Twenty-year old Rachel Ndjuluwa believes she has the ‘moral duty’ to assist children to receive an education they deserve in order to reach their full potential. Currently studying at Wartburg College in Iowa in the United States of America, Ndjuluwa initiated a project Hope for the Namibian Child dedicated to improving quality education in Namibia. 

“I applied for funding at the Davis Foundation to implement this project. My project was approved and I was awarded US$ 10 000 (approximately N$140 000) to implement it. About US$7 000 (N$98 000) was injected into the construction of a classroom at Ndjuluwa Primary School in Omhedi in the Ohangwena Region and the rest to pay for my ticket to come home to implement it,” explained Ndjuluwa. 

The school supports and provides education to children in Omhedi village, she said. “My desire is to assist in ensuring that the children are being taught in a conducive environment such as a basic classroom where learning takes place,” she said passionately. 

She explained that the project she initiated not just aimed at providing infrastructure at the school.  
“It is also there to empower them by increasing their confidence and dignity that they believe in their capabilities of being world leaders in the future. This means that my dream is to continue to support and look for ways to improve the conditions at the school and provide quality education that these kids deserve even after the implementation of this specific project. I, therefore, call for the unity of the community and consistent support in every project intended for that purpose,” said Ndjuluwa. 

The highly motivated Ndjuluwa said she was raised by her grandparents at a village in northern Namibia and experienced first-hand the hardships as a result of inadequate resources. 

“One particular hardship that continues to jeopardise the future of the Namibian child, particularly the less fortunate in rural areas, is a low level of education as a result of the lack of resources,” she added. 
Ndjuluwa double majors in Actuarial Science and Mathematics with a double minor in Data Analytics and Computer Science. “I’m attending Wartburg on two major scholarships to cover my direct costs which are around US$53 000 (approximately N$742 000) per year, one being offered by the Davies Foundation. I was recently offered two other career-related scholarships by the International Association of Black Actuaries and the other one is the Actuarial Diversity Scholarship to cover any other extra costs,” shared Ndjuluwa.