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Photo & Caption

Photo: David Groenewaldt, Junior Achievement

The Shipena Internet Café, developed by Junior Achievement members, serves the school community and the general public.

The lack of educational resources aimed at developing a skilled, confident workforce is among the most critical constraints to economic diversification and growth in Namibia. Today, many of the country’s youth lack the skills and experience to compete for jobs or start their own businesses.

USAID funded the establishment of a Junior Achievement chapter in Namibia to provide young people with practical skills in economics and business that will help them succeed in the workplace. Junior Achievement’s activities encourage young people to engage in entrepreneurship, such as the after-school program that helps students establish and run their own companies under the direction of a volunteer businessperson. In 2004, more than 8,500 young people received entrepreneurship training through various Junior Achievement programs in more than 80 schools countrywide.

The Shipena Secondary School, located in a poor neighborhood of Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, was one of the schools that benefited from the USAID-funded program. The Junior Achievement members at Shipena realized that computers that had been donated by SchoolNet Namibia were not being utilized to their full potential. Using their newly acquired entrepreneurial skills, the students conducted market research on the best use of their computer lab. Based on their findings, they decided to set up an Internet café at their school that would serve not only Shipena students, but also the general public.

The Shipena Internet Café has become a popular spot for computer users that stream in on a daily basis. Many drop in to send e-mail, chat with friends or do Internet research, while others work to improve their typing skills.

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