Matheus Hamutenya
Keetmanshoop-Chairperson of the social development trust of the Namibia Grape Company (NGC), John Endjala, says getting a better education is the only way that individuals could extricate themselves from grinding poverty and thus learners must take their education seriously.
Endjala made the remarks at an event where he handed over jackets to learners from schools of the Kalahari circuit at Keetmanshoop last Thursday.
In total the company through its development trust has assisted 78 learners from the //Kharas Region, who each received a jacket on top of the N$138,000 already sponsored through secondary school bursaries to cater for learners’ hostel fees and other school needs.
He exhorted learners to put everything else on the side and focus solely on their education, saying with an educational qualification they can be assured they will one day be economically empowered and be able to take care of themselves and their families.
“The only thing that can get you out of poverty is education, and leave this boyfriend, girlfriend thing because the only partner that will never disappoint you is your qualification,” he said.
Endjala assured learners of his company’s continued support, as long as the learners do their part and get excellent grades, stating that the purpose of the sponsorship is to enable learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to perform to the best of their abilities.
“If you pass we will give you the assistance you need, but it does not help that we pump in money but there are no results,” he stressed.
//Kharas Governor Lucia Basson also urged learners to grab the sponsorship with both hands and produce good results despite their circumstances and social background.
She said being from a poor background should not be a setback but a motivation for learners to work even harder so that they can get out of poverty, saying NGC has done its part and it is now up to them to study hard.
She also called on other companies operating in the region to come on board and help educate the children of the //Kharas Region with the profits they make from resources of the region.
“I know that resources in the region are for all Namibians, but charity starts at home, so I invite companies to do the same and let us educate our children,” she said.
Some of the learners who received jackets were very thankful, noting that their lives have become easier with the sponsorship from the company and they can now focus on studying.
Kristofina Hango, a learner at P.K. De Villiers Senior Secondary School, narrated that since being sponsored by NGC, she has started having big dreams, dreams that almost faded due to hardships before the sponsorship.
“NGC came along when my dreams were fading away, but I now have a future, I can dream again and I cannot use finance as an excuse not to perform,” she said.