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Changing lives

Michelline Nawatises



The aim of Miss High School finalist Reschelle Beukes’ project was to aid Mount View High School pupils who are currently taught in tents as classrooms

The school is located in Okahandja Park, Windhoek, and was introduced to Reschelle by the Institutional Planning Department at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust).

When they became aware of the circumstances of the learners and teachers, they decided to work closely with the community to facilitate a better learning and teaching environment.

Reschelle was deeply moved by the students and teachers and made the decision to aid them in alleviating some of the challenges they face.

The principal, Brian Ndabeni, outlined the history of the school. He said it was begun to service a critical need within the community in 2015 and currently educates 450 learners with 14 teachers.

The 2017, the grade 10s were ranked 14th regionally in the JSC examinations, an extraordinary achievement when you consider that they are taught in tents and some of the teachers have to store teaching materials in their cars.

Next year will see the school begin its first grade 12 classes, with the very students it began with in 2015.

Reschelle will be completing her grade 12 at Windhoek High School next year and was determined to provide at least one classroom to aid the prospective Mount View grade 12s.

Reschelle’s mother, Lindie Beukes, said: “As a mother I am extremely proud of all her achievements; she is the deputy head girl for 2018/2019 at Windhoek High School and the current Miss Windhoek High School, a finalist for Miss High School Namibia, as well as the current junior mayor of Windhoek. These roles are a great learning experience, but very demanding and for her to still achieve academically, she has had to learn time-management skills that I, as her mother, can only marvel at.”

Linda Kaurembi, a grade 11 learner at Mount View, said they will be forever grateful for Reschelle’s project.

“Knowing that we will be able to sit in a classroom next year is a great feeling, thank you Reschelle for stretching out your hand upon our school.”

The project would not have been a success without the sponsors, who so generously joined hands with Reschelle, and it is because of this generosity that the project has affectionately become known as Tulikuminineni.

Each one of the sponsors contributed significantly, not only financially but their knowledge and insight, which ensured the successful completion of the first three phases.

A special thanks went out to Norbert Liebich, director of Container World, who believed in Reschelle from the beginning and worked hard to make the project a reality.

The Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group, which had in the past sponsored numerous classrooms at developing schools, came on board by sponsoring the containerised classroom, in support of their group purpose which is “creating a future, enhance life”.

The placement was made possible with the aid of Windhoek Hire and Sales. Reschelle was overjoyed to be able to work with her granddad, Andries Philander, who assisted her with the building of the foundation for the classroom.

The foundation for the classroom could not have been built without the aid of the cement donated by Ohorongo Cement; The Pupkewitz Foundation and the generous personal donation of Neavera Tjivikua, an institutional planner at Nust, assisted with the payment of the labourers.

Wise Masters Builders came on board and in a very short time provided bricks for the foundation; and finally Build It also came through and contributed the sand needed for the construction of the foundation. Last but not least, Victor Boshoff CEO of Neo Paints assisted Reschelle to refurbish and paint the classroom.

With the support of the principal, teachers and learners of Windhoek High School, stationery will be donated to kick off the school year for the learners of Mount View High.

However, the work at Mount View is not complete, as Nust will still carry on providing skills training to both the staff and learners, as well as raise funds for uniforms and a feeding scheme for the learners.