Assistance for !Nara Primary
A school in the Tutaleni suburb of Kuisebmond received a donation of masks, sanitisers and water stations.
Leandrea Louw
WALVIS BAY
!Nara Primary School in Kuisebmond received a large donation from the Hungry Lion group and Tunacor Fisheries group.
The donation comprised of Hungry Lion meals for all learners and staff, 1010 masks, 50 litres of sanitiser, two water stations as well as two tippy taps.
The Tunacor Group donated 40 water stations to the school.
Head of department at the school, Veneza Memory Rheeder, was the project coordinator and approached the two companies to assist the school.
A layered approach
The governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre, represented by his personal assistant Michael Jimmy said with the start of face-to-face classes, a lot needs to happen so that students can learn and thrive without the risk of spreading Covid-19.
“The goal of having children attend school in person - which is how they learn best - will only be safe when the community has the spread of the virus under control. A layered approach is needed to keep students, teachers and staff safe during face-to-face classes.”
He said while a safe environment is guaranteed at the school, children go back to their respective homes.
“At their respective homes is where they are sometimes living under harsh conditions, overcrowding environments, no water for washing hands, no electricity and unhygienic conditions. In order to redress these fundamental issues and to make sure that the learners’ homes are also safe, government and the municipality of Walvis Bay is currently implementing a decongestion exercise which will allow for more space per family, provision of water, ablution facilities, electricity and entertainment for the kids.”
Private sector’s response
The governor said despite the current economic challenges due to Covid-19, private sector still responds positively and complements government’s efforts to provide relief to many of the learners who come from low-income households and the informal settlements.
“It was equally through the support and collaboration with the private sector that we could contain the virus to no cases as of Tuesday this week.”
Ernfriede Stephanus, the regional education director, also expressed her gratitude towards the donors and encouraged learners as well as teachers to keep safe and keep up the good work.
“Many times, we sit in our offices and dish out instructions, but our teachers are the ones looking after our children, making sure that the health protocols are in place. It’s tiring, learners are divided into small groups, both in the morning and afternoons. We commend our teachers.”
Stephanus said the conditions some learners live in is a reminder that the education system needs to change.
“We need to look to the future and come up with alternative modes of teaching and not simply rely on face-to-face teaching.”
‘Remain active’
She encouraged learners to give their full attention in class.
“Remain active, and do not simply roam the streets.”
Henri Cochrane, Hungry Lion regional manager, said this donation was part of their community outreach. “Our communities support us and it’s only fitting to give back.”
On behalf of Tunacor Group, Shariza Smith said that it is their responsibility as a corporate citizen to support government’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The water stations were designed and built by Grace Creations Investment CC in partnership with Seboa Enterprises.
The school was established in 2011 with 400 learners and currently has 1 660 learners. The learners are involved in a number of extramural activities that include soccer, chess, cricket, a science fair, the school choir, netball and cultural groups.
WALVIS BAY
!Nara Primary School in Kuisebmond received a large donation from the Hungry Lion group and Tunacor Fisheries group.
The donation comprised of Hungry Lion meals for all learners and staff, 1010 masks, 50 litres of sanitiser, two water stations as well as two tippy taps.
The Tunacor Group donated 40 water stations to the school.
Head of department at the school, Veneza Memory Rheeder, was the project coordinator and approached the two companies to assist the school.
A layered approach
The governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre, represented by his personal assistant Michael Jimmy said with the start of face-to-face classes, a lot needs to happen so that students can learn and thrive without the risk of spreading Covid-19.
“The goal of having children attend school in person - which is how they learn best - will only be safe when the community has the spread of the virus under control. A layered approach is needed to keep students, teachers and staff safe during face-to-face classes.”
He said while a safe environment is guaranteed at the school, children go back to their respective homes.
“At their respective homes is where they are sometimes living under harsh conditions, overcrowding environments, no water for washing hands, no electricity and unhygienic conditions. In order to redress these fundamental issues and to make sure that the learners’ homes are also safe, government and the municipality of Walvis Bay is currently implementing a decongestion exercise which will allow for more space per family, provision of water, ablution facilities, electricity and entertainment for the kids.”
Private sector’s response
The governor said despite the current economic challenges due to Covid-19, private sector still responds positively and complements government’s efforts to provide relief to many of the learners who come from low-income households and the informal settlements.
“It was equally through the support and collaboration with the private sector that we could contain the virus to no cases as of Tuesday this week.”
Ernfriede Stephanus, the regional education director, also expressed her gratitude towards the donors and encouraged learners as well as teachers to keep safe and keep up the good work.
“Many times, we sit in our offices and dish out instructions, but our teachers are the ones looking after our children, making sure that the health protocols are in place. It’s tiring, learners are divided into small groups, both in the morning and afternoons. We commend our teachers.”
Stephanus said the conditions some learners live in is a reminder that the education system needs to change.
“We need to look to the future and come up with alternative modes of teaching and not simply rely on face-to-face teaching.”
‘Remain active’
She encouraged learners to give their full attention in class.
“Remain active, and do not simply roam the streets.”
Henri Cochrane, Hungry Lion regional manager, said this donation was part of their community outreach. “Our communities support us and it’s only fitting to give back.”
On behalf of Tunacor Group, Shariza Smith said that it is their responsibility as a corporate citizen to support government’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The water stations were designed and built by Grace Creations Investment CC in partnership with Seboa Enterprises.
The school was established in 2011 with 400 learners and currently has 1 660 learners. The learners are involved in a number of extramural activities that include soccer, chess, cricket, a science fair, the school choir, netball and cultural groups.
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