The Rural Revive Project, spearheaded by the Wolvedans Foundation, which aims to bring back economic activities to Maltahohe in the Hardap Region, has begun to take shape.

Wolvedans Foundation Founder and Chairman Stephen Bruckner presented the project during an engagement with players in the tourism industry in Namib Naukluft Park.

The Rural Revive Project strives to create a diversified local economy for the benefit of Maltahohe residents and communities beyond the Namib Desert.

The project successfully implemented the setting up of a laundry operation to service the tourism sector in the Daweb constituency.

Other planned activities include the establishment of greenhouses, a transport service, and a meeting hub for producers and tourists alike. 

"Rural Revive is building a desert-based economy, which basically seeks to address a number of issues. The first is obviously climate change, and it's a global issue that we should also address down here in the Hardap Region. The second big global theme is wealth and equality; we've all heard that, but how can one bridge the wealth that is generated in the tourism industry with the abject poverty in Maltahohe? So what can we do to link those two? The third global aspect is the rural decline the world over; it is not just a Namibian phenomenon; the world over, the rural areas are desolated, the young people don't have changes, and there is no future, so they all go to the big cities and live in horrendous situations where the question is what one can do in the rural areas to make worthwhile  young people stay there, and that is obviously, in essence, job creation."

Hardap Governor Salomon April commended the economic revitalization project.

"Like I said in my opening remark, I am calling upon the sector players and drivers to please cooperate and collaborate with the Rural Revive program and outlook so that we can have this thing stabilized and really bring about the socio-economic stability that we need."

April says projects like 'rural revive' have the potential to help Maltahohe reclaim its town status.

The governor called on role players in the tourism sector to help bring back the clothing and banking retail sectors and to upgrade the existing healthcare center, in hopes of seeing Maltahohe qualify for town status again next year.

The Rural Revive Project is co-funded by the Social Security Commission and the Wealth Inequality Initiative.