WAD doing its brilliant best in Omusati

MEMBERS of the Omahenene Women’s Action for Development Training Centre were on Monday praised for their “remarkable achievements” by WAD Executive Director Veronica de Klerk.

De Klerk was speaking at the graduation of 32 WAD members. She said that since the centre was established in 1994, approximately 2 800 students and project members had undergone training in various fields of development such as computer skills, catering, hygiene, nutrition and needlework.Approximately N$160 000 has been saved by the income-generating activities, of which N$32 000 was accumulated by various training departments while striving towards self-sustainability of the project and training centre.De Klerk noted that a mosquito net project with four members had already saved N$70 000 – after members had drawn salaries.”This is a remarkable achievement while working towards the self-sustainability of the projects,” a happy De Klerk said She added that the WAD management and its main sponsor, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, were very proud of the Omahenene WAD-Omusati Women’s Voice members.She said that only a few rural training centres could boast of “this brilliant record”.De Klerk called on regional and local authorities to continuously visit WAD centres across the country to familiarise themselves with their programmes and activities and to see it as an urgent priority to invest in the unemployed youth by training them at the various WAD centres.This would improve the youths’ chances of finding jobs.”Progress in the lives of all those who are beneficiaries of this centre is the justification for our activities and the sole reason for the goodwill investments of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the German government in the programmes of WAD development,” De Klerk said People could not afford the luxury of sitting back in laziness, or the sick mentality of waiting for donor handouts to land in their laps because poverty, unemployment and all the other evils which afflicted communities were far too urgent and taking too much of a toll.”Nor can we afford the luxury of strife among ourselves while poverty is suffocating us,” De Klerk warned.Self-sufficiency was important because no nation with pride would want to be labelled as beggars who only survived on the charity of donor countries,” she said.In his speech, the councillor for Outapi Constituency, Herman Ausiku, on behalf of Omusati Governor Sacky Kayone, thanked WAD, especially the Omahenene WAD Centre, for training members of the community to equip themselves with practical hands-on experience.Kayone said the training was very important, especially when one considered the challenges of economic development that Namibia faced as a nation.She said that since the centre was established in 1994, approximately 2 800 students and project members had undergone training in various fields of development such as computer skills, catering, hygiene, nutrition and needlework.Approximately N$160 000 has been saved by the income-generating activities, of which N$32 000 was accumulated by various training departments while striving towards self-sustainability of the project and training centre.De Klerk noted that a mosquito net project with four members had already saved N$70 000 – after members had drawn salaries.”This is a remarkable achievement while working towards the self-sustainability of the projects,” a happy De Klerk said She added that the WAD management and its main sponsor, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, were very proud of the Omahenene WAD-Omusati Women’s Voice members.She said that only a few rural training centres could boast of “this brilliant record”.De Klerk called on regional and local authorities to continuously visit WAD centres across the country to familiarise themselves with their programmes and activities and to see it as an urgent priority to invest in the unemployed youth by training them at the various WAD centres.This would improve the youths’ chances of finding jobs.”Progress in the lives of all those who are beneficiaries of this centre is the justification for our activities and the sole reason for the goodwill investments of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the German government in the programmes of WAD development,” De Klerk said People could not afford the luxury of sitting back in laziness, or the sick mentality of waiting for donor handouts to land in their laps because poverty, unemployment and all the other evils which afflicted communities were far too urgent and taking too much of a toll.”Nor can we afford the luxury of strife among ourselves while poverty is suffocating us,” De Klerk warned.Self-sufficiency was important because no nation with pride would want to be labelled as beggars who only survived on the charity of donor countries,” she said.In his speech, the councillor for Outapi Constituency, Herman Ausiku, on behalf of Omusati Governor Sacky Kayone, thanked WAD, especially the Omahenene WAD Centre, for training members of the community to equip themselves with practical hands-on experience.Kayone said the training was very important, especially when one considered the challenges of economic development that Namibia faced as a nation.