Isabella Gurriras was born in 1943, in the Old Location in Windhoek. Guriras is a women's rights activist and represents rural communities around Spitzkoppe, Tubusis, and Okombahe in the Erongo Region. She is one of only two women on her traditional council, and she advocates for gender equality and empowerment. Education Isabella's journey began in Windhoek, where she attended church schools but dropped out before completing grade 8. However, with the encouragement of her first husband, who was a teacher, she went back to school and completed grade 8. Interests Guriras developed an interest for needlework as a child. Guriras education enabled her to become a kindergarten teacher in Swakopmund. As a child, Isabella had a love for needlework and enjoyed using her hands to create beautiful things. When she moved from Swakopmund to Windhoek, she enrolled in classes at the Rossing Foundation, where she learned patchwork, typing, and office administration. Isabella then taught sewing classes at the foundation for 11 years. After being retrenched, Isabella taught needlework in various places, including Karibib, Otjimbingwe, and Usakos. Activist roles Guriras also proposed that all the people who were wounded during the uprising be recognised as heroes and heroines. She shared her skills with other women and emphasized the importance of women becoming economically independent. Isabella believes that women need to be able to support themselves to avoid becoming dependent on others. Guriras has called on the government to release the names of all those who lost their lives during the December 10 shootings, and suggested that a monument should be erected in their honor at the Old Location Cemetery near Hochland Park, and the names of the deceased should be written on it. Guriras argues that the December 10 shootings were the first war of Namibia's liberation struggle and should be recognized as the first heroes' and heroines' grave. Guriras has also suggested that all the people who were injured during the uprising should be recognized as heroes and heroines. She has proposed that those who are still alive should be involved in the future organization of December 10 commemorations. References Namibian women Namibian women by occupation Namibian activists Swakopmund