Take ownership and do your part – Witbooi urges

The vice president of Namibia, Lucia Witbooi, recently visited the Lüderitz Early Childhood Development Centre and implored the community of the harbour town to do their part in supporting the centre.

“I want the parents, the community, teachers and the learners to cooperate. Everyone must bring his or her part so that we can ensure a solid foundation for our little ones,” Witbooi, who inaugurated the facility on 17 November 2017 when she was the deputy minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, emphasised.  

The initiative to fully renovate the project was initiated by Witbooi, the regional council, with the assistance of the Anglo American Namibia Foundation, under the leadership of John Cook. “I recently had a discussion with Cook about the centre, and he mentioned some of the challenges, including the fence and the access gate. I believe we cannot have a kitchen, for example, without pots. We must start right here, we have the parents and the community of Lüderitz who can provide the pots and some of the needs. Together with the parents and the community, we must attend to these concerns,” the vice president emphasised after the principal of the centre, Lydia Shiimbi, told her about the needs at the facility.  

“We need kitchen utensils. We have the space but no pots, no kettle, nothing. Some of the kids do not bring any food to school, and we ask kids to share what they have. We also prepare porridge, which we received from the government, and need something extra to mix it with for the children,” Shiimbi highlighted.     

She added, “We have some but not enough teaching aids and toys. The kids are learning through play. They work hard and are talented. We do not have any office equipment, no computer, no copy machine, and this makes teaching difficult. Some of the windows are broken. The fence is damaged, there are no gates. After school, on weekends and during holidays, kids come to play here, and that's how the windows get broken. When the ministry of Gender came for the yearly assessment, they enquired about when we will be putting up curtains.” 

According to Shiimbi, the school is also experiencing a challenge when it comes to parents paying the school fees. “The fee is N$200 a month, and when you ask the parents about it, they take their kids out of the school. We don't want the kids to be on the street,” she said. 

Witbooi encouraged educators at the facility to continue nurturing, guiding and supporting the learners. “We want our kids to be adequately prepared. Early childhood education is the foundation before they move to pre-primary. It is very, very important, and if we mess up there, the child will experience difficulties going forward,” Witbooi emphasised. Your efforts are not unseen. As a government, we reaffirm and we remain committed to supporting ECT initiatives, improving access to quality early education. My appreciation and that of the government go to all partners and stakeholders who contribute and continue to establish and sustain these centres,” the vice president said.