The Ovinjange Community Project recently received a significant donation of N$88 713 from August 26 Logistics. The army company’s “Chains of Kindness” corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme selected the Ovinjange project to positively impact the community in the Kunene region. This initiative and the donation seek to solve issues such as water scarcity, while promoting food security in the local community.

Omiti Planting CC is a non-profit organisation, and the Ovinjange Community Project is one of the projects established to tackle water scarcity and food insecurity, which have been long-standing challenges in the Ovinjange village, approximately 11km from Opuwo. The project represents a collaborative effort led by two academics, Rui Tyitende and Ellison Tjirera from the University of Namibia. The two are passionate about bringing positive change and alleviating the suffering in their community through this project. 

With the donation from August 26 Logistics, the Ovinjange project can carry out vital water
surveying ,and drill a borehole with the accessories. 

When asked why two lecturers decided to focus their energy on this project, the Head of Organisational and Strategic Initiatives of Omiti Planting CC, Rui Tyitende, said; “Instead of criticising the government for not doing enough, find a way of using your skills to contribute.”

The direct beneficiaries of this project are the community of Ovinjange village. The lack of water has severely impacted their livelihoods. The project’s first phase will provide access to a reliable water source, giving residents access to clean water for personal and livestock consumption. The second phase entails establishing a community garden to enable the community to grow crops, improve food security and generate income by cultivating cash crops. Present at the handing-over of the donation was Alpha Nekomba, acting managing director of August 26 Logistics (Pty) Ltd, who highlighted the importance of the company’s CSR programme “Chains of Kindness”.

“Our CSR initiative was recently launched to reach out to communities and make a meaningful difference, especially in food production. Supporting the Ovinjange project is a natural fit for our goals: promote sustainable development, and improve the livelihood of locals,” said Nekomba.  

With the Kunene region being one of the most drought-affected regions in Namibia, the two founders, Tyitende and Tjirera, marked this project as
the beginning of an ongoing initiative to impact the lives of Ovinjange residents positively. 

The “Chains of Kindness” calls on corporate or institutional assistance to ensure the successful implementation of the project. “We can only do this with the assistance from corporate entities or institutions that have an interest in the socio-economic well-being of the most vulnerable societies; we thank August 26 Logistics for supporting us in such an impactful manner,” said Tjirera.  The plan is to replicate the success of this project in other areas of the country facing similar challenges.