Monika Amunyela

The Lidar Community Foundation in Katutura has officially joined the Southern Africa Women and Children’s Network (SAWAC), expanding support for young mothers. Serley Eises, the founder of Lidar Community Foundation, hailed the endorsement as a profound moment for the foundation, for the Katutura Central constituency and for Namibia as a whole. Highlighting more than a decade of work empowering vulnerable youth through education, vocational training, and psychosocial support.

Lidar now connects with a wider regional alliance that includes youth representatives from Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. This network creates opportunities for international workshops, training and leadership exchanges.

Lidar launched a recycling project during the endorsement event. The initiative tackles both waste management and income generation. “This initiative is not only about waste management,” says the councillor for Katutura Vezemba Rodman Katjaimo. 

“It’s also about creating income opportunities, protecting our environment, and instilling in our communities a sense of responsibility for future generations.”

The Lidar Foundation itself grew out of grassroots needs. What began as a simple response to hungry schoolchildren has evolved into a centre that offers financial literacy, gender based violence awareness, and parenting programmes to Namibian youth. 

These initiatives aim not only to provide immediate relief but also to build long-term independence.

Young mother Shandy Bella Bock, who joined when her daughter was only two months old, says the programme shaped her and moulded her into a strong woman. 

“I have dreams of travelling to other regions to empower more women, especially those in rural areas that need something like this.”

-mamunyela@nepc.com.na