Max Henrich
ONGWEDIVA – Debmarine Namibia last week handed over a donation of school equipment worth N$300 000 to the Eluwa Special School. Established in 1966 by the Finnish Mission in the Engela village of the Ohangwena region, the school only catered to visually-impaired learners. But in April 1973, the then Department of Education took over and transferred the school to Ongwediva, and introduced the hearing impairment section. The resource school currently has three sections: hearing impairment, visual impairment and intellectual impairment, which was opened last year. They deal with special needs learners, and cater to a total of 381 learners within the school premises.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the principal of the visual impairment section Elizabeth Nuugonya said even with the limited resources, the school continues
to make great strides in the lives of its learners.
“The school has received a number of donations, which helped to ease the teaching and learning process. Without such donations, we could not have achieved what we had achieved so far,” she noted.
The chairperson of the social investment committee of Debmarine Namibia Stella Ipinge believes the equipment they are sponsoring will have a great positive impact on the lives of the learners in the long run.
“We believe in the power of education as a key driver of socio-economic development, and we are committed to supporting initiatives that promote access to education for all,’’ she said.
Ipinge added that Debmarine strongly believes in the importance of giving back to the community at large, and giving support to those who are less fortunate.
Last November, Debmarine Namibia donated a brand new 14-seater bus to the Emono Combined School after they wrote to the company, requesting assistance in buying a second-hand bus. Instead of assisting in the purchase of the second-hand bus, Debmarine decided to buy the school a brand new bus. The bus was valued at N$800 000.
Deputy director of Programme Quality Assurance in Oshana, Hilma Nuunyango-George, expressed disappointment that they could not admit all learners who applied to the intellectual unit due to the lack of resources and facilities.
“As a ministry and as a directorate of the Oshana region, we could not provide or cater to the needs of our three units. We do not have enough funds to provide all the needed materials,’’ she said, and thus expressed gratitude towards Demarine for giving back to society and for helping out the Namibian child.
The learners of the Eluwa Special School expressed their joy and gratitude by doing a few dance performances. The children then awarded the Debmarine chairperson with a drawing and a certificate of appreciation.