2017-08-15Staff Report 2 Charles Tjatindi Eiseb Post 10-Two community school hostels in the Omaheke Region, which have been battling mattress shortage, last Thursday received 60 mattresses to be used by the learners. Eiseb Primary School, located some 350km north-east of Gobabis in the Otjombinde constituency, and Vergenoeg Primary School in the Kalahari constituency each received 30 mattresses. Gobabis-based Fill the Gap Ministries International (FTGMI) donated the items worth N$25 000. Pastor Gerson Katuuo of FTGMI said the donation was part of the church’s efforts to meet Government halfway in the delivery of vital services to the community. He noted that a team of senior leaders from his church accompanied him over a month ago to various rural schools in the region, where they identified the different needs at these schools. Katuuo said they found that lack of proper mattresses for hostel learners was a serious concern, and as such decided to step in. “We found learners sleeping on concrete floors with thin blankets, while others had worn-out mattresses. This really touched us and we went back to the congregation and each one gave the little they could to allow the church to buy these mattresses, “ he explained. The pastor said his church will continue with more fundraising activities to contribute more to community projects. “We must all do our part and invest in the education of our children. Without education, our children’s future will be difficult,” he said. Receiving the donation on behalf of the two schools, Omaheke Director of Education, Pecka Semba, said the church has shown that any kind of donation will go a long way in assisting teaching and learning to take place under a more condusive environment. While admitting that the need for proper facilities in community school hostels far outweighs the donation, Semba said the church’s donation was ‘manna from heaven’ for the two underprivileged school hostels. “We are proud as Omaheke [Region] to have a leader with the thinking of Pastor Katuuo, who gave so selflessly to education. This is indeed a welcome donation and I guarantee that it will be put to good use,” he noted. Underprivileged children mostly inhabit the two school hostels - with Eiseb Primary School catering largely for the children of Namibians who were repatriated from Botswana shortly after independence, while Vergenoeg caters more for the San community. The hostels of both schools host about 400 learners. 2017-08-15Staff Report 2
