Although he lost most of his business after the 2006 flash floods in Aussenkehr, Kutenda Ndonga, an informal furniture maker, is calling on young people in the country to make use of indigenous ways of producing furniture that can be exported to other countries.

Ndonga came to Aussenkehr in 2002 in search of work, but he soon realized that finding employment wasn't that easy. He did, however, have a hidden talent for making reed crafts.
 
After making a few products, Ndonga realized that there was a market for furniture made out of reeds, which are abundant in the Aussenkehr Valley. 

He, however, still experiences a few challenges.

"Everyone needs it, they want to make an order, but the material that I have here is not good, the reeds I can get, but the other things I cannot get, even if I make the things, the transport gives me a headache; and to bring the things, even if I cut the reeds, to my place is too much for me."
 
Ndonga designs benches, chairs, beds, and other types of furniture, including decorative crafts.

He hopes to teach interested young people some of the skills he gained over the years.

"I want to make a difference for the youth, to teach anyone who wants to be free, and one thing I see about the Reeds is that they are from our cultures; when we give this knowledge to the people, I hope it's one thing to fight hunger and poverty, to inspire our youth, and to give them opportunities."
 
Ndonga was a beneficiary of the Ministry of Youth and Sport when he received training in business at the Keetmanshoop Multi-Purpose Youth Resource Centre.