In the remote village of Otjomuru, Kunene Region, between rivers and surrounded by mountains, a small school is making a big impact.
Despite harsh conditions and limited resources, teachers at Dr Libertine Appolus-Amadhila Combined School continue to push forward, determined to secure a better future for some of Namibia's most marginalised children.
Established to serve communities often left behind, the school now accommodates about 250 learners, many from the Ovatjimba, Ovatwe and San communities, and has earned a reputation as one of the top-performing schools in the region.
"Our learners here are from the marginalised communities, whereby parents are unable to afford to buy school uniforms. When you are walking around, you are seeing some of them are naked, having like this traditional attire; those are the things that they came with to school. Another challenge is that, likely, you come by road, and you show the road condition, which is very bad. During the rainy season, we used to be locked either way behind the river or this side when the rivers were flowing, " said principal Annah Tjazapi.
Sanitation remains a serious concern, with an overloaded sewage system that frequently overflows, posing health risks to learners who often play nearby, unaware of the danger.
"There is a sewage drain of water that comes from the hostel; it comes from there nearby, when it's full it overflows, and the kids play in that water," added HoD Tjipundiruaije Mupya.
Mupya says the conditions at the hostel are equally challenging. Two dormitories house around 100 boys, with up to 50 learners in each room.
Teacher Edward Tjivinde expressed, "The mattresses are old and worn out; you can see when you look at these beds, there is nothing. Kids are just sleeping on top of the bare bed. That's why we try to ask for assistance here and there, but to no avail. So sometimes with the small funds of the school, we forcefully buy mattresses – those that you are seeing – so we do not get assistance from anywhere else. Kids just sleep on those bare beds."
Tjivinde further says that basic hygiene is also a challenge, with only six functioning showers serving all hostel learners, due to low water pressure forcing long queues every morning.
"So we have a problem. I am not happy where I am staying because I don't have my own toilet, and I don't have a shower where I can do my bathing. I usually bathe inside my shack, and we also have a problem with the water. Water is a problem here; most of the time we suffer. It can even go up to three days without water."
The school's staff are facing difficult living conditions. Yet, despite these hardships, the spirit of perseverance remains strong.
"I was rated as the 3rd best principal of the year 2024 and 2025. Our school came in 3rd best grade 9 in the region. Even 2025 we came first, and this year's achievement, we came third," stressed the principal.
The teachers continue to deliver quality education, while learners remain disciplined, focused and hopeful, determined to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
The school is now appealing to Good Samaritans, institutions and the nation at large to lend support in a bid to improve living and learning conditions and to ensure that no Namibian child is left behind.