“Two branches of an inflection will not have the same destiny…”

Nenad Tomić, Integrated Education Consultant, UNICEF Namibia

Tell us a bit about your background.

I was born in the early 80s in a country which is no more, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A beautiful country that fell apart several times before I finished high school. I started my medical degree studies in Belgrade, the country’s old-new capital before moving to Germany to complete my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. After a short stint in the US, I moved to Tenerife, an island of ‘eternal spring’ where I explored the volcanic scenery and did post-graduate studies in Biomedicine. Traveling in southern Africa in my late 20s changed my mental landscape irrevocably, I realized I wanted to stay in the southern hemisphere and share some of the knowledge and scientific training & experience with young people who faced various barriers in accessing education. Through a series of chance encounters, I met the co-founder of an exceptionally innovative NGO based in Windhoek, which fosters holistic youth development in disadvantaged communities. That’s where my romance with Namibia started, and I found it hard to leave…