The Bank Windhoek Empathy Project recently handed over maths essentials to the Groot Aub Primary School’s mathematics tournament.
The event saw 100 pupils compete in a mathematics competition for grades four, five, six and seven learners
In the end, Tia Gaes took the title of Math Master.
Groot Aub is a settlement located approximately 60 kilometres south of Windhoek.
Bank Windhoek’s Digital, Data and Customer Transformation (DDCT) head Ryan Geyser said the school received 20 math game sets for classrooms that will inspire a love of maths and improve the children’s arithmetic, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The learners also received a take-home version of the math game set.
Geyser added that no child can learn and develop on an empty stomach, which is why the initiative included a partnership with ‘Jar of Hope Namibia’, a local community outreach project, to provide jars of hope to the school children and to the Groot Aub Primary School, which feeds up to 700 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) every day. Metro and Spice Corporate & Promotional Gifts sponsored the ingredients of these jars. The result of all sponsorships was an inspiring 775 jars filled with ingredients.
“The intended outcome of this project may have been math development and nutritional support in a disadvantaged school. However, all parties involved walked away with something much more special – a sense of ubuntu, humanity for others,” said Geyser.
‘Jar of Hope Namibia’ is a locally-run project which aims to provide families in need with a nutritional way to feed themselves. The project offers jars filled with ingredients such as rice, lentils, soup mix, stock cube and soup powder, for a hearty soup. Each jar can feed a family of four.
“Every mouth that is fed makes a difference. Every child deserves a healthy and nourishing start in life, and unfortunately, that’s not always the case in many of our communities,” said Metro Namibia’s Managing Director, Bryan Davis. Margo Fourie, managing partner of Spice Corporate further encouraged fellow businesses to create the skills and knowledge base today that the country will need in the future to grow the economy.
The Bank Windhoek Empathy Project is an annual outreach which aims to spark the spirit of generosity within the community by empowering its employees to give back to worthy communities or initiatives which need support. Each department in the bank is given a modest budget to donate to the community. “They are encouraged to grow this budget through fundraising and sponsorships to deliver the most positive change possible,” said Geyser.