MTC employees donate mattresses and pillows to Kunene schools
Learners at both Omuhonga Combined School and Otjikoto Primary School in the Epupa Circuit in Kunene recently received mattresses and pillows from an employee initiative known as MTC Cares.
The donation, valued at N$94,000 was the response of MTC employees to the deplorable state in which hostel learners in the two schools live by purchasing 120 matrasses and pillows for each school.
Driven by the employees, MTC Cares has assisted communities with funds for leprosy patients in Omashare, sanitary pads for learners in Koes, feeding the Men On The Side Of The Road in Windhoek, an electric wheelchair for a student and on a few occasions assisted single mothers whose shacks were destroyed by fire both in Windhoek and Walvis Bay.
“The request for donation from the two schools reached us in March and it was sad to see the state in which the learners live in the hostel. Some sleep on the floor and others simply sleep on worn-out thin matrasses. While some hostels have beds, some who do not have mattresses simply use boxes to sleep on; this is not right. We then had internal discussions to raise funds from our salaries so that we see how we can assist these learners,” said Fikameni Mathias, MTC Corporate Communications Practitioner.
The decision to assist was necessitated by the need to see the Namibian child in rural areas enjoy education like those in urban settings, said Mathias.
“It cannot be right that we as a country have accepted that deplorable hostel states should be normal in rural areas but expect competitive academic results nationally. When we investigate schools’ performances at the end of the year, it is only fair that we understand the ground dynamics and our responsibility to assist those who do not have it at par with the rest of the country,” he added.
Receiving the donation at the Omuhonga Primary School was school principal Sande Shilini who said the donation will bring a significant change for the learners.
“As teachers, it is difficult to teach a child who has not rested comfortably at night and expect the best from them. The learners face many challenges as this is a rural school, so we can only thank MTC employees for assisting our school and other Namibians. What is most outstanding is the fact that this is money from the pockets of employees who also have families to take care of. This teaches us all that we have a responsibility to take care of society,” said Shilini.
Kavendji van der Merwe, school Principal of Otjikojo Primary School, said his school mostly takes in children from marginalized communities and it is already difficult to keep these learners in school.
“When conditions in the hostel are not conducive, learners can use it as an excuse to stay away from school. This donation helps boost education environments at our school. Our gratitude is to the employees of MTC and every other Namibian who continues to help us in one way or another.”
