Sida Di/Goan gives Kunene youth a lifeline

KASESA Tjaupehi never thought she would do much with her life, having dropped out of school due to financial constraints when she was in Grade 7.

Coming from a family of eight children, her parents had a tough time providing for all of them.

The last school she attended was DF /Uirab Primary School at Kamanjab.

Tjaupehi (26) is one of 10 young people receiving in-service training at the Sida Di /Goan project initiated by Kunene governor Marius Sheya.

Sida Di /Goan means ‘our children’ in the Damara/Nama language spoken in the area.

The project, based at Kamanjab, aims to fix all broken furniture at the schools across the region in a bid to help improve the quality of education.

Seven best-performing students at the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (Nimt) were selected to work on the project, and in the process pass on their skills to 10 other youngsters from Kamanjab.

The project started in November last year, and so far, 2 000 desks and chairs and 216 beds have been repaired and distributed to needy schools.

Tjaupehi said when she first heard that volunteers were wanted to work on the project, she decided to give it a try.

“I was not sure, but I thought to myself it is better than sitting at home. So, I tried it out, and now I have learned so much. I really love it,” she added.

To her, the proudest moment was when her younger sister, who attends Tjaupehi’s former school – told her she got a new desk which her elder sister was part of fixing.

“Women can do it all if they put their minds to it. Some women, when they see us coming home tired, think it is not worth it to work for free, but I see it as an opportunity to gain skills. I cannot sleep while opportunities for putting bread on the table pass me by,” said Tjaupehi.

Tjipenandjambi Mujahere (20), another volunteer on the project, said he is proud to have passed on the skills he acquired to others, and most importantly, assist the public with his work.

He is doing his second year in carpentry and joinery at Nimt.

“When we started, they knew nothing, but now even the women can weld and level desks, among other things. It was a big deal for me to help them and see them becoming better. We all got certificates when the president came here, so I hope these can help us get work elsewhere,” said Mujahere.

Reminiscing how he got recruited, Carlos Zemburuka (22) said he got the call in September last year as he was looking for holiday jobs.

Zemburuka, who is now completing his third year before graduating from Nimt, said in October last year, they had been taken around for a tour, where he saw pupils sitting under trees at some schools.

“This moved my heart. I felt so much pity, and it did not bother me that we are just volunteers. It gave me joy that I am contributing to something bigger. No one can concentrate in school if you are sitting on a stone,” he reasoned.

Another student, Mervin Kaundje (20) said since they started last year November, they have repaired a lot of furniture which had been distributed to schools.

He said although they are volunteers, they are housed and fed by the Kunene regional governor’s office.

Kaundje said they get all the materials they need to fix the broken chairs, desks and beds from the governor’s office as well.

“I am so happy to assist my country,” said the 20-year-old.

The Regional Youth Forum’s Adrie Jantze said the group works so hard that you would not find them in the streets at weekends.

“They work from 07h00 and finish at 17h00, with lunch in-between. They get to rest on weekends,” said Jantze.

She said from the group of seven Nimt students, one is a woman, and from the group of 11 Kamanjab volunteers, two are girls.

The schools which benefited are all over the region, including the Epupa area, where pupils sit under trees, and at Opuwo as well as Kamanjab and the surroundings.

President Hage Geingob applauded the project as worth emulating by other regions because it cuts costs.