Fredericks Foundation gives back

THE Frank Fredericks Foundation (FFF) once again announced several scholarships worth thousands of dollars and brand-new sports equipment to athletes and schools in Namibia.

This month, the foundation announced a sponsorship of N$30 000 to six athletes, while it also announced sports equipment worth N$19 575 to four rural schools.The athletes who received the scholarships as part of the foundation’s core initiative to help them academically are Hardus Maritz, Merilyn Diamond, Dantago Gurirab, Klaudia Moses, Otllie Shiyakela and Jolene Jacobs.Shiyaleka and Jacobs were assisted with 
N$3 000 each for their coming academic year, while the rest received N$6 000 each to pursue their careers.Maritz competes in the 110-metre hurdles as well as the 100-metre sprints, while Diamond, Gurirab and Jacobs are 200-metre specialists.Shiyakela does the 400m sprint, while Moses is a long distance runner who does both the 1 500m and the 3 000m.The FFF identified five schools in rural Namibia to benefit from sports equipment the foundation acquired from donors and other partners.The Huigub Primary School received equipment worth N$6 600, the Ombombo Primary School in Opuwo received items to the value of 
N$1 735, while another one also from Opuwo, Ondjondeka Primary School got equipment value at N$5 815. The Omuhaturua Primary School in Gobabis benefited from various items valued at N$5 425, bringing the total amount of goods to the five schools to N$ 19 575.At a media briefing recently, Jessica Fredericks, the wife to former sprint ace Frank, announced that Samsung has also announced scholarships for two athletes for 2010.She said the two athletes were Markus Alerilwe and Corlia Kruger, both long jumpers, who will each receive N$3 000. Samsung is now one of the official sponsors of the foundation. The various athletes were selected to receive the funding through a point-scoring system based on their performance in various races during the year.BACKGROUNDNamibia’s star athlete and accomplished ambassador, Frank Fredericks was born in Windhoek on October 2 1967. He grew up in Windhoek with his mother, Mrs Ricky Fredericks.After completing his schooling he joined Rössing Uranium Limited as a business and marketing associate, before heading off to the US, to continue his studies in Computer Science and complete his Master’s in Business Administration with the emphasis on Finance and Marketing.He has given lectures to both youth and adult audiences on motivational themes and is a Patron of Kayec (Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre). His hobbies include music, literature, soccer and relaxing with friends.His foundation was launched in Windhoek in April 1999 by former Prime Minister, Hage Geingob.This was a way of Frank Fredericks saying ‘thank you’ to the people for all the support that he has received from them.It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to young talented athletes of Namibia.Through his career, both on and off the track, Fredericks has received sponsorships which have helped him to reach many of his goals. Through the foundation, he gives scholarships to the promising athletes of Namibia.To date, the foundation has given scholarships and donations worth over N$300 000.Namibia Beverages through their Coca Cola brand are the official sponsors of the foundation since its establishment. Additional information from the FFF website. corry@namibian.com.na