The University of Namibia (UNAM) is spearheading a Child Research Initiative and Training Conference that aims to promote evidence-based, multi-system child wellbeing approaches and establish a national research agenda on children.

UNAM and the Ministry of Gender Equality aim to highlight the importance of using the right data at the right time to improve the lives and living conditions of children in Namibia.

The event will also explore national research programmes on children, looking into various data systems used in health, education, and the national population register and determining how these systems can be utilised for the benefit of the children.

"It is important to identify what works and where improvements are urgently needed. The wellbeing of our children is critical, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they are raised in an environment that supports the developmental stages of being a child, adolescent, and young adult," said Professor Frednard Gideon, UNAM's Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

UNICEF Country Representative Samuel Ocran says that data collection will aid in understanding the experiences of children and translating them into effective interventions that respond to the needs and challenges they face.

"Our work on evidence-based data in research for children is based on a simple premise. We believe that smart demand, supply, and use of research outcomes or data determine better results for our children. When the right data is in the right hands at the right time, better-informed decisions are made to ensure equity among our children and our society. This aggregated data can reveal the children who are thriving and those who are left behind."

Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, Doreen Sioka, addressed the need for a children's research centre to ensure timely data that can be utilised to enhance the well-being of Namibian children.