Ongava has handed over a new sick bay clinic and girls’ hostel block to Chief Dawid Khamuxab Primary School on Farm Seringkop in Namibia.
The school serves Hai//om San children from Farm Seringkop and surrounding resettlement farms. The new facilities aim to improve the safety and wellbeing of learners.
The sick bay is stocked with basic medical supplies and includes an office and examination room, patient rooms with en-suite bathrooms and accommodation for visiting health workers. The new girls’ hostel can accommodate 90 learners with beds, lockers and ablution facilities as well as separate accommodation for a hostel mother.
Both buildings have fire extinguishers and sealed flooring. Upgrades to the site’s borehole, including cleaned pumps and a new solar power system, have improved water supply to the school.
The architectural plans were donated pro bono by Claud Bosch Architects and engineering services were provided by Botha Consulting Engineers.
The handover marks a significant change from the conditions learners faced during the school’s early years. Placidus Gerald Nu-Eiseb, Chairman of the !Gobaob Hai//Om Community Association, recalled that children previously slept under a tree and in tents provided by the army.
Sophia Ferdrieck, Director of Education for the Kunene Region, said lack of hostel accommodation has contributed to some learners dropping out when they complete Grade 7 and have to continue their education in Outjo.
“Our dream is for this school to grow into a school that also offers secondary education,” she added.
