Paulina Ndalikokule
BRAVO – More than 100 children between three and six years from the marginalised community of Bravo in Mpungu constituency, Kavango West, now have access to decent education following the inauguration of Langman Tame Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) on Wednesday.
The ECD centre was constructed at a cost of more than N$5.3 million in the San resettlement, and was officially opened on Wednesday.
Children previously attended classes in a dilapidated room at the centre for a number of years.
The new solar-powered facility consists of two fully-equipped classrooms, an office, a kitchen, a storeroom and child-friendly ablution facilities, as well as a garden.
The centre, which has three trained teachers who were selected from among youths from Bravo, will also provide children and their caretakers with two meals every day.
During the event, Mpungu constituency councillor Titus Shiudifonya said the centre will help children stay in school. The councillor however expressed concern over the long distances that some children have to travel to the centre.
“The most important thing I would ask from our government is to see how we can upgrade the hostel. Because from the ECD centre, children can go to the hostel, rather than to Tsitsabes or Mpungu, more than 100 kilometres away.
Besides the problem of distances, there is no clinic nearby to take care of the health needs of these people. Therefore, I urge the Ministry of Health and Social Services to send a nurse to take care of these people,” he said.
In his speech that was delivered by Kavango West chairperson Joseph Sivaku Sikongo, deputy minister of marginalised people Royal /Ui/o/oo said education is a powerful and appropriate tool for self-development for the marginalised community.
“The ministry, through the division of marginalised communities under its vast mandate, recognises education as a long-term and sustainable solution to ensure the de-marginalisation of the most improvised communities in Namibia is achieved,” he said.
He encouraged the community to guard the centre against vandalism, and ensure that children are enrolled and nurtured to be good citizens.
/Ui/o/oo expressed happiness about the new building, noting that it is good to teach children in a proper classroom.
“The centre is going to benefit us more, as our children are going to go an extra mile as we elders did not make it, so they make it in future,” said David Mambo, a community member.
Kingston Makoni, speaking on behalf of Palms for Life Fund Namibia, said his association is passionate about investing in early childhood education because it increases the capacity of young children to learn and respond to educational challenges as they move to higher grades.
This is the ninth ECD centre constructed by the fund since the inception of the partnership in 2019. Other centres were built in the Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, Oshikoto and Omusati regions.
*Paulina Ndalikokule is an information officer at MICT Kavango West region.