By Hilja Shikongo

Twenty young participants from the Tsintsabis settlement are set to receive business training through a new initiative spearheaded by the Palms For Life Fund in Namibia. The programme, scheduled to begin in early October 2025, will equip youth with vital entrepreneurial and production skills linked to toy-making.
The training follows the participants’ earlier involvement in crafting wooden and educational toys under the OYETU Project and the COSDEF Arts & Crafts Centre. These toys are already destined for 12 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres supported by Palms For Life across Namibia.
“We want to ensure that the youth of Tsintsabis not only make beautiful, meaningful toys but also gain the confidence and skills to run sustainable businesses,” said Palms For Life spokesperson Tomas Gabriel.
COSDEC Tsumeb will facilitate the training sessions, and each participant will receive a certificate upon completion. Beyond the classroom, COSDEC will also provide ongoing mentoring.
“Our support will not stop once the training ends,” Gabriel added.  “We will continue to mentor these young people, helping them with production, marketing, and accessing sales channels.” The toys produced are expected to reach a wider market, including the Swakop COSDEF Art and Crafts Centre, the Namibia Craft Centre in Windhoek, and other local retail outlets. According to Gabriel, this step is crucial in linking traditional craftsmanship to modern opportunities.
“This Toy Project is more than just business,” he explained. “It promotes cultural representation, embraces diversity, and gives a platform to the indigenous San people to showcase their creativity in ways that are both educational and practical.”
Palms For Life Fund, a nonprofit organisation, runs a Social Development Programme across Southern Africa. In Namibia, its efforts focus on marginalized communities such as the San, Ovatue, and Ovatjimba, in close collaboration with the Office of the Vice President and several key ministries.
“We believe in uplifting communities through skills and opportunity,” Gabriel said. “When youth are empowered, entire communities benefit.”