CASE STUDIES

Quibilah Mouton- currently studying Pharmacy at the University of Namibia

In 2006 when I was grade 5, I became one of the FAWENA girls. I don’t come from a rich or average income background. At the time my dad and mom were both unemployed and involved with drugs and alcohol. I lived with my grandmother who relied on her pension to support both me and my two brothers. As you can imagine there wasn’t any money for extra clothes in winter, stationary or a simple lunch. When FAWENA came into my life they changed a lot of aspects of my life, my school fees were paid, which took away a lot of stress from my grandmother. I was able to dress with the appropriate school uniform, have lunch every day, and through me they also helped my brothers. It isn’t just the financial assistance though, we had activities such as self-defense classes, in which I learned a lot and made new friends. FAWENA gave me confidence in myself and the belief that I can do better no matter where I come from. I become the Head girl and Dux learner of my primary school in 2008. FAWENA not only supported me through primary school but also carried me through high school. I was the first FAWENA girl to attend Jan Mohr Secondary School and in 2013 I become the Head girl of Jan Mohr Secondary School as well as the Head girl of the school’s Girls Hostel. I became involved in the Children’s Movement and worked closely with Michelle Mclean organization in Windhoek. I believe this could not have been possible without the support of the FAWENA organization and I shudder think of the path I would have walked without their support, financially and psychologically.
In 2014 I started studying for a B.Sc. in Medicinal Chemistry at UNAM. In my first year I worked two jobs, one at a pharmacy during holidays and at a bar during night hours to help my dad pay the university fees, luckily I received assistance from NSFAF for my second year and could concentrate only on my studies. However I soon realized I was in the wrong career, and in 2017, I switched to study Pharmacy. I want to help people from different aspects in life, not only medically and from a clinical aspect, but I want to hear their stories, I want to help them in their daily life and for them to trust me to know how to help them.
Today I am able to say Thank You to FAWENA, you truly changed my life, I am blessed that God placed me in your path.

Hilma Namupolo - Mining Engineer at The Swakop Uranium owned-Husab mine in Swakopmund

My name is Hilma Namupolo, a 27 year old former FAWENA beneficiary born in the northern part of Namibia and raised in the Katutura area in Windhoek. Growing up was not always easy, as my aunt had to cater for myself and 3 other cousins on a single government salary. My aunt had always been my sole guardian even before my mother’s death in 2002 and she always made sure that our basic necessities were met. I attended high school (grade 8 to 12) at Hage Geingob in Katutura and this was where I got introduced to FAWENA sometime during my ninth grade in 2006, were I was awarded with the scholarship which I held till my completion of high school. Through the FAWENA scholarship; my school fees were always paid, I was provided with toiletries on a monthly basis, and I always had a complete set of good conditioned school uniform. All these removed such a huge load from my aunt’s shoulder and allowed me to complete my studies with less stress about issues that a learner should not be worrying about.
FAWENA allowed us to open up a Girls Club at the school (fully funded by FAWENA). This club was aimed at addressing issues facing young girls on a daily basis; through discussions, mentorship visits, and activity participations and organizing trips. The young girls at the school were faced with so many challenges from within their communities and homes. The rate of teenage pregnancy at the school was pretty high, where a few girls would be falling pregnant each term. One of the Girls Club’s main aim was to reduce this pregnancy rate, through the different activities of the club which were quiet fun I must add. In the next year after starting up the club, the rate of pregnancy reduced drastically to almost 0%. Through the club, FAWENA had changed the lives of so many girls at the school, for the better. If not for this club, I can’t even begin to imagine how many more girls would have fallen pregnant (myself included), dropped out of school and probably lost a chance to becoming responsible and productive citizens; a major loss to the growth of the Namibian economy.
With the help of the FAWENA scholarship, I completed my grade 12 in 2009 as the top performer in the Khomas region on the NSSC level. I went on to enroll for a Bachelors of Engineering in Mining at The University of Science and Technology (Former Known as The Polytechnic of Namibia), where I graduated in 2015 as the Best Student in the third and fourth (final) year.
I am now currently working as a Mining Engineer at The Swakop Uranium owned-Husab mined in Swakopmund and also doing my masters in Finance and Investment at The University of Witwatersrand in South Africa on block mode basis.
To this date, my heartfelt gratitude goes to God for leading this amazing association (FAWENA) into my path, for through it I received financial assistance when I so much needed it and first class mentorship that saw me through school and beyond. These mentorships shaped me into a woman that I myself can say, am proud of to this day. I am now involved in different community work, were I want to be a catalyst of positive change and make an impact in the life of someone. As I myself am a product of so many different people that pulled resources and hands together, so many of which I do not even know.

