In pursuit of its purpose, ‘Creating a future, enhancing life’, Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group – reaffirmed its passion for education by donating hand-crafted desks to schools around the country through the Group’s Desks for Education project.
Inspired by the Group’s initiatives to enhance the lives of children through education, NBL Finance Director, Graeme Mouton initiated the Desks for Education project, involving Kraatz – an engineering company and subsidiary of the O&L Group – to repurpose recycled steel into beautiful frames after which NBL employees assembled and finished them off. NBL Facilities Supervisor, Pieter van Niekerk, together with his team adopted and owned the project practicing attention to detail with the carpentry of each desk. Van Niekerk: “The aim of the project is to provide schools with good quality desks that will not only increase teaching efficiency but also create a comfortable and positive learning environment for the students. My team and I are committed to manufacturing each desk with the utmost care and take pride in contributing to the difference made in the lives of our children.” Van Niekerk further applauded Kraatz and the O&L Group at large for the interdependent action taken with the manufacturing and allocation of the desks to the respective schools.
The first school to benefit with 25 two-seater desks was the Otjinungua Primary School, 300 km north of Opuwo. The second benefitting school was the Cimbebasia Primary School in Windhoek which received 40 two-seater benches. Cimbebasia Primary School Principal, Alida van Niekerk: “On behalf of the school, I would like to thank NBL, Kraatz, and the O&L Group at large for this donation of furniture to our school. Words will never express how thankful we are. As a growing school, every effort to assist us is highly appreciated.” Van Niekerk further expressed her heartfelt gratitude towards the Education Director of the Khomas region, Gerhard Vries for identifying Cimbebasia Primary School as a potential beneficiary. Desks for Education is a long term project and the next batch of desks earmarked for Otjinene are already in production.
