First Gentleman Epaphras Ndaitwah reassured young men and boys from Kavango East that they have value and that they are not forgotten.

Young men and boys turned up in numbers at the Rundu Trade Fair Centre for an engagement titled "The plight of the boy child" with Namibia's First Gentleman.

Lieutenant General Epaphras Ndaitwah touched on a number of issues affecting them, noting that many young men and boys are lagging behind in terms of academics compared to their women counterparts.

They are dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol; their mental health is hanging by a thread, and they are perpetrators of violence.

Despite the host of problems, the first gentleman says with enough discipline and introspection, boys and young men have the ability to pick themselves up.

"As worrisome as it is, I just want to encourage you. The nation has never forgotten about you; the nation is with you. That's why I am here with you today. You must recognise that you have a certain value; you have to understand yourself. Look at yourself and see: what value do you have?

The First Gentleman also told the young people that self-destructing does not make one a man.

"Study and shape yourself. It will help you to be a man for the future. You don't need to create a problem by punching others in society to prove to yourself that you are a man; avoid that. By avoiding that, you can prove to yourself that you are a man with dignity."

The young people had the opportunity to pose questions.

They wanted to know what can be done to improve the lives of unruly boy children. The participants also asked about the possibility of having civil society organisations advocating for boys' rights.

Some young men and boys agreed that there is a need for more law enforcement on the streets as well as rehab centres for troubled youth.