Marthina Mutanga
WORLD ranking tennis player Roger Federer today paid a curtesy visit to Namibia’s President Hage Geingob at State House to strengthen the quality of early childhood education at especially vulnerable community level.
The Roger Federer Foundation has over the years been active in Namibia, ensuring needy children are developmentally on track in health, learning, as well as psychosocially before they enter primary school.
At state house, the 38-year-old Swiss tennis star also met several local tennis players with national colours, before visiting several schools in Windhoek to experience how the education systems in Namibia works as his foundation supports educational projects located in the region of southern Africa and Switzerland.
The main goal of the foundation’s new School Readiness Initiative, which started in January 2018 and will be running until the end of 2025, is to secure a good start in primary education for vulnerable children between the age of three and eight.
The programmes on the African continent focus on the improvement of the quality of early learning and basic education and in Switzerland on the promotion of extra-curricular activities for children affected by poverty.
“It is our responsibility to the children that they achieve the impact as cost efficiently as possible and use the resources economically and modestly,” said Federer.
His foundation is currently conducting programs in six countries in Southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa), as well as Switzerland.
The foundation has so far spent U$52 millionfor its education initiatives conducted in 7,000 primary school and preschools.
Federer departed today to neighbouring South Africa in preparation for his much-anticipated match against Rafael Nadal on Friday.
