WINDHOEK– The Etosha Secondary School learner, Riad Hamadi, and Windhoek International School learner Eva Dobler received a cash prize of N$5000 each as the best essay competition winners last week by local radio station 99FM and KFC.
The competition was part of the station’s Winter Cosy Project, which aimed at using creativity and skills to contribute to the wellbeing of less fortunate children in the community. The Otjiwarongo Secondary school learner, Nico Thomas, who won second place, received a cash prize of N$4000 and L.J.Scholtz, a primary school learner from Berg-op Academy in Okahandja also received a cash prize of N$3000 as second place in the primary school category. The third place for secondary school winner wasUtani Hikuam, from Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS) who received N$3000 while third place for primary school was Carli Roux, from St Pauls College who walked away with N$1500.
According to 99FM General Manager, Christine Hugo, 99FM reached more entries this year than during the previous campaigns with a record entries of 657 essays from many schools in the country. “We only plan to reach more schools in our future campaigns for the growth of the project, and the continuous contribution to education and children in Namibia. We wanted to make a difference in a way of encouraging school going learners, inspire them as well as make children understand that even if you don’t win, just by taking part you have already contributed,” says Hugo.
One of the schools that also benefited from the project was the Uahekua Herunga Primary School in the Otjorute village in the Omusati Region, which received over 100 blankets and books from students, parents and teachers of the Windhoek Gymnasium School and also and N$3285 from KFC. The creative essays competition was about anything that interests them, from traditional stories to reality stories. This is the third time that the station is hosting a national creative writing competition.
By Selma Neshiko