with influential leaders such as H.E. Mr.Yaakov Levi , Israeli Ambassador, H.E. Ms C S Botha, South African Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Vicente Espeche Gil, the Ambassador of Argentina and Executive Director Peter Miling from Å koda Motors.

Elsabe also represented Namibiaat the AIDS 2010 VIENNA convention in Austria this year.

More than 10 000 participants came from all over the world to discuss the current situation of HIV/Aids worldwide. Here again, she rubbed shoulders with world leaders such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS as well as Rajiv Shah, Chief Executive of USAID. Several other Namibian delegates, including the Namibian Minister of Health, Hon. Richard Kamwi were present.

Later this year, Elsabe will be representing Namibia at the San Patrignano Declaration in Italy, a project with the famous chef and philanthropist, Jamie Oliver as patron.

Elsabe will also be attending the 2010 OXFAM Kaleidoscope in New Delhi, India, this coming November.

Elsabe continues to be involved at the ground level, working with other young people and community organisations to find meaningful solutions and make contributions to areas of need.

She plans to work in the field of International Law, focusing on Human Rights and Conflict Zones.

If all goes well, Elsabe will start as an international student at the University of Edinburgh in September this year.