A place to learn. A place to grow.

On Farm Seringkop, the day begins much as it always has.

Children arrive at Chief Dawid Khamuxab Primary School from farm Seringkop and the surrounding resettlement farms. They come to learn, to spend time with friends, and to build the foundations of whatever comes next.

Now, there is something new here, too.

On 4 August 2026, Ongava officially handed over a new sick bay clinic and a girls hostel block to the school. Two buildings, and a meaningful step towards a safer, healthier environment for the children who call this school home during term time.

The new facilities also mark how far the school has come.

Reflecting on its early years, Placidus Gerald Nu-Eiseb, Chairman of the !Gobaob Hai//om Community Association, recalled a time when learners slept beneath a tree and in tents provided by the army.

“It was not easy. But as leaders, we stood firm behind our children because we believe that if our children are not educated, our future will be lost.”

The things that matter every day

The new girls hostel provides accommodation for up to 90 learners, with beds and lockers and separate accommodation for a hostel mother. The new sick bay provides a dedicated space for learners who need medical attention, with an office and examination room, patient rooms with ensuite bathrooms, basic medical supplies and accommodation for visiting health care workers.

For Mrs. Sophia Ferdrieck, Director of Education for the Kunene Region, the importance of hostel accommodation is closely connected to what happens next in a learner's education.

“When our children complete Grade 7 and have to go to Outjo, many end up dropping out because we do not have hostel accommodation. Our dream is for this school to grow into a school that also offers secondary education.”

Outjo Constituency Regional Councillor, Hon. Kleofas Gaingob, reflected on the significance of the new facilities within the wider region:

“Seringkop is a place that all Hai//om people should be proud of; it is a home for the Hai//om people. What we are witnessing here today, a school hostel together with an attached health facility, is the first of its kind in the Kunene Region.”

The project has also included improvements to the school's supporting infrastructure. The borehole pumps were cleaned and a new solar power system installed, which has improved water supply to the school. Both buildings have been fitted with fire extinguishers and sealed flooring for durability.

Built together

Architectural plans were donated pro bono by Claud Bosch Architects, with engineering services provided by Botha Consulting Engineers, a reminder that meaningful projects rarely need one organisation to do everything. They need people willing to contribute what they can, and a shared belief that the outcome is worth building.

On 4 August, representatives of the Hai//om Traditional Authority, !Gobaob Hai//om Community Association, Ministry of Education, regional leadership and Ongava gathered at the school to mark the handover, with an official ribbon cutting ceremony and a cultural presentation from the learners.

Conservation has people in it

At Ongava, we believe conservation begins with nature. But nature does not exist in isolation. The landscapes surrounding Etosha are home to wildlife, but they are also home to people and communities whose lives, histories and futures are connected to these places.

That is why conservation tourism, at its best, should create value beyond the experience of the guest and beyond the boundaries of the reserve. It should contribute to something that lasts.

For Ongava Director Derek Moore, that principle is straightforward:

“These buildings are not just buildings, they are investments in dignity, in health, and in opportunity. By giving these children access to a safe education environment, we are investing not only in their future, but in the future of the entire community. In time, these young people will have the opportunity to uplift and strengthen their communities in ways we can only begin to imagine

We are grateful for the trust placed in us, and we look forward to continuing our journey as a partnership together with the Hai//om community, the government, and all who share this vision.”

The Chief Dawid Khamuxab Primary School project is one expression of that belief, and part of a much longer journey. The handover reflects Ongava's broader commitment to the Hai//om community of Etosha and forms part of the same partnership model behind the Ongava Hai//om Tourism Joint Venture, through which tourism revenue is channelled into education, healthcare and water infrastructure for the communities who call this landscape home.

A future worth investing in

There is something fitting about investing in a school. By its nature, a school is an investment in what comes next: the children who walk through its doors today will shape the communities, landscapes and country of tomorrow.

For Ongava, that makes this project about more than a handover. It is about creating the conditions for children to feel safe, supported and able to focus on learning, and about putting into practice a belief that sits at the heart of Ongava: that conservation should create value, for wildlife, for wilderness, and for the people who share this landscape.

The value of the new sick bay and girls hostel is measured in everyday things: in a bed waiting for a learner at the end of the day, in a warm shower, in clean water, in a child having somewhere to go when they are sick, and in the quiet reassurance of being cared for.

A place to learn. A place to grow. A place to belong.

Photography: Venture Media