Penduka celebrates three decades
Hip hip hooray!
The Penduka Centre in the capital last week celebrated its 30th anniversary.Birthed and raised by visionary female warriors, Penduka was founded in 1992 by Dutch occupational therapist Christien Roos and her first board member Martha Muulyau.
And now it’s been three decades since the two women had a shared vision to help break the cycle of unemployment and poverty in Namibian communities. Both understood the power of empowering people, especially women, through skills training and artisan entrepreneurship.
Even though they faced many challenges throughout the years, their close friendship, faith and positive spirits contributed to Penduka as a social enterprise becoming one of Namibia’s greatest success stories.
Speaking at the celebrations, the deputy minister for Industrialisation and Trade Verna Sinimbo said that sustainable economies are developed from businesses that operate fairly and ethically, and strive to maximize social impact alongside economic returns for beneficiaries.
“As a result, women who have accrued the necessary entrepreneurial skills are encouraged and continuously supported to start up their own enterprise,” she said.
Sinimbo added that her ministry foresees a great relationship with Penduka through the ministry’s Entrepreneurship and Technology (Empretec) programme and encouraged the women and youth of Penduka to apply for this training.
Empretec was launched in 2019, to bring about a transformational change in unleashing the growth potential of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Namibia through an entrepreneurial mind-set change and skills training, as well as the provision of a comprehensive range of business advisory services.