The vision of our association is to provide as many vulnerable children and young people as possible with a realistic and fair opportunity for good education - regardless of the financial situation of the family. To work towards this vision, we implemented several educational programmes and continue to improve and expand our offers. We do this together with the Namibian community because everything stands with them and falls without them. Currently, we run three projects under the umbrella of Tangeni Shilongo Namibia:
- DRC School Project & Community Centre (DRC)
- OPEN DOORS Scholarship (ODS)
- OPEN DOORS Education Centre (ODEC)
We are operating the DRC School Project & Community Centre located in the informal settlement “Democratic Resettlement Community” (DRC) in Swakopmund. It accommodates over 100 children and youths in the morning (08h00 – 13h00) and another 100 in the afternoon (14h00 – 17h00), and offers a diverse range of educational programmes:
- Early Childhood Development (1 kindergarten & 1 pre-school)
- Homework Classes (in the morning & afternoon)
- Two classes for children without a placement at a state school. Our spots are limited for a maximum duration of 1 year, so the learners go back to state school as soon as a place is available for them. We support the families in this.
- Urban Gardening & Environmental Education
- Community Centre & Library
- Musical Education for Learners & Staff
To help our learners concentrate better in class, we also offer sports programmes and a daily warm meal. For all this, we employ 5 educators, 1 kitchen manager and 1 caretaker, and receive the help from several volunteers.
We do not only support young Namibians during school, but also promote further education to improve their chances on the job market. For this, we award the OPEN DOORS Scholarship to young people who want to study at university but do not have the financial means. We currently support 17 scholars who are living their dream in Namibia. To finance them, we have launched an associated sponsorship programme in Germany. The more sponsors we find in Germany for our scholars, the more young people we can take in. We pay all fees related to and arising through studying and only expect a small self-contribution by the scholar.
Our approach in the selection of the scholars is clear: we are not only interested in good grades but in the commitment of the young person - what does he or she do for our country? These are young people who do not look back into the past but take their lives into their own hands and walk positively ahead. Therefore, we are proud of our youth who are so much more than their grades. Since the launch of the scholarship in 2018, two scholars have successfully completed their studies and are now having jobs they are proud of. In this way, we contribute sustainably to empowering underprivileged Namibians. Our OPEN DOORS scholars have grown into a strong community with high dreams for their own and Namibia’s future.
On top of that, we are offering the OPEN DOORS Education Centre (ODEC) on two floors, the first free private school for an informal settlement. With ODEC, we are creating a place for supervised learning and high-quality education for 250 disadvantaged learners every day in Swakopmund. The programs offered start with early childhood development (ECD) with a well-equipped kindergarten and preschool with 50 places. After completing preschool, the children attend Grade 1 and remain at ODEC until Grade 3. ODEC, which is also recognized as a primary school, has six classrooms to accommodate all age groups. In the medium term, ODEC will also enrol grades 4 to 7, and in the long term grades 8 to 12.
ODEC provides additional support through supplementary school programs such as IT courses, music lessons, gardening project and homework classes (Grade 1- 12)