Hanna Beandre Rooinasie - Business Administration Graduate and current FAWENA Assistant Program Officer

My name is Hanna Beandre Rooinasie a former FAWENA beneficiary and currently an employee at FAWENA. I am a graduate from UNAM. I obtained an Honor’s degree in Bachelors of Business Administration and I specialized in Banking and Finance.
My journey with FAWENA started in 2011 at Hage Geingob High school, when my life skills teacher Mrs. Jimmy identified me and few other girls to be part of the FAWENA scholarship. I can still remember the day she informed us that we were going to be part of the scholarship. I was excited and emotional, because I come from a very humble home and was really in need of the assistance. The FAWENA scholarship motivated me to push harder and eventually I completed high school in 2013, I Obtained 35 points in grade 12.
In 2014 FAWENA called me to volunteer at their officer, little did they know that yet again FAWENA had rescued me and my family from a huge financial struggle, as during this time my father had lost his job and was the only provider at home. The allowance I earned as a volunteer helped my family to meet their basic needs. The FAWENA scholarship got me through high school and again helped me through my tertiary education.
Year 2016 I become a permanent employee at FAWENA, as the Assistant Program Office. FAWENA gave me flexible working hours, as I was enrolled in a course that was supposed to be done full time. Working and studying was not easy but having a team like the FAWENA staff helped me to multitask and to balance my life.
FAWENA changed my life completely. Working at FAWENA has molded my character in a way that it allowed me to work under pressure, tackle problems and to be prepared to provide solution at all times. Working with the Program Officer has taught me how to how to work with people and as a team player. The FAWENA office also helped develop my communication skills, as it requested one to work with people. The Program department is the heart and face of the organization.
I will be forever grateful to the FAWENA donors and partners for giving me an opportunity to be more than what the society made me to be. Giving me the opportunity to be part the scholarship helped me to better my life and giving me a chance to work for the organization that change my life is the best way to say thank you.

Theresia Nekwaya - Medical Doctor at Windhoek Central Hospital in Namibia

Theresia Nekwaya, former FAWENA beneficiary studied Medicine in Russia and she graduated and is currently a Medical Doctor at Windhoek Central Hospital in Windhoek. She received scholarship from FAWENA annually that included school uniform, monthly toiletries, school stationeries and school fees for the duration of her high school life. She was amongst other best performing learners at the school. More than 50 other learners supported by FAWENA have become engineers, teachers and lawyers.

Elsarien Asante Katiti - Media Officer and FAWENA Alumni Chairperson

FAWENA came at a time when I couldn't pay for my exam fees, or toiletries.
I came from a family of 10 children and having one of them (me), be able to buy toiletries and books and school uniform was a complete relief on my mother. Plus I could share what I got with my siblings. It didn't buy food at home or put something in my belly, but it reduced a burden on a family. I went through grade 11 and 12 without a worry about my tuition.
Often it's the small things that get us by, so I am grateful for an opportunity of care that created one more step to my academic success climb.
I am a Namibian Hai/om San woman. I was born in the Outjo area and moved to Grootfontein where I grew up and eventually completed my secondary education. I studied at the University of Namibia and hold a degree in Media Studies. I also studied Namibian Sign Language to communicate with people with hearing disabilities and I am currently completing a Diploma in Business Management.
A million times thank you!

Hilya Nghitoolwa - Education student at the University of Namibia and FAWE Alumni Treasurer

My name is Hilya Nghitoolwa. I am 23 years old. In 2014, I was in Grade 12 at Haimbili Haufiku Senior Secondary School. I lived with my unemployed mother with older sisters and brothers. There were also my 4 nephews. My father passed away when I was young. I live in a wooden shack with no electricity in a rural community. I have 10 siblings.
I had difficulties with income to cater for my basic needs. Life was tough. My mother could not provide for my school needs as she had no source of income. However with the Standard Bank Scholarship award changed my life for the better. I was given a scholarship to cater for my studies. I now have school uniform, school stationeries and toiletries. This encouraged me to study hard at school I was the top 1 in Grade 10 in my region as well as in Grade 12. In my final Grade 12 examination I got A* symbols in Accounting, Economics, Business Studies and Mathematics. In English and Oshikwanyama I got B symbols. I excelled with 42 points. This has been a great achievement for me. My teachers liked me because I am hard working.
My academic performance improved because I didn’t have to worry about school supplies and toiletries. If it were not for the scholarship I couldn’t have continued with my education. My life changed for the good. I came to believe that hard work really paid off. I was secured to stay in the classrooms and study.
I am currently enrolled at the University of Namibia studying Education.
I would like to thank Standard Bank because they are the reason why I passed Grade 12 with flying colors. They are doing a great job and they should keep it up!

