Substance use has become a common phenomenon among the Namibian youth. In that respect, Khomasdal, a suburb of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is no exception. Lyndon van Wyk’s research paper assesses the current situation among young people aged 16 to 19 in Khomasdal. It identifies both the causes of substance use and the effects it has on this age group. Furthermore, it demonstrates how church-based pastoral care and counselling can help young people to live transformed lives without alcohol and drugs. The research shows that difficult economic conditions, unfair and systematic inequalities, peer pressure, dysfunctional families and psychological disorders play a significant role in substance use among adolescents. A widespread hedonistic culture and a school system where existentialist and postmodern thinking have replaced the Christian outlook on life are also identified by van Wyk as contributing factors. Furthermore, the study shows that substance use not only leads to dangerous behavioural patterns but also causes personality changes and addiction. Addiction, in turn, leads to criminal activity. Drugs and alcohol also have a direct negative impact on the youth’s cognitive performance and academic achievement.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter One: Research Introduction
Chapter Two: Research Methodology
Chapter Three: Literature Review
Chapter Four: Practical Theology and Counselling
Chapter Five: Presentation of Research
Chapter Six: Critical Discussion and Interpretation of Findings
Chapter Seven: Tentative Suggestions: The Way Forward
Chapter Eight: Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Author
Research Objectives and Focus
This research project aims to assess the current situation among adolescents aged 16 to 19 in Khomasdal regarding substance use. It seeks to identify the underlying causes, examine the detrimental effects on youth development and academic performance, and determine the necessity and effectiveness of implementing church-based pastoral care and counselling to facilitate positive behavioral transformation and recovery.
- Analysis of factors contributing to substance use among Khomasdal youth.
- Evaluation of the short-term and long-term consequences of substance use.
- Integration of empirical research with Christian practical theology.
- Assessment of the role of churches and pastoral counselling in substance abuse recovery.
- Proposing strategic interventions for church-based support programmes.
Auszug aus dem Buch
Khomasdal: An Historical Overview
According to Bravenboer (2004:221), Khomasdal was established in 1960. The reason was to separate the Coloured and Baster people from the White and Black people in Namibia. Racial segregation was at the heart of the apartheid system that the South African government introduced in the country. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word that literally means ‘separateness’. As a result of the South African apartheid policies, non-white people were forcibly removed to desolated places to make room for the white population (Mbumba and Norbert 1988:203–204). One of the people who went through this traumatizing experience, Ms. C. Abrahams (2024) said during an interview that when her family was forcibly moved from the Windhoek Old Location to Khomasdal in 1962, Khomasdal had no schools, churches, clinics, hospitals, police stations or shops. To understand this historic event, one must go back in history.
Before 1918, Namibia was under the control of the German Empire. Tonchi and his co-authors (2012:6) note that “although both the Dutch and British had laid claim to coastal areas of Namibia in earlier centuries, colonial rule really began with the arrival of the Germans in the 1880’s”. After Germany and its allies lost World War 1, South Africa gained control over Namibia (Mbumba and Norbet 1988:189–239). South Africa was given the mandate to administer the former German colony. However, the imperialist countries who had defeated Germany and its allies did not want the former German colonies to become independent countries. Thus, South Africa sought to annex Namibia to become its fifth province together with Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and the Cape Province (:189). Wallace (2011:205) comments: “In 1921, South Africa (representing Britain) began to govern Namibia on the new legal basis of a League of Nations mandate, and there followed two decades in which the South African administration systematically applied its policies of racial segregation to Namibia, seeking, as the German government before it had done, to extract as much wealth from the colony as possible.”
Summary of Chapters
Foreword: Provides an overview of the substance use crisis in Khomasdal and the potential for church-based pastoral care as a solution.
Chapter One: Research Introduction: Defines the scope of the study, the research problem, and the significance of investigating substance use among youth in Khomasdal.
Chapter Two: Research Methodology: Details the empirical and literature-based approaches, including the use of Osmer’s model and snowball sampling techniques.
Chapter Three: Literature Review: Explores the historical context of Khomasdal, human development during adolescence, and the nature of specific substances used by the youth.
Chapter Four: Practical Theology and Counselling: Examines the theoretical framework of practical theology and the interdisciplinary necessity for pastoral care.
Chapter Five: Presentation of Research: Displays the empirical data gathered from interviews, focus groups, and participant responses.
Chapter Six: Critical Discussion and Interpretation of Findings: Analyzes the empirical data using Osmer’s model to connect personal experiences with broader societal and developmental factors.
Chapter Seven: Tentative Suggestions: The Way Forward: Proposes an action plan for churches to implement pastoral programmes to combat substance use.
Chapter Eight: Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings and reaffirms the necessity of spiritual intervention in the lives of troubled youth.
Keywords
Substance abuse, Namibian youth, Khomasdal, pastoral care, counselling, empirical theology, church ministry, adolescent development, addiction, behavioural change, Osmer’s model, social justice, intergenerational trauma, recovery, mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper investigates the prevalence and impact of substance use among youth aged 16 to 19 in the Khomasdal suburb of Windhoek and the underdeveloped response from local churches.
What are the primary themes addressed?
Key themes include the socio-historical impact of apartheid on the Khomasdal community, the developmental challenges of adolescence, the psychological/sociological roots of addiction, and the role of pastoral care.
What is the main objective of the study?
The study aims to identify why young people in Khomasdal turn to drugs and alcohol and to propose a practical church-based counselling programme for recovery and spiritual growth.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research uses a qualitative and quantitative empirical approach, primarily utilizing Osmer's four-step practical theology model (descriptive, interpretive, normative, and pragmatic tasks).
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers literature reviews on human development and substance nature, detailed empirical research results from surveys and focus groups, and critical interpretation of these findings.
How can the work be characterized by its keywords?
The work is characterized by terms like substance abuse, pastoral care, empirical theology, and youth development within a specific cultural and socio-economic context.
How does the author connect historical trauma to current substance use?
The author argues that systemic social injustices and displacement during the apartheid era created intergenerational trauma, which manifests today as emotional instability and maladaptive coping mechanisms like drug use.
Why are the churches in Khomasdal currently ineffective in addressing this crisis?
The research finds that while many churches exist, there is a lack of specialized rehabilitation programmes, and a disconnect between the churches' mission and the lived reality of the youth engaging in substance use.
- Quote paper
- Thorsten Prill (Editor), Lyndon E. van Wyk (Author), 2025, Substance Use, the Namibian Youth and the Role of the Church, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1559535
