DAPP Private School has received a donation of 30 seedlings of mangoes and lemons from David Mwaetako, a community member and a newly appointed school board member.

During the handover ceremony that took place at the school premises, Mwaetako urged the school to take care of the plants, enjoy the fruits as well as to raise funds for future school needs.

He highlighted that the idea came about when the principal during a school board meeting requested that there was a need to start a project on education for sustainable development that would focus on gardening and greening.

“I have worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and that made me fall in love with plants and that pushed me to donate plants to kick start the project” says David.

The donation is important to the school as it serves as a living laboratory to educate children about the importance of tress in the environment and how to take care of them.

Students studying Early Childhood (ECD) Teaching at DAPP Namibia Vocational Training School promise to make great impact in their communities after completing their course.

Unotjari Tjambiru who hails from Opuwo in Kunene region said that he did not have any knowledge about kids but during his first year at the school he acquired a lot and he can now handle kids as well as adapt to the environment he found himself in.

He echoed the same sentiment as that of the president that “no one should be left out” by saying that “after finishing my study I want to go back to my village and make sure no child is left behind in terms of education”.

Another student that comes from Omaheke made the same point by saying that there is a lack of early childhood education in their community and she wants to dedicate herself to address the issues of early childhood development by being a good and committed member of the community.

“Now that I have acquired enough experience, I promise myself to be a good teacher and parent, and influence other youth to take up this opportunity at DAPP Vocational Training School and become someone in the community” said Hengari Glotilda a student from Omaheke region.

Enrolled students are taught how to engage parents and the community and how to create the best possible environment for the children to develop to their full potential.

ECD Teaching instructor at the school, Sara Kapolo stated that the school sends students out for practice in the surrounding Kindergartens to get exposed to the real-life environment and as a result most of the students are ready to go and make a difference in their community of origin after finishing their training.

It is believed that a child who gets exposed to a quality early childhood education is likely to perform better in school, have good problem solving and good language skills. Hence Sara explained that the school always motivates students to go out and establish kindergartens, which will help children to have a very strong learning foundation.

She called on the youth to come out of their comfort zone and apply for the ECD Teaching course so that they can help to build the foundation of the young children in the society.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) Teaching course is a two-year training which is registered on the Namibia Qualification Framework and leads to a Diploma Level 5 and it is accredited by the Namibia Qualification Authority. 

The course was established with the aim of training students to become broadly knowledgeable, active and creative teachers with the passion and skills to teach young children through play.

The course is also designed to train students to become entrepreneurs that are capable of starting and operating kindergartens in rural communities.

DAPP Namibia Vocational Training School is proud to be the implementor of the agriculture course at a vocational level. The course focuses on horticulture and crop production using climate-smart agricultural methods. It teaches the students the tools and practices needed in a field every day. The students are sent daily in the school horticulture garden and nursery to practices their agricultural skills from the first day of class.
The students are further taken through trade assessment where they sent on 3 months compulsorily attachment training. This is for them to learn, find solutions that ensure future sustainable food production, and security through sustainable environmental measures.
For students who complete a course over a period of 2 years, they will obtain an accredited certificate by Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA) Level 2 & 3 in Agriculture.
Our students have shared their experience below to motivate and invite many of us ever wished to pursue their career in agriculture and join them at DAPP Vocational Training School.

Aipinge Timoteus (20)
One of the most rewarding experiences from my agricultural training was the opportunity to drive a tractor. It has always been a dream to me and I was very excited. I never thought that it would be possible because a tractor is a big machine. I hope this experience will make it easier for me to get work and maybe start my own agricultural project. Especially in the conservation field. I am very passionate about conservation because I want to have children one day and I want them to grow food from the land like I did when I was small. I am looking very much forward to passing my course and working to make tomorrow better.

Foibe Mwatukange (22)
In Namibia, drought is a contributing factor to poverty in my country. I am very appreciative that through this training I was able to learn more about modern climate-smart activities that contribute to better water sustainability. I have already started using these techniques when I return to my village and it has reduced our water waste by improving the ways we recycle and reuse it. My family is very proud of me and what I am learning because they know that it is very important for my future and the future of Namibia. I hope to study more in the future at a higher level so that I can become more qualified. I will definitely recommend this course to my friends and family.