Lahja Benjame - Double major graduate in Industrial Psychology and Sociology- University of Namibia.

No single adjective can describe FAWENA’s impact on my life.
"Supporting woman and girls to acquire education for development" is more than just a slogan. Forum for African educationalist Namibia (FAWENA) is committed towards empowering and transforming girls and woman's lives through education.
My joy knew no bound when I was listed among the learners that were to benefit from FAWENA’s scholarship scheme in 2011. This follows after losing my mother in 2008 and my Life Skills teacher Mrs. E. Shame saw it fit for me to benefit from this initiative.
It could not come at a better time than after writing grade 10. I looked at the scholarship as a job well-done token yet an inspiring, hope restoring breathtaking moment to start of a new journey with. FAWENAs help came in form of school uniform, school fee, stationaries, transport fee and toiletries. In other words, I looked smart in my uniform going to school every day, I never had to worry about unpaid school fees, I was always at school on time and I had all the necessary stationeries which made my studies very easy.
I was privileged to be one of FAWENAs beneficiaries and this kind of gesture boosted my self-confidence, changed the way I look at life and most importantly spurred me to aim high in life and always work towards attaining my goals. After matriculating, I enrolled at UNAM where I persuade a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours). Though I was funded by NASFAF at tertiary level, FAWENA continued its support through career guidance, give motivational speeches and create platforms for all FAWENA alumni at different tertiary institution to meet and discuss on issues affecting orphans and vulnerable students.
For those currently receiving assistance from FAWENA and those that are yet to receive it, I urge you to take your studies seriously, work very hard and excel as being an orphan or vulnerable alone does not qualify you to receive this scholarship.
Student life was not easy for me as I have been challenged in different areas at different levels, however with the survival tips I got from my fellow alumni and FAWENA staff members I maintained my balance. At the moment am celebrating yet another academic achievement thanks to FAWENA, UNAM team, family, friends and mentors. The future looks bright regardless of the current unemployment crisis in our country which I believe will soon come to an end and no matter how high my qualification grow, I will never forget what FAWENA did for me and my community.

Belinda !Gaes - Accountant and former FAWENA Finance and Admin Officer

My name is Belinda !Gaes. I am currently doing my Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting at the University of Johannesburg specializing in Internal Auditing. I went to primary school at Bet-el from Grade 1-2 and continued my primary education at Martti Ahtisaari P.S. I went to Hage. G. Geingob SS for my high school education, where I got introduced to FAWENA. I learnt about FAWENA and its activities in grade 10 when they sponsored the Girl’s Club drama that was hosted at our school. As I was part of the Girls Club I got more involved with activities that FAWENA sponsored at our school and I became part of the scholarship program in 2012 when I was in Grade 11. Under the scholarship program I received toiletries, stationaries and school uniform and I did not have to pay for my School Development Fund. Having my physical needs catered for was a motivating factor to focus on my academics.
What FAWENA advocated for not only changed my perspective on life, but also inspired me to become someone successful and inspiring that other Namibian girls could look up to. The scholarship and the extra benefits that FAWENA provided under the scholarship not only made my academics improve but it gave me a voice to speak up and to be confident as a Namibian girl child. I was on FAWENA scholarship for 2 years until I graduated my matric with 42 points, scoring a place in the top 10 in the country for Khoekhoegowab and Accounting. I further obtained my Degree in Accounting in 2017 and obtained my Advanced Diploma in Accounting to pursue the Chartered Accountancy route in 2018.
I started working at FAWENA in 2014 as a volunteer for December school holiday and again in the start of 2016, where I worked my self-up until I got the post of Finance and Administration Officer. Working at FAWENA was one of the biggest opportunities in my life, since I was at the receiving end of the scholarship being on the giving side was amazing. Undertaking and partaking in the process of putting hundreds of smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries and their families was one of my proudest moments in my life.
Working at FAWENA taught me to be patient, the importance of team work and it built my character as a whole. I became more emotionally stronger, I learnt the importance of trust and communication with colleagues to deliver the end product. Not only was I doing a job I enjoyed, but I was helping to make a change in the lives of the beneficiaries for the various projects we had. From all the lessons I learnt from working at FAWENA the greatest lesson was the importance of balance in life. I was busy doing my degree and later my advanced diploma while employed by FAWENA and having to balance between work and school was the greatest lessons of my life. Having to share all my academic achievements with one of the stakeholders that made it happen and them watching me grow and develop into a woman was such a proud moment for me.
FAWENA forever changes my life mentally and academically. I will forever be grateful to Standard Bank for sponsoring the scholarships. I am grateful to the whole FAWENA team for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing organization that gives so much back to the society.
To all the Namibian boys and girls out there, whenever doing something always give it your best. Don’t give up. You can all do it!

