Elia Nghitoolwa, with the undying support of those who took their cars to be washed at his auto wash and styling business at Swakopmund and others who bought his shirts, has managed to get clothes to 86 learners at two schools in the Erongo region through his Love and Give Foundation.
Nghitoolwa said the mission is to target the whole country. “The Love and Give Foundation has donated to three schools so far, so for now, there are 97 schools left and 11 regions still need to benefit from this project,” he said.
The 30-year-old Nghitoolwa went to the Omatjete area and donated to 86 learners at Okongue and Otjohorongo primary schools to the tune of N$17 134.20 through an organisation he established.
“The objective of the foundation is to improve the lives of school children whose parents are unable to afford any school material such as books, school uniforms, school bags or any related activities like tours,” shared Nghitoolwa.
He told Youth Corner the foundation also aims to provide counselling to learners for any trauma or abuse experienced at home or school, to help and assist sexually abused school kids and encourage them to speak out, and fight teenage pregnancy among learners.
“My sister has a background in psychology, and as such, she has offered her expertise to have learners counselled in cases that might have touched them mentally,” he said.
He also does motivational speaking to encourage kids to focus on their studies, among others.
“I did not take my education seriously; thus, I only completed matric. I want to be that ray of hope because growing up, whenever a school trouser was about to tear, our folks would either knit them or buy us a brand new one – but nowadays, it is different,” he echoed.
He added: “We were not that active in 2020 due to lockdown and this year I opened up an auto styling business to raise more funds when everything was back to normal.”
In 2019, he assisted 213 learners at Onanyalala Primary School in the Omusati region by buying them school bags at a cost of about N$14 000, money from his own pocket.
The humanitarian idea started in 2014 when Nghitoolwa worked for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) in Eenhana where they worked deep in the villages and mostly in schools and it was there he noticed how school learners lacked some necessities.
“What I saw in those schools was not pleasant. I made myself a promise that should I one day find myself in a position where I am financially capable of helping these kids, then I would assist where I can,” he recalls.
- psiririka@nepc.com.na