Auleria Wakudumo
The Ondangwa Town Council has once again shown its commitment to uplifting the community after coming to the aid of a learner who excelled academically.
Jacob Ipinge, a resident of the Uupopo location in Ondangwa, recently made the town proud when he ranked eighth countrywide in the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) examinations.
He is among the top-performing learners in Namibia who come from less privileged backgrounds.
Ipinge completed his secondary education at Rukonga Vision School in Kavango East, where he worked hard despite facing financial challenges.
His determination and focus paid off when he achieved outstanding results that opened doors for him to study medicine at the University of Namibia (Unam).
However, his journey to university was not without obstacles.
In need of accommodation fees, Ipinge approached the office of the mayor of Ondangwa, Esther Auala, asking for assistance.
Auala said that when she received Ipinge’s letter requesting help, she immediately knew she had to act.
Through the efforts of her office, the council managed to source N$10 000 to cover his accommodation.
“The money is already paid for his accommodation for the whole year,” she confirmed.
In addition, Auala said she, together with the CEO Ismael Namhindo and all councillors, contributed a total of N$1 770 from their own pockets to assist Ipinge with other needs such as taxi money to travel to school.
“We gave this help to encourage other learners from less privileged families to study hard regardless of the hardships they face every day,” Auala said.
She encouraged Ipinge to remain focused on his studies and continue striving for excellence.
“This time around, we don’t want you to be in the top eight, but in the top five,” she said jokingly.
The mayor proudly added that once the Ondangwa hospital is completed, she hopes Ipinge will return home to serve his community.
Auala assured that although they have already helped, the council will continue to look for more funds to support him in future.