Sesilia Nekwaya - Economic Researcher at Bank of Namibia, Author and Motivational Speaker

My name is Sesilia Nekwaya, a 26-year-old Economic Researcher at the Bank of Namibia, an author, motivational speaker and I am a FAWENA alumni.
My journey with FAWENA dates back to my high school years, were I participated in the girls club at my school, of which I chaired for a few months, as I was the head girl of the school and the chairperson of two other committees. The girl’s club was a family away from (home) which impacted my life and the lives of many other young ladies tremendously. A girl’s club is a group of young girls who meet once every week to discuss issues affecting the girl-child, those that potentially hinder her performance at school and her future both at school and at home, and then discuss ways of mitigating these issues. We also had a number of sleep overs at the school where we invited experienced speakers to share their life stories.
I successfully completed my high school and went off to university but I had no idea what awaited me on the other side.
Now from where I come from, making it to university is a huge achievement, and I mean this literally. However, varsity life brings with its own challenges and we have to be prepared for them. We will not avoid them because life is about lessons and they are part of the process.
I was 19 years old when I went to University; I was very excited and felt like I was on top of the world. I was privileged enough to receive a bursary from the central bank of Namibia, now coming from a poor background this meant that I had arrived from eating dried fish and porridge to, fresh fish burgers for lunch every day; also from hand me down clothes to brand new price tagged clothes of which I couldn’t even wear twice. I mean, from boring friends to being the cool kids on the block. I was at university you guys! Does anybody out here have any idea what an achievement this was? I had arrived! Or, so I thought.
Prior to this, I had dreams and goals that I wanted to accomplish, other than simply making it to university of course. In fact, I had prayed so hard to get here so much so that when I got a little taste of what the good life was like, I didn’t know what to do with myself any longer. Therefore, ii started doing what university students do, I started clubbing, missing classes, failing tests and even ended up falling pregnant and getting married the following year (in my second year of university) at the age of 20 years old, only to drop out of school and get divorced the following year.
To cut the long story short, I managed to overcome all the obstacles in my way by the grace of God and the exposure to the girl child empowerment, which I received from a young age through FAWENA. I knew I could not give up, just the same way we were encouraged by the life changing stories we heard at the girl’s club awareness sessions. I had my baby, went back to school and later graduated.
Today, I am an Author, Economic Researcher and motivational speaker, who aims to empower and motivate young girls to focus on their school first before anything else, and not allow themselves to be influenced by the “fake” lives we see on social media and television. One of the biggest challenges that we face country wide in Namibia as young people is loss of identity; many have become lazy and simply want to take short cuts in life. I believe there are ample innovation opportunities that are however not fully ventured into by our young people. I would like to encourage young girls to value themselves, be women of virtue, to work hard rather than running after sugar daddies for material gains, which is usually not permanent. It is so saddening; the failure rate among the youth of our country which contributes to high unemployment is very high. My urge is that we the alumnus need to make time to plough back in every school with girls clubs, to empower every girl and help them find their true identity and also to prepare them for the life and challenges ahead, especially after school.

Kristofina Shapalanga - Standard Bank Scholarship Beneficiary

My name is Kristofina Shapalanga. I am 19 years old, in grade 12 at Duinesig HS. This is to extend my heartfelt gratitude and respect for being generous and sponsoring my education 2020-2022 school years.

