Youth at the southern village of Kalkrand in the Hardap Region say they have turned to prostitution and drugs as a result of unemployment.
NBC's Reporter Emil Seibeb visited the sleepy village.

As the sun rises over Kalkrand, the village residents come out of slumber. 
The small settlement shows little sign of economic activity, and for many residents, especially the youth, survival has become a daily struggle shaped by limited choices.

For Anna and Mercy, two women who agreed to speak under assumed names, prostitution has become a means of survival in a town where opportunity is scarce.
Anna says she was exposed to the trade at a young age. 

Growing up, she witnessed her mother and aunts gambling with their bodies - a reality that became normalised in her household. 
She later dropped out of high school, cutting short any prospects of further education.

"I grew up seeing it, It was part of life at home. I am doing this to feed my daughter, I am not ashamed, we are known in the town as the girls of the line, this is all I know, but I am willing to change if there are opportunities, I am willing to learn new skills, even to work as a domestic, but life is really hard, at least at the end of the night I can buy a packet of chicken" 

Mercy, a 33-year-old mother of two, says she has been a call girl for nearly a decade. 
She earns a meagre N$500.00 a month, money she uses to feed her children and cover a few basic needs.

"There is no work here. This is how I put food on the table, if there is an employment opportunity, people are hired in who they know, I sell my body not because I enjoy it but I have to suvive" 

Both women say their main clients are truck drivers passing through Kalkrand, many of them from South Africa, but there is a local client base within the village. 
Encounters, however, are not without risk. 

Anna and Mercy say they have had run-ins with some of the clients who refuse to pay after the transaction is completed.

Kalkrand's economic stagnation is visible. 

The village has one school, and employment opportunities are limited mainly to the police force, teaching positions, or jobs within the village council.
Recreational facilities such as sports fields are non-existent, leaving young people with few structured activities.

The Chairperson of the Kalkrand Village Council, Magritta !Karas, acknowledges the problem. 
She says prostitution is common among young people and is closely linked to high unemployment.

"We are aware of the challenges, "The council is working on initiatives to address some of these issues, but resources are limited," stated !Karas.

Former village councillor Phozy Mandez has issued a direct appeal to the presidency.
She says drug abuse and prostitution are increasing and require national attention.

" We need the president to do something, the drug abuse and the prostitution is too high in our village, there are simply no jobs." 

For women like Anna and Mercy each day remains a negotiation between dignity and survival, played out on the quiet streets of the village.