“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.