FAWENA had a great impact on my life, it has eliminated many worries and obstacles. I lost my parents at a very young age and it has been the most insufferable years of my life. My big brother had to step up and take care of me. There are four of us who depend on him when it comes to many of our basic needs, but unfortunately his job is not stable enough to accommodate all four of us as a stable breadwinner

FAWENA has made it easier for my family by removing a burden and restoring hope to us. The scholarship helped me focus on my education. I used to live a stressful life because I didn’t know where my school supplies and toiletries were going to come from. My brother was not able to take care of me and my siblings as well as the household. This used to stress me a lot because I left like I was a burden to him. However after the scholarship my life become a lot better than before, it brought hope to me.

The most helpful part of the scholarship is everything, the school supplies and toiletries helped me. There were times I had to stay at home or asked my classmates because I didn’t have sanitary pads.

I am a hard working learner, I push myself to do my best in class. I am a discipline learner, I respect teachers and my fellow learners.

I am grateful for the scholarship because it contributed towards making my school years easy and fruitful.

TUSEME TOT Workshop

TUSEME-a Kishwahili word for "Lets speak out''- is an empowerment process designed to enable girls to understand the gender construct of the society they live in,to identiy and analyse the emergent problems and how they hinder their academic and social development, to speak out about the problems, and to take action to solve them.

The same process can and has been used to empower boys to understand their unequal gender positioning, and the need to support and accept gender equality as a human right. The TUSEME empowerment process uses the theatre for development approach, which espouses participatory methodologies and gives a voice to everybody.

The Department of Fine and Performing Arts of the University of Dar es Salaam started TUSEME as an outreach programme for the empowerment of girls in Secondary schools. From its initial seven schools, TUSEME grew to some thirty school in Tanzania.

Borrowing TUSEME from Tanzania, the Forum for African Women Educationalists(FAWE) collaborated with the University of Dar es Slaam and the Miali Training Centre in Tanzania to spread TUSEME to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.To date 13 countries have TUSEME programmes- Burkina Faso,Chad, Ethiopia, Mali. Kenya, The Gambia, Guinea, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In all these countries, including Namibia, TUSEME has proved to be a very effective strategy for building the confidence, assertiveness and self esteem of the girls involved in the programme. Their ability to analyse situations, make correct decisions, and challenge the systems, decisions and situation that negatively affect their welfare has been significantly enhanced. In addition, girls participating in TUSEME have recorded a significant improvement in academic performance.

The TUSEME process in Namibia started in 2005 at Hage Geingob High School with 30 teachers and 100 learners from 10 schools. In 2017, five schools from Oshana region were trained on TUSEME process. This TUSEME Teacher's Handbook is drawn from the experience of the many practitioners who have refined the TUSEME process through their practical work over the years.

FAWENA will build on its existing partnerships, but will work more flexibly with partners by developing a broader range of options for achieving shared development goals. Longer-term patnerships with both Government and civil Society Organisations with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for both the partner and FAWENA will lead to more equal relations with a long lasting and sustainable impact.

Meet FAWENA basket weaver

Meet Ingrid. She is a weaver turned shop seller for the FAWENA Kavango Basket Shop in the Rundu Open Market. She is from a village deep in the bush, and she is quiet, but her English is good, and her math skills are even better than her English. Through Peace Corps funding trained Ingrid in all aspects of how to run the shop – taking payment, giving receipts to customers, using a cash book, recording sales, reconciling the stock every month end, etc. She brings her weaving materials to the market every day so when she’s not selling, she weaves, and explains the details of weaving to the customers. In August, FAWENA sold a record number of baskets in the shop, because of Ingrid’s ability to explain weaving to the customer so they had a greater appreciation and connection to what they were buying. Ingrid is the first person in her family to have a salaried job. And a bank account. FAWENA is proud that Peace Corps funding is able to do this for Ingrid, to help her to perhaps the next level, but maybe more importantly, to make her feel good that she has a job and is playing a role, a big one, to support her family.

Anna Ndura Muyenga

Anna was born in June 1948. She has 6 children and 16 grandchildren. She lives in a small tin house on the edge of Rundu with many of her children and grand children.

Anna’s only source of income comes from her baskets. Anna remembers during her youth that women also made similar root baskets; however, they used red dye and wove the baskets much larger. Anna learned to weave baskets because she could sell them to the priest at the mission where she lived. More recently, Anna has taught some of her children and grandchildren to weave baskets and some of the boys, especially her grandsons, greatly enjoy the activity.

In her spare time, Anna goes to church and cultivates millet. She is currently the teacher for the FAWENA girl’s basket club that is helping orphaned and vulnerable girls to earn money to pay their school fees by making and selling baskets.