IN SOUTHWEST AFRICA
WE CONCENTRATE ON
EDUCATION PROJECTS IN
SWAKOPMUND

Name: Werner Erkes Stiftung
Address: Marc-Chagall-Straße 146

OPEN DOORS EDUCATION CENTRE - ODEC

Swakopmund, Namibia | Opened in January 2024 | Inaugurated in October 2024

The offer of the ODEC:
Community Center
Youth Program
IT Center
Vegetable garden & environmental education
Community and soup kitchen
Elementary school (grades 1-3)
Homework supervision (grades 1-12)
Library
Kindergarten and preschool

With the new “Open Doors Education Center” (ODEC) project, we are pursuing the goal of creating a higher standard of education for financially disadvantaged children, young people and adults in the DRC township. An important step towards achieving this goal is the development of infrastructure for additional educational programs that are lacking in Namibia. With the Open Doors Education Center, we are creating an infrastructure for supervised learning for around 250 children, adolescents and young adults every day.

In addition, more than 10 jobs will be created. The education center is located in Matutura, between Mondesa and DRC. The Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) is a township in Swakopmund, Namibia, where there is no running water, connected sanitary facilities or electricity.

ODEC is a milestone in achieving high-quality education for children and young people from low-income families and offers them a comprehensive support program.

The special thing about ODEC is that we accompany and support the children from pre-school age through to university entrance, enabling them to get to know us intensively and thus not only provide an educational opportunity, but also a fixed constant for a structured everyday life, which is particularly important for children and young people from the township. Pupils who have shown social commitment and reliability during their time at the ODEC are also given the chance of an OPEN DOORS STIPENDIUM.

We are the main funder of this project and are proud to be part of this excellent work. We will continue to support the ODEC and the TSN in the future.

In his position as founder and chairman of the aid organization “Tangeni Shilongo Namibia” (TSN), which is recognized as a non-profit association in Germany and Namibia, Volkan Sazli oversees the DRC School Project & Community Centre and the OPEN DOORS Education Centre (ODEC) in Swakopmund.

As Managing Director of WEF South West Africa, he will develop further education projects in Namibia and neighboring countries in South West Africa on behalf of the Werner Erkes Foundation over the next few years. The construction of the new DRC School Project in Swakopmund is already scheduled for this year. (see below)

The Board of the Werner Erkes Foundation is looking forward to a competent and cordial cooperation.

Volkan Sazli, Managing Director

Impressions of the Namibia trips 2022 and 2024

Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC)

The ODEC and the Schoolproject & Community Center are located directly in the DRC.

The Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) is an informal settlement in Swakopmund, Erongo Region, Namibia. It was established in 2001 as a temporary resettlement settlement for people waiting for social housing in the city and was built mainly from recycled waste from the municipal landfill. Materials included corrugated iron, wood, canvas and plastic.

In 2015, the population was estimated at around 20,000. There is no electricity and no sanitary facilities. Running water came from a single tap that was installed in 2012. The inhabitants found work in menial jobs in Swakopmund.

We would like to thank our partner association TSN for designing and implementing these unique educational projects.

Since its foundation in 2015, the association “Tangeni Shilongo Namibia e.V.” has served the promotion of child, youth and family welfare, the promotion of non-governmental organizations, the promotion of charity (individual case help), the promotion of international sentiment, tolerance in all areas of culture and the idea of international understanding. It is committed to the sustainable common good exclusively in Namibia.

NEW CONSTRUCTION OF THE DRC SCHOOL PROJECT & COMMUNITY CENTER

Swakopmund, Namibia | Start of construction June 2024

Visit to the construction site of the new DRC School Project in October 2024.

Fast and professional work is being done here. After just five months of construction, the shell is almost complete.

The school project is an oasis that supports the youngest children with a kindergarten and provides much-needed support for the older children during school hours in the form of homework supervision and infrastructure for research tasks. This is also where those who have not been offered a place at a state school are picked up and taught. In this way, we not only provide all these children with an education, but also give them a safe haven and a structured daily routine that keeps them away from the streets, violence and drugs. These programs make a huge difference in the children's lives, leading to lower drop-out rates, better grades, fewer teenage pregnancies and reduced drug abuse

The previous DRC school project offered up to 200 children and young people daily support in various areas in temporary, old shipping containers, thereby pursuing a holistic approach. This is immensely important for the children in the township, who have no table, writing materials or light at home.