Pupils in Kavango West receive donations worth more than N$47 000

The Mbunza Fishing Company, led by Mbunza Traditional Authority’s Hompa Kaundu, donated school uniforms to vulnerable pupils in the Kavango West region in the jurisdiction of the Mbunza Traditional Authority on Friday.

The company identified three schools, namely Ruuga Combined School, Kapako Combined School and Alfeus Mpasi Junior Primary School, with a total number of 139 learners.

The all the uniforms together cost more than N$47 000,00.

Each pupil received a pair of shoes, socks, a skirt or trousers, a T-shirt and a jersey.

The Mbunza Fishing Company was started in 2020 after the government gave fishing quotas and licences to traditional authorities to maintain and take care of social responsibilities.

“We realised the drop out rate of pupils is increasing every year, especially during the winter season because it’s very cold. With the addition of drought, parents are not able to cater to all the needs of their children. They would rather buy maize meal to feed the family than buy school uniforms,” Kaundu says.

He says it is the responsibility of the traditional authority to do social welfare, assist the needy and to meet the government halfway.

Kaundu says the Mbunza Fishing Company committee has a bigger plan to give back to the community since they realised most pupils drop out because of hunger and a lack of support.

The company will buy equipment for schools which they will identify to start gardens for farming and producing food for the pupils.

Mbunza Fishing Company board member Daniel Muti says it is not the first time the company has donated to schools.

The company donated materials to the Mupini Combined School hostel in the Kavago West region, and built a house in a vulnerable community in their jurisdiction.

“Parents and their children who benefited from Mbunza Fishing Company must take care of the uniforms so that they can send their children to school and those who didn’t receive the uniforms must not feel left out,” Muti says.

A Grade 8 pupil from Ruuga Combined School, Augustus Amelia, says she feels honoured to receive a uniform, especially as the majority of them do not have school uniforms, contributing to poor performance.