Sidney Halupe launches youth foundation

Swakopmund entrepreneur, rugby player and former independent regional council candidate Sidney Halupe is launching a new community initiative aimed at youth empowerment, skills development and social support in local townships.

Halupe said the Sidney Halupe Foundation was created to address gaps he observed after contesting the regional council elections.

“I made a promise to the people that I’m fighting for them and I’m fighting for the voiceless,” he said. “I saw that after my elections there is a very big hole in youth. Youth need a lot of attention.”

According to Halupe, the foundation focuses on mentorship, sport development, education support and basic assistance to young people who lack resources.

“Some kids want to go to university. Other kids just want a pair of shoes to go to school. Other kids need some food just to put on their table,” he said.

He described the initiative as rooted in his own upbringing.

“As a kid growing up in the township, I saw the struggles that I had as a kid. That’s why I decided to stand tall and do this," he said.

Personal input

Halupe said he intends to contribute personally through mentorship, drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and national rugby player.

“The only way you can bring change is if you start in the communities and on the ground,” he said. “It’s just basically to give them everything that I’ve learned up to today so that they can be better equipped than myself.”

The foundation has already started programmes through a previous initiative, Rhino Performance Forge, which he said assisted more than 65 athletes with food and equipment. Soup kitchens are also operating, with another planned in the DRC area of Swakopmund. He added that about 35 children are currently part of an after-school programme focused on life skills and entrepreneurship.

“The programmes are already running. It’s not that we are just waiting for the people to come on board. We are making it happen,” he said.

An official public launch is scheduled for 7 March, which Halupe described as an opportunity to introduce sponsors and present the foundation’s plans to the community.

He said about N$200 000 has already been raised for the project and that facilities such as the MTC Dome will be used in collaboration with partner organisations.

On financial accountability, Halupe said donors will be revealed at the launch and that the project is driven by community need.

“I’m not doing this in order to get something in my pocket. I’m doing this to change communities,” he said.

The foundation plans to expand its programmes across different communities, combining sport, mentorship and social support initiatives aimed at youth development.