By Frederick Philander WINDHOEK Last week the Bank Windhoek Social Investment Fund announced its continued investment in the education of Namibia’s youth with the sponsorship of the development and printing of Afrikaans textbooks for Grade 4 pupils, published by Pollination Publishers. “Bank Windhoek is sponsoring the printing of this truly Namibian Afrikaans textbook with an amount of N$25 000. This enables Pollination Publishers to, in return, donate a number of handbooks to mostly marginalized schools who would not have been able to purchase these books otherwise,” says a statement from the commercial bank. The statement furthers says: “As a truly Namibian bank we are proud to be associated with this truly Namibian publishing company and of our investment in the education of our youth”, said Marlize Horn, Senior Manager of Marketing and Corporate Communication Services at Bank Windhoek. Pollination Publishers is the only Namibian publisher without any international ties. All their books are locally written and produced and include Namibian stories and illustrations. The range of handbooks published by Pollination Publishers covers the entire Namibian syllabus. “Bank Windhoek have indeed promoted this wonderful indigenous language and at the same time helped a small entrepreneur to break into a highly competitive and aggressive publishing market. Bank Windhoek is really living up to their slogan, ‘Together We Do Better”, said Inger Preis of Pollination Publishers. Since 2001, the Bank Windhoek Social Investment Fund has invested more than N$205 000 in the printing of the following handbooks published by Pollination Publishers and has distributed thousands of these handbooks to marginalized schools: Previously published school books: 2001: “Afrikaans in NamibiÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚«” – Grade 5 2002: “Afrikaans in NamibiÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚«” – Grade 6 2003: “Afrikaans in NamibiÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚«” – Grade 7 2004: Mathematics – Grade 1 2004: Mathematics – Grade 2 2005: “Wiskunde in NamibiÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚«” – Grade 2 2006: “Afrikaans in NamibiÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚«” – Grade 4