Musicians Give Back

In an effort to fill the gap left by inequality in the country, new kid on the music scene DJ Castro has designed a plan to give back to his community, while encouraging the youth of Otjiwarongo to let nothing stop them from getting their education.

Through Let’s Unite, that collects and distributes stationery and other school necessities to those who need it most, the budding philanthropist and his team are doing what they can to give the Namibian child access to much needed aid.

The foundation, which also pairs its activities with a concert called the ‘Lets Unite Fest’ to raise even more funds and awareness, has been an ongoing project for the young disc jockey and his team since 2018. They are appealing to people from all walks of life to contribute in whatever way they can.

DJ Castro feels strongly that it is not right for some children to be held back because of a shortage of supplies.

“The whole initiative started when we discovered that the original German donors who worked with orphans from the Otjiwarongo Multi-purpose Help Centre would stop their contributions because of Namibia’s upgraded development status,” said DJ Castro’s manager Fernando Carlos, on how the idea was sparked.

Without this assistance, the municipality of Otjiwarongo would not cope with the task of providing food, school uniforms, stationery and other daily needs for all the underprivileged children at the town.

Since starting, the team has collected goods to the value of N$30 000 annually, and the youth of the Neu Sommerau resettlement farm near Kombat are some of the beneficiaries.

They say that with each year they do the campaign, they see a noticeable improvement in the grades of those they assist.

“After getting our reports from the centre, since starting the children have been improving with their grades,” says Carlos.

Though donations are welcome at any time, the Let’s Unite team are now focusing their attention on hosting a charity fest in March, to lobby even more support for their cause, which they currently market through their social media pages.

The ‘Let’s Unite Fest’ will feature performances by various musicians and DJs from 27 to 29 March at Otjiwarongo.

Organisers hope the event will not only do good for the children in need, but also promote cooperation amongst local music makers.

“We want us, as an industry, to be on common ground and unify to achieve a common goal.”

For more information, email carlitoynot@gmail.com or call 081 204 6063.

– annehambuda@gmail.com