RFS has the philosophy to encourage the involvement of staff in the wider community at ‘grass-roots level’ through personal engagement. It is much easier to spend money on community projects than it is to apply one’s own time, dedication and commitment to such projects.

No community project can be successful without individuals that are prepared to apply their own time and to get their ‘hands dirty’.

The personal engagement by staff, together with the financial support of the company, should yield superior results for the wider community.

Günter Pfeifer, director of the company, has identified the Okanti Foundation as the project that he supports through personal involvement. Günter has acted as voluntary co-signatory since the first account for the Daniela Medical Trust was opened in 2005. He has quietly contributed to the foundation by offering advice, mainly of a financial nature, to the trustees and applying his critical mind to the issues at hand.

The Okanti Foundation offers marginalised patients and their families a support network and financial assistance, which they would not otherwise have in Namibia. Due to the rare nature of the diseases, families feel very isolated and medical aid benefits are generally not sufficient for the specialised care required. Financial problems, exacerbated by mothers mostly not being able to work, contribute to the families’ dilemma.

The Okanti Foundation is also lobbying for lower chronic medicine prices and for better medical aid benefits for organ transplant patients and other patients with rare diseases – thereby not only benefitting its beneficiaries, but the wider community in Namibia. The foundation promotes organ donation / transplant awareness through radio interviews and other media.

Since 2007, the Okanti Foundation has financially supported 4 Namibian youths before and after organ transplant, and 3 children with rare chronic diseases.

The trustees so far supported 12 other Namibian families with chronically ill children, or adults with terminal disease, or who needed an organ transplant, who did not apply or qualify for financial assistance, with advice, moral support and medical aid queries and negotiations.

Find the Okanti Foundation of Facebook, here...