The FirstRand Namibia Foundation Upskills Women and Boosts Holistic Economic Development

It is said that a woman is a leader wherever she goes – from the household to the role she plays in her income-generating activity.

Given the correct support, guidance and inspiration to believe in her abilities, she can be a reckoning force for sustainable development. It is for this reason that the FirstRand Namibia Foundation strongly believes in supporting projects that empower women to contribute sustainably to growing our economy.

Part of the approach entails entering into strategic partnerships with best-practice non-profit organisations that focus on the development and empowerment of the broader community. This expands networking and shadowing opportunities beyond the small female-run entrepreneurship circle.

EDUCATION, VOCATION AND TRAINING

One area considered as an enabler of economic growth is the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector. It is for this reason that the Foundation supports the Anistemi College and Training Centre in Usakos as well as the Okakarara Vocational Training Centre. Through skills development and the potential for sustainable self-employment, young women get hands-on experience and make more informed choices on apprenticeships.

The Foundation is further honoured to announce that over 50 youths and 250 young girls have directly benefited from a partnership with the KAYEC Trust in Rundu, for an afterschool youth programme. Through this programme, youths receive support ranging from entrepreneurship skills training to psychosocial support which includes life skills as well as counselling on harassment and discrimination. The Foundation is grateful to the female tutors who have been dedicating their time and investing in the lives of our youth.

CHANGE Namibia, a non-governmental organisation involved in uplifting Namibians, has been able to offer various courses such as fashion design and tailoring, as well as business entrepreneurial training, to over 49 women through the support of FNB. It is reported that, to date, over 30 of the ladies who received training are sustainably living off businesses started directly after their training. The Foundation is proud to have contributed to the successful training of over 13 female health administrators by the African Leadership Institute (ALI). Trainees receive comprehensive leadership, change management and transformation with techniques that they then pledge to plough back into their individual communities.

In ensuring that every pre-school child in Namibia is provided the opportunity to better prepare for Grade 1, the FirstRand Foundation has aligned itself to programmes that support the provision of training to female pre-primary school teachers in farming and informal settlement communities. A partnership of note is with the Amos Meerkat Pre-School Development Programme through which over 254 teachers and 3,720 children, between the ages of 5 and 6 years and from 9 regions, have benefited since 2013.

Over eight female prison wardens from the Khomas and Ohangwena Regions have received training on alternative approaches to violence through the Alternative to Violence Project and through the support of FNB. The Alternative to Violence Project was established in 2006 to offer guidance on different approaches to violence in our communities, schools and prisons through trauma healing programmes.

HEALTH AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING

The Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has been contributing immensely to the fight against cancer and its consequences countrywide. The FirstRand Foundation has pledged to support CAN to ensure the sustainability of its efforts. In 2020, 151 patients from 11 regions received comfortable accommodation, three nutritional meals a day and transport to medical treatment centres.

The Nampharm Foundation Trust, an independent charity, has been better able to provide medicine and medical treatments

to 10 beneficiaries from 7 regions through the support of FNB. Those with facial deformities especially benefited greatly from this treatment. Very positive feedback has been received to date from the mothers of children who have undergone restorative operations.

On 30 May each year, FNB and the global Multiple Sclerosis community converge to share stories, raise awareness and to campaign with and for those affected by Multiple Sclerosis. FNB’s support ensures that effective awareness is created around the ailment. Over 2,008 people are affected by the disease in Namibia, of which 80% are females from the Erongo,

Khomas, Omaheke and Hardap regions.

HOUSING

In 2020, and in partnership with Ohorongo Cement and the Pupkewitz Foundation, RMB contributed to the development of over 27 decent and affordable houses which were then availed to female residents in the Otjozondjupa, Omaheke and Omusati regions. This was made possible through a partnership with the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, a low-cost community-driven housing initiative.

NATURAL RESOURCES, FARMING AND AGRICULTURE

At least 60 female communal farmers from the Kunene region were assisted with the processing of cattle, that were unlikely to survive the drought, into meat which was then distributed to the elderly, to vulnerable members of conservancies and to schools in the area. This was made possible through the FirstRand Namibia Foundation supporting the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation.

The FirstRand Namibia Foundation is especially proud to be associated with the patrol work around the Zambezi river. The Foundation supported the Gondwana Care

Trust - Sikunga Fish Guards Project which addresses illegal fishing.

This initiative ensures sustenance for families, particularly for mothers for whom fishing is the only source of feeding their families.

ARTS, SPORTS AND CULTURE

Song Night, now called RMB Song Night, has changed lives by providing participants with the motivation to believe in themselves. In 2020, the mentorship programme actively gave 58 emerging female vocalists from the Khomas, //Karas, Erongo, Kavango and Hardap regions the experience of receiving training from a host of music professionals including musical directors, stylists and vocal trainers. This was done online in observance of Covid-19 protocols.

RMB, through the FirstRand Namibia Foundation Trust, is proud to partner with the Namibian Cycling Federation (NCF) and the Physically Active Youth (PAY) programme to encourage and remind youth of their innate ability to achieve future success. This initiative is a practical way to engage young people within their communities and has proven to result in higher levels of leadership, community engagement and altruism, particularly among our young women, making them highly insightful of the problems in their communities and highly equipped to solve such problems.

It is for all these reasons that the FirstRand Foundation is drawn towards initiatives that are especially geared to inspire self-belief in women, that encourage them towards self-sustainability and that create platforms for women to holistically contribute to economic development. We strongly believe that no problem can be addressed in isolation, and we’re happy and ready to form partnerships for the greater development of our people and our country.