Palms for Life Foundation handed over a new fully furnished Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) valued at N$5.2 million to Farm Six Settlement in the Oshikoto Region.
This is the 10th ECD centre constructed by the foundation in Namibia and the second one in the region. The first one was handed over to the community at Ondera Settlement Farm in August.
The centre features two fully equipped classrooms, an office, a storeroom, a toilet and a shower, a monitor as a teaching aid, books, toys, and a kitchen that will serve children a daily breakfast and a hot meal at lunch.
Speaking during the inauguration of the ECD centre, Deputy Minister of Marginalised Communities Royal |Ui|o|oo said the centre is among the increasing number of educational institutions built for indigenous minorities/marginalised communities in Namibia.
The minister further encouraged the parents to make sure that children are enrolled at the centre and also urged them to take care of the facility as it will serve as a beacon of hope.
Kingston Makoni, the Palm Life Foundation country coordinator, underlined the value of early childhood development, stating that children who receive a better education at an early stage are more likely to continue their education into secondary school and beyond, and the centre emerges from a high dropout of the learners from the marginalised communities.
Speaking on behalf of the Oshikoto regional governor, Penda ya Ndakolo, the Oshikoto Regional Council Chairperson, Samuel Shivute, thanked the partnership between the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare and the Palms for Life Foundation for bringing development to the community.
Although the new facility will eventually accommodate 100 learners, currently it has 65 registered children with three teachers.
The Palms for Life Foundation was established in 2006 as a non-profit organisation to reduce the digital divide in education, promote food security, ensure access to food, water, and sanitation, and safeguard fundamental human rights to bring about long-lasting changes to the most deliberative manifestation of poverty. In Namibia, it is implementing programmes targeting marginalised communities in different regions.