Tulihongeni Shikomba (29)
When I started this course, I thought it was going to be very easy because I grew up in the village and I am very good with my hands. I was very surprised to see how challenging it was. The theories and concepts relating to climate-smart agriculture were new to me. It was hard at first to learn them but the instructors made things easy by explaining things with examples. Learning to use the agricultural tools provided in the course was very nice because in my village we only used to use our hands and strong wooden sticks. My favourite experience from the course was working on farm machinery. I really like engines so knowing how they work was a lot of fun. The only thing I would change from the course is to have more time driving the tractor.

“I appreciate the scholarship given to me so that I could go to the Frontline Institute. I have learnt a lot. Now I have many ideas and I am confident to mobilise my community to work together with me to implement income-generating activities using the resources that are readily available to us” said Ester Joseph from Ohangwena, who recently came back to Namibia after completing a course at Frontline Institute in Zimbabwe.

Every year DAPP Namibia with support from Humana People to People partners offers some employees scholarships with the opportunity to be trained in basic and advanced project management skills in theory and practice at the Frontline Institute for a period of one year.
During the studies, the students are given room for all to perform and to encounter barriers they need to break down to solve the tasks ahead of them. When they come back home they are able to take up more responsibilities in their work, a win-win situation for the employee and for the organisation.

Frontline Institute is a training institute for key people in development from the projects within Humana People to People members organisations. The aim is working in the frontline of development and fighting against the dehumanizing phenomena such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy and diseases.
It also trains Humana People to People employees as leaders in development for the benefit of the people in rural areas and townships in Southern Africa, Guinea Bissau, India, China and Central America. More than 3000 participants have gone through the courses of Basic Project Management and Advanced Project Management.
Frontline Institute is an international institution where the teachers, participants and organizations which send the participants for training all come from different countries. Countless people to people links are formed and strengthened, friendships and understanding across national and cultural borders are built and maintained.
Some of the DAPP Namibia participants in 2018 were: Ester Joseph, Jason Mwaetaro and Ester Nguudhivali who are back in Namibia after completing 12 months of training in Zimbabwe.

To complete the one year course each participant is tasked to create low-cost projects, that do not require any start-up capital utilising resources locally available. Jason Mwaetaro’s plan is to set up a small garden near the community’s shared tap and make use of the spilling water, while Ester is planning to start a kitchen project as well as planting fruit trees in her community.

The participants highlighted that after their training they now have a much broader outlook and understanding of the world and have experienced different ways of looking at life and events. They learned to identify and find solutions to problems; a positive attitude that will aid their progress. “The aim is to generate extra income to survive during and after the outside funding of a project "explained Ester Nguudhivali.
“I appreciate the scholarship given to me so that I could go to the Frontline Institute. I have learnt a lot. Now I have many ideas and I am confident to mobilise my community to work together with me to implement income-generating activities using the resources that are readily available to us” said Ester Joseph from Ohangwena, who recently came back to Namibia after completing a course at Frontline Institute in Zimbabwe.

DAPP Vocational Training School commenced its activities in September 1991. The school was built then partly by its own students as a part of Onambelela DAPP Centre, which is located along the Main Road from Oshakati to Ruacana, 80 km from Oshakati and 10 km before Outapi. Establishing the school was an investment into the future, since its aim is to develop human resources - one of the most valuable resources of any country.

The DAPP Vocational Training School aims to educate young Namibians as crafts men and women. The curriculum contains general knowledge, theory and practice. This gives the trainees an opportunity to learn technical skills and to gain experience that empowers them to enter the job market. They are also encouraged to start up their own business and to create employment for other people as well.
The school are training multi-skilled students who also learn to represent a positive attitude and care for their communities and learn to work together to accomplish a common goal.  Students are engaged in maintaining cleaning their own school, take part in growing vegetables for own consumption and take responsibility for planning evening and weekend programmes as well as cultural events. The Vocational Training Centre welcomes school leavers from all over Namibia

The school offers the following courses at level 1 and level 2:
• Bricklaying and Plastering
• Business and Secretarial studies
• Community Development Level
• ICT Level 1

Other courses
• Short courses in Computers and Bricklaying
• A Small Business Information Centre for small business people.
• Hosting workshops and training for different groups of people with catering and accommodation services.
The Vocational Training School is funded by Ministry of Education through the Namibian Training Authority (NTA) and is registered with Ministry of Education.