Namibian social impact agency, Arba Stature, in partnership with Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group -, has donated 2253 face masks to 25 local schools through its #CoverNamibia campaign. Designed to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in Namibia, the campaign produced and donated reusable face masks for school learners who are resuming in-person tutorials and examinations during the pandemic. The agency challenged corporate bodies to match each face mask with a bar of soap, thereby ensuring mask hygiene is maintained among learners.
NBL sponsored the production of the masks specifically earmarked for schools identified by the Directorate: Education (Khomas Region) under the Ministry of Education. Joining Arba Stature at the hand over to the Directorate, NBL has in addition matched 2253 bars of sunlight soap to the donation. NBL Global Marketing, Rene Duffy: “NBL is very proud of this partnership, which turns out to be such an empowering tool for the beneficiaries of these masks. This support should simply be testament to our commitment and passion for Namibia and her people, and we trust that this humble support will go a long way in creating a future and enhancing lives.”
Ama Owusu-Agyemang, founder of Arba Stature, describes the initiative as a deeply collaborative effort by Namibians for Namibia. Partnering with acclaimed Namibian designer, Melissa Poulton, she noted that Arba Stature donated the fabric for the face coverings and Poulton manufactured them. Owusu-Agyemang: “Using creative solutions to accelerate the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Africa is what drives the agency, and we believe that times like these demand collaborative efforts on such initiatives for Namibia. On a broader scale, some of our solutions have been adopted by the African Union, TikTok, and World Health Organization Africa, all towards an aligned vision of development for the Continent, so it brings us immense pride to be backed by NBL on the Cover Namibia campaign here at home.”
Locally, the agency also responded to the immediate need of face masks on the heels of Namibia’s lockdown in April, with agency co-founder Lindiwe Jacobs donating 300 face masks to homeless citizens housed at the Khomasdal Stadium. The masks, paired with individual bars of soap, were distributed in partnership with local cab-app company, LEFA Namibia.
Khomas Regional Council Acting Director of Education, Arts & Culture, Paulus Lewin: “The Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture has faced many challenges over the past months to prevent, contain and manage the impact of the coronavirus on the teaching and learning process. This donation will contribute significantly to the efforts made thus far to ensure continued teaching and learning. The donation will go a long way in forming part of the initiatives of the Directorate to encourage conscientious hygiene amongst learners to stop the spread of the virus amongst the school learners.”
