China supports Namibia's youth development, donates 69,000 USD to first lady's foundation

WINDHOEK -- The Chinese embassy in Namibia and Chinese-owned miner Swakop Uranium, donated 1 million Namibia dollars (69,000 U.S. dollars) to the One Economy Foundation founded by the First Lady of Namibia (FLON), Monica Geingos on Thursday.

The donation will be mainly used for #BeFree movement, Geingos said at the handover donation ceremony.

The #BeFree movement was launched by FLON in Nov. 2016 with the assistance of the UNFPA and UNAIDS. #BeFree was inspired by the UNAIDS drive to ensure an AIDS-free generation by 2020 through the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS-Free initiative.

Speaking at the event, Geingos said this donation will go directly to the #BeFree project, and she will make sure it reaches the beneficiaries.

"I am excited to speak about the #BeFree project, that we are going to utilize these funds for and in the next two weeks, we are going to unveil this project. We are looking to raise 30 million Namibia dollars for the initiative and this 1 million is an absolutely fantastic investment into that dream," she said.

Geingos thanked both parties and stated the donation came at an absolute time when their office is embarking on a game-changing project of which the finer details will be unveiled to the media in a fortnight.

The Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming said the donation exhibits their care and highlights their motive of youth empowerment.

"We are glad to give support to the #BeFree project," he said, adding that the initiative helps to alleviate youth unemployment and extreme poverty.

Meanwhile, both first ladies of China and Namibia are committed to education and empowerment of women and youth, he said, adding that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Namibia in promoting youth development as well as support sustainable economic and social development.