Empowering the Girl Child foundation

A new foundation for empowering the girl child, received total pledges approaching N$600,000 at the launch that was recently held at a glamorous event in Windhoek.
Ericah Shafudah, the Permanent Secretary of Finance and Namibian Businesswoman of the Year 2013,  recently introduced the Ericah Shafudah Financial Management Foundation (ESFMF) Trust Fund, “The Trust Fund is created amongst others, to provide exposure to Namibian women and in particular the Namibian Girl Child who have not been exposed to financial management principles,” she said at the launch and inaugural fund-raising gala dinner of ESFMF.
In 2013, she was nominated as a government representative to take part in the Namibia Businesswomen Awards competition, “I was declared the winner of both Government and the Namibia Businesswoman of the Year 2013 Awards,” she said.
The prestigious award came with various responsibilities such as networking with other women, especially the members of Namibia Businesswomen Club, participating in the Katuka Mentorship Programme where the Businesswoman of the year has to mentor a mentee for a period of a year and/or beyond and lastly to develop a project of her choice.
“Realizing that these awards were attributed to achievements made by government in the areas of planning and budgeting, I considered it prudent for me to come up with a project related to Financial Management.
I believe in teamwork and in the identification of people who push ideas to finality,” she explained.
“The dictum is striving to empower the Girl Child. The focus is on the Girl Child because it is a well-known fact that when you educate a girl child who eventually will become a mother, the future of the society is secured.

The process of raising a child is crucial because values are instilled at that age.
 It is for this reason that the Fund opted to focus on the Girl Child to instil positive financial values that will be passed from generation to generation,” she said.
She explained that the objectives of the trust will be to raise funds and use them in the promotion of inculcating prudent financial management tenets amongst the beneficiaries in the republic. She added that the main focus will be on; providing educational awareness programmes in the are of financial management, mentoring the selected girl child to excel academically in managing finances as well as equipping selected women to excel in the area of managing their businesses and introducing the emerging businesswomen to basic financial management principles.
Another focus will be the promoting the objectives of the Trust through quizzes and competitions, generally supporting social upliftment and empowerment projects of selected Namibian women, supporting entrepreneurial initiatives that will benefit the Namibian girl child, thus preparing them for future management of their finances, and undertaking any activity which in the opinion of the Trustees is in support of the formation of this Trust.
She clarified that the trustees developed the criteria for accessing the support from the trust; In formal education, and out of school. Both of which have requirements that must be met and approved by the Trust Fund Selection Committee.
She added that trustees will identify projects activities that will keep the Trust Fund on the move. “this event will enable us to share our dream for helping the needy for a better future and encourage you to continue supporting in a way that suits you; be that as a donor, partner or as an advocate encouraging others to support this noble course,” she encouraged.
 She said that in line with its objectives the trust fund is expected to yield a number of outputs, one of which is to increase the number of the girl children, with qualifying training from recognized tertiary and vocational training institutions, “Together we shall empower the Namibian women and the girl child”.