Life skills training with help from FNB Foundation

REPSSI (the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative), last week offered a Journey of Life Training organised for the Lifeline Childline staff which took place in Windhoek. Altogether 18 participants from the North Central region, Rehoboth, Khomas and Kavango region took part in this three-day training workshop. This was the first in a number of workshops and training initiatives supported and funded by the FNB Namibia Foundation. Vicky Muranda, Corporate Communications Manager at FNB Namibia, advised that the FNB Namibia Foundation last year August launched a partnership deal in which the professional skills of forty community-based caregivers in Namibia will be improved while at the same time the capacity of one hundred Lifeline counsellors would be enhanced. These counsellors will be enabled to provide psychosocial support to children and their families through outreach programmes and face-to-face counselling. FNB Namibia is the funding agent of these programmes and has committed more than N$900 000 to this three-year project. Nicolette Bessinger, REPSSI Country Representative Namibia said: The Journey of Life (JOL) series helps communities to support both caregivers and children in need. With individual and community resources often stretched to breaking point by HIV and AIDS, war, violence and natural disasters, people need the information and skills to be able to plan a course of action. The Journey of Life encourages reflection, dialogue and action among children, caregivers and concerned members of the community. The programme is all about community parenting, supporting grieving children and teaching life skills to our children. Says Muranda: The FNB Foundation is proud to partner with the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSII) programme in bringing this life changing initiative to Namibia. Our Corporate Social Responsibility policy at FNB Namibia affirms our commitment to assisting the most vulnerable sections in our community. We have identified development initiatives in the following selected areas: skills development; education and training; community development; SMEs; culture and heritage, and healthcare and social welfare. Originally conceived in 2001 as a regional initiative to scale up psychosocial care and support for children affected by AIDS, REPSSI was formally launched as a project in May 2002 with financial support from a consortium of three funding partners: the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)/NORAD, Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development (NFSD). The initiative soon evolved to include improving psychosocial support for children affected by conflict and poverty. REPSSI is now a regional, non-profit organisation operating in 13 countries. It advocates a holistic response to caring, protecting and supporting affected children and youth, by supporting communities and families to provide for the social and emotional rights and needs of their children and youth. Psychosocial support (PSS) offers vulnerable children critical support that will protect them from exploitation, stigma, discrimination, abuse and other social ills resulting from the challenges facing them, especially lack of parental and/or adult guidance.