Retirement Fund Solutions (RFS) has announced that it has contributed N$27,500 for renovations to the Deutsche Privatschule Grootfontein veranda. Renovations to the school, in an initiative to preserve the historic building, are ongoing under the theme of “Our Walls have History”.
Prior to the onset of Covid-19, the small, private school funded renovation and other activities with community events and fees from learners. However, Covid-19 and declining numbers of learners have placed a strain on the school’s financial resources. The tiny school is currently attended by ten learners.
The school is run primarily on a volunteer basis by the Deutscher Schulverein Grootfontein, with salaries only paid to its cleaners, three teachers, and an administrator.
According to Kai Friedrich, Director of RFS, the pension administrator chose to support expenditure to create and maintain lasting value for the Grootfontein community. With this in mind, the company opted to assist with the physical infrastructure of the school. Currently, the school’s greatest need is renovations to the roof, particularly the veranda.
The building was originally commissioned in 1913 as a maternity hospital, “Elisabeth-Charlottenhaus”, and it was inaugurated in 1914. However, a new hospital was built by the South African government, so the facility stood empty for a number of years.
In 1952 a group of Grootfontein farmers rented it as a school hostel. It was ten years later, in 1962, that they were able to buy it from the South African government. In the intervening years, it temporarily accommodated as many as 45 children.
In 1996 the school was also housed in the old Elisabeth-Charlottenhaus. The Werkraum (Work Room) and the Kunstraum (Art Room) are notable features of the facility.
Talking about the donation, Friedrich said RFS takes the approach that corporate social investment must be made meaningful to the company’s employees, and so they are encouraged to select and donate to projects that are important to them.
Following this approach, the company has become a notable donor to education, national youth football events, as well as a regular contributor to old age homes. In addition to youth football events, the company recently renovated Eros Girls and donated decommissioned computer equipment.
Retirement Fund Solutions is a leading Namibian pension fund administrator, known for its technical expertise, robust governance, and local ownership. The company and the associated Benchmark Retirement Fund, an umbrella fund, administers large private funds and participating employees in Benchmark.