The Education Assistance Fund was established in late 2019 with the aim of leveraging financial support for youth with limited means. The Fund acts as an enabler to source the necessary funding for secondary school and tertiary bursaries for learners, as well as to cover the annual co-payment shortfall of ±1.4 million Namibian Dollars for participation in Wolwedans' 30-month vocational training programmes.

Vocational training is a costly undertaking, mainly due to small classes and high material input. Additional expenses at the remote field location of the Wolwedans Desert Academy include board, lodging, and transport. Approximately 45% of the operating expenses of our training programme are co-financed through the Namibia Training Authority (NTA),  with the shortfall being topped up by the Wolwedans Foundation and private and institutional donors.

In the past, training was offered for “free” and while this afforded equitable access to Namibian youth, it proved unsustainable for both training programmes and was taken for granted by a number of the trainees. From 2021, our intention is to introduce training fees on a co-payment basis to cover about half of the cost of training. Ideally, parents/guardians who are in a position to contribute this amount for trainees would do so. However, for prospective trainees who show talent, passion, and promise but do not have access to such financial means, sponsorship must be secured.

The Education Assistance Fund enables financial assistance to be channelled in the following ways: 

• If you know a learner or trainee, specify your financial sponsorship to benefit them  
• Corporate / institutional bursaries can be directed to sponsor any number of learners or trainees
• Guests can place donations in the Foundation GreenBox during their stay at Wolwedans
• Once-off or recurring “Living Classroom” contributions can be made via debit order to our Foundation bank account
• Project-specific donations, e.g. infrastructure or training items to be procured, are also very welcome

A healthy Education Assistance Fund will enable learners to access the quality education they deserve without worrying about how they will be able to pay for it, and provide the means for the Wolwedans training programmes to continue developing skilled, confident young professionals to contribute excellence to Namibia’s hospitality sector.

For more information about the operating budgets and financing needs of the Wolwedans vocational training programmes, browse the e-brochure HERE. Or simply download it HERE.