#JourneyingTogether campaign assists Tsumeb youth-run project
Xenophone Van Wyk, a professional first aid responder who also runs a non-governmental organisation known as Helping the Homeless in Tsumeb’s informal settlement of Kuvukiland recently won N$30,000 for his efforts, through Bank Windhoek’s #JourneyingTogether social media campaign.
Van Wyk entered the campaign intending to assist community members of Kuvukiland who are currently experiencing adverse challenges in fetching water over long distances.
As part of his community’s solution, Bank Windhoek assisted in sourcing fourteen iron water wheelbarrows, each with a capacity to carry four 25 litre water containers, which would decrease the number of trips a household would have to make to water points. Fourteen families identified by Van Wyk benefited from his win.
Van Wyk said nothing fills his heart with joy more than seeing others’ lives improve. He added that when Bank Windhoek announced that he was a winner, he knew that the opportunity would elevate his need to help others.
“My gratitude goes to Bank Windhoek, for granting me the opportunity to make a change in my community,” he said.
The #JourneyingTogether social media campaign is part of the Bank’s Brand campaign launched in 2019. Contenders who wanted to bring about change were interviewed on camera and shared ideas on how they would positively contribute to making a difference in their communities if they had a certain amount of funds. The videos with the most public votes on Bank Windhoek’s social media platforms made it to the finalist rounds and eventually made it to the finals.
The first participant to win the launch phase was Imelda Katjau from Windhoek – a registered Nurse by profession, followed by Swakopmund’s Mervin Gaoseb.
With a dream of making a difference in the lives of Tuberculosis (TB) patients, Katjau’s wins went towards her community initiative of setting up a soup kitchen, which provided healthy meals to TB patients who were not taking their treatment due to a lack of regular nutrition.
Gaoseb nominated Anna’s Soup Kitchen, which offers weekly meals to over 200 children in Swakopmund’s DRC informal settlement.
Caption: Xenophone Van Wyk (middle), pictured with some families who benefited from his win.
