Ohajiuua Primary School in the Kunene Region has received N$100,000 from the Development Bank of Namibia for a security fence.
The school, which currently has 174 learners, was established in 2007 by the Office of the Prime Minister to serve marginalized communities. The school began with a corrugated iron structure.
Three permanent classrooms have been added by the Office of the Prime Minister, while Projekt Kaokoland donated two classroom blocks and one hostel block.
The donation was facilitated by the school patron, Jenelly Matundu, and handed over by Fillemon Nditya, Senior Manager for Northern Regions at the Development Bank of Namibia.
“When I considered the possibility of becoming the school patron of Ohajiuua Primary School, I didn’t want to simply be a figurehead or a decorative patron. I wanted to leave a mark so that, when I eventually leave this role, we can point to two or three things and say, ‘Yes, I really brought this to the school. Namibia Development Bank, thank you once again. The struggle continues, and the journey is still very long. Our common goal is to make sure that the Namibian child is taken care of.”
Matundu further highlighted that the fencing project will help address security concerns at the school, which is located near the Namibia-Angola border.
She also donated sanitary pads to the learners.
DBN Senior Manager for Northern Regions, Fillemon Nditya, said the donation aligns with the bank's focus on education.
“The Development Bank of Namibia is pleased to support Ohajiuua Primary School towards its fencing project. This project was identified as a critical need for the school, and it falls squarely within DBN's Corporate Social Investment focus on education and education-related activities.”
The principal of Ohajiuua Primary School, Rosas Kaujova, said the school still faces major infrastructure challenges and depends on donations to develop.
"Since its inception in 2007, not much has been done to develop its infrastructure. Therefore, the school remains underdeveloped, and it sorely depends on donations. The school faced many challenges to mention, but a few are the following: the UPE fund that we are getting from the government is very little due to the number of learners that are enrolled at the school. Other challenges are the shortage of classrooms, hostel blocks, fences, boreholes, libraries, computers, and solar electricity, as there is no electricity in the area.”
Kunene Education Director Sophia Ferdrieck explained that the fence is key to learner safety and school dignity.
"A fence is not just a boundary; it is protection of our learners, security for our facilities, and a symbol of dignity for our schools. It ensures that teaching and learning take place in a safe and conducive environment free from dangers and vandalism.”