KAYEC helps Rundu children stay in school
Noordgrens Senior Secondary hosted the launch event as one of five Rundu partner schools that refer learners who show the greatest need for extra-curricular support to the KAYEC Trust Youth Development Centre. The others schools are Rudolf Ngondo Primary, Sauyema Combined, Dr Alpo Manuno Mbamba Junior Secondary and Elias Neromba Secondary.
The Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre Trust (KAYEC) maintains after-school services which assist Rundu youth from the most challenging backgrounds to stay in school and build the skills they need to succeed. The trust is supported financially by First National Bank Namibia in this endeavour.
The FNB Foundation has allocated N$415,000 to ensure that 120 Rundu learners, aged 12 to 18, can continue receiving educational and personal support from their local KAYEC Youth Development Centre.
Since 2009, eight hours of mentorship each week have enabled learners at KAYEC’s Rundu centre to do better in the national Grade 10 examinations. They achieved a 76% pass rate from 2012 to 2014, much higher than the Kavango East average of 48%. In 2013, none of the 151 participants dropped out of school, and only one of 84 girls became pregnant, compared to 36% of teenage girls surveyed across Kavango that year.
KAYEC Youth Development centres began with international funding, but the commitment from FNB marks the beginning of a transition to transform this critical youth support into a home-grown Namibian programme. KAYEC Director Nelson Prada said “Seed money from the U.S. has let KAYEC set up centres in eight towns across the country, where we help 1200 youths. We could not have done it without them, and now that we have the blueprint for what works in our neighbourhoods, they can let us continue these important services through local funding.” Over the next months, announcements are forthcoming with regard to further new partnerships at KAYEC centres in Ondangwa, Otjiwarongo, Outjo and other towns.
