FNB and MYO empowers Mondesa Youth
• By Confidente Reporter
FNB Namibia, through the FirstRand Namibia Foundation, has over the last 4 years invested N$800,000 towards the Mondesa Youth Opportunities Trust, aimed at providing intensive education intervention for students from underprivileged backgrounds who show ability and promise in Swakopmund.
At a visit to the Youth Centre in Swakopmund last week, FNB Namibia’s CSR Manager, Revonia Job, said access to education and youth development was a timeless source of national pride and accomplishment not to mention a powerful vehicle for improving national development and well-being.
“FNB Namibia is excited to be part of this journey to transform the lives of our youth for the better.
Our mandate is clear: accelerate interventions of youth development and ensure that our youth are both custodians and beneficiaries of our initiatives,” Job said.
“I believe that all of us here have the same passion for this project. We do not have to read about the importance of education in a book because we live it every day. We see the plight of many of our youth especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We see them drop out of schools or go into a life of crime because of lack of opportunities available to them.
“That is why we support this noble initiative because we know it would help us build a better life for our youth. This should not be a dream, but a reality,” she elaborated.
Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Services, Deputy Minister, Emma Kantema- Gaomas emphasised her ministry’s focus towards the promotion of youth empowerment initiatives as expounded in the third National Youth Policy of Namibia.
She further commended FNB Namibia for the contribution towards youth empowerment and development in Namibia.
“They say without money nothing is possible, while that may have some truth to it, I believe that without a collaborated effort, nothing is possible.
I will therefore be in remiss of my duty, if I do not specially thank the teachers that have put vigorous and tireless efforts into our learners sitting here today. A Teacher is a Team captain, Encourager, Adviser, Coach, Helping hand, Enricher and Role model. Therefore, it is fair to say that teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions” she said.
MYO is a non-profit organisation that strives to enhance the Namibian public education system by providing education subsidies to select Grade 4-8 students who show promise.
The 120 students who attend MYO receive approximately 500 hours of extra training in Math, Reading, English, Life Skills, Computer Science and Music. There is no charge to the family for these services, but attendance is mandatory. MYO maintains discipline in the classroom and encourages learners to develop leadership skills in addition to academic excellence.
Each class is given two field trips per year, so that the joys and lessons of wider Namibia are experienced.