Lydia turned her unemployment into an opportunity - now she runs two pre-primary schools in Namibia
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The scene at Mighty Star Pre-primary School in Kuisebmund, Walvis Bay, is bustling. Lydia Kamho and her assistant teacher juggle two lively classes, navigating bursts of energy from pre-grade learners who want their attention. Still, she warmly welcomes a visitor into her school and finds a quiet spot outside the classroom. Today, 28-year-old Lydia employs five teachers, all of whom are women, supports her three younger siblings through school, and is studying toward a diploma in Early Childhood Development with the Namibia College of Open Learning. But just a few years ago, she was at home, unemployed, uncertain of her future, and unsure how to turn her dream of becoming a teacher into reality.
In 2021, Lydia took part in the International Labour Organization’s Improve Your Business Training, delivered through the EntreprenHER programme. She describes how she arrived with nothing more than an aspiration and left with something she desperately needed: confidence. “Managing a business is not easy. But the training taught us how to plan, budget, market ourselves, and believe that we can actually start something,” she says. That confidence became the foundation of her business. She opened Mighty Star Pre-primary School in December 2021, immediately after completing the Improve Your Business training. With only 20 children enrolled, she started small, but her commitment to quality and her love for children quickly transformed the school into a trusted space for families across the area.
By the end of 2025 Mighty Star Pre-primary School hosts 59 children, nearly triple the number Lydia started with. The demand is so high that she often turns parents away due to a lack of space. “Some children travel long distances from other neighbourhoods just to come here,” she says proudly. “Parents say they love the care and how we prepare children for Grade 1.”The EntreprenHER programme is an initiative of UN Women and De Beers Group in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. In Namibia it is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare.
The success of the first school inspired a second school. In 2023, Lydia opened another branch in Swakopmund, where she now runs both a kindergarten and a daycare. The expansion was funded through careful budgeting and disciplined monthly savings, skills she attributes to her time attending EntreprenHER trainings. In 2024, she joined the Digital Literacy training, a component of the EntreprenHER programme aimed at equipping women microentrepreneurs with the skills to use technology confidently, expand their businesses, and access new markets and opportunities. The training has opened new doors for her business. She created Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mightystarpreprimaryschool) and TikTok pages to showcase her work, promote enrolments, and document the day-to-day activities at the school.
“When you take pictures for social media, you start seeing where you need to improve,” she explains. “It pushed me to upgrade the environment and keep our classrooms