As a requirement for the fulfilment of the Bachelors of Laws Degree LLB (Honours) at the University of Namibia (Unam), students are required to engage in a social impact project as part of one of their modules, namely Legal Aid and Professional Ethics.
It is within the scope of these modules a group of students identified the feeding programme at the Groot Aub Primary School.
“One of our criteria for selecting this specific community was not only because of the vulnerable groups which populate this community but the need to make an impactful change. Thus, what better way to make an impactful and meaningful change than lending a helping hand to school learners by promoting children’s rights in terms of Article 15 of our Constitution,” said two members of the Unam Bartolomeo Legal Aid Firm Marco Garrincha Kazondana and Charles
Mukaya. After liaising with various stakeholders, the firm managed to raise funds to the value of N$20 000, which was used to acquire food equalling the said amount, and handed it over recently.
The food items include vetkoek flour, cooking oil, soup packets, tinned fish, salt and sugar. “The donation was not only prompted by our academic advancement requirements but also by a broader social responsibility that we, as productive members of the Namibian society, owe to ensure school-going learners can attend school in line with their right to Education in Article 20 of the Constitution, and without hindrances such as the lack of food, which threaten their mental, emotional and psychological development and wellbeing,” said the two.
“We wanted to give back to children, who are the future leaders of tomorrow. Education is a basic right, and children should not worry about food.”
The head boy of the school, Peter Gile, expressed gratitude for the generous donation, saying it will help those of his peers who do not have food to eat at home and depend heavily on the food provided at the school.