Standard Bank Namibia on Wednesday donated N.dollars 641 000 to the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia (Fawena) through the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.
Standard Bank’s Head of Marketing and Communication, Magreth Mengo said Fawena remains one of the key corporate social investment beneficiaries of the Standard Bank Namibia Foundation, which is testament to the good work the forum does.
“Over 1 000 orphans and vulnerable children in secondary schools from all
14 regions have now benefited from Standard Bank Namibia’s generous sponsorship which reached N.dollars 9.5 million this year,” she said.
The bank’s partnership with Fawena was established in 2009.
Mengo said the project is bearing fruit as many of the beneficiaries have gone on to become engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers and business people, while others are doing well at tertiary institutions.
She noted that testimonies from learners every year made Standard Bank Namibia proud to help change the behaviour and attitudes of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds in the classroom.
“It is priceless to hear beneficiaries saying they are now focused on their studies more than ever since they no longer have to worry about school uniforms, books, travel expenses and toiletries,” Mengo said.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Fawena executive member Gerson Kongoro, who said they operate in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.
Kongoro said the agreement caters for beneficiaries in Grades 8 to 12.
One of the beneficiaries is Aune Amuthenu, a Grade 11 learner at Ella Du Plessis High School.
She said her father died when she was five years old and her mother is unemployed.
She depends on her sister who has four other children to support.
Amuthenu added that Standard Bank pays for her all her school supplies, transport, toiletries and for the hostel.
She encouraged other learners who are in the same situation as she is to keep going and study hard in order to achieve their dreams.
Amuthenu thanked the bank and Fawena for going the extra mile for Namibian children.
Fawena’s goal is to increase access, improve retention and enhance the quality of education for girls and women in Africa.