Empty pockets at start of school year

Next week Wednesday, all government and most private schools will open for the new school year and parents, mainly young single mothers, are faced with the harsh reality of not being able to afford the costs involved with sending their children back to school.Margaret Namises, a mother of three, told Namibian Sun that her main concern is sourcing the funds to pay for her youngest child's taxi fare every day. “We stay in Okahandja Park and my son will be in grade 3. “He goes to Khomasdal Primary School so I have to make sure he will have money to go to school, because it is too far for him to walk from home,” says Namises. “I do not want him to change schools and let him start over again, because I do not want to disrupt his learning environment. “We also do not have any good schools close to where we live.” Namises's eldest failed grade 10 and he will be forced to drop out of school as she does not have the money to send him to Namcol. “He will not be allowed to repeat his year because he is older than 17, and I cannot afford the enrolment fees for Namcol. So that is it for his education.”The casually employed single mother only works twice a week by ironing clothes in other areas around Windhoek and she struggles to sustain her children. Their father has been imprisoned for the past eight years and he does not have any relatives that can assist them. Another Okahandja Park resident and mother of six, Natalia Kalenga, shared the same sentiments. She too struggles with taxi fare for her eldest child who studies at Unam. The third-year student takes a taxi every day and Kalenga has always feared this.“Unam is very far from where we stay so I am always scared that she could get raped as taxi drivers cannot be trusted these days. I cannot sleep until she is at home. I want to see her every night and then I will have peace of mind,” said the 51-year-old. She also does not allow her children to play in the streets as she does not want them exposed to drugs and alcohol. “Our area is full of danger and most of the young people here are not motivated to do anything so they often use drugs.” Most of the mothers living in Okahandja Park moved from other towns in search of greener pastures and with the hope of providing for their families back home. Rebekka Karenga was one of the hopefuls, but was confronted with the sad truth of unemployment in the capital. She moved from Rundu in 2012 and after spending nearly three years jobless, she opted to start her own business last year which has also come to a halt. She used to sell vetkoek and kapana at Stop 'n Shop in Okuryangava before the police chased all vendors away. “They started patrolling the area and then we were told to move, because we are not allowed to sell there. I am still searching for a new area so I can continue my business,” said the 28-year-old. Namibian Sun found Karenga returning from a shopping trip to buy stationery. She saod she had been saving since October last year.“My daughter will be leaving to go back to Rundu on Sunday so I also have to provide transport money for her. That is why I started preparing myself,” says the mother of two.Her only worry now is finding a new area that will be busy enough to make sure she takes home a good profit for her and her family. TUNOHOLE MUNGOBA

Empty pockets at start of school year

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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Empty pockets at start of school year

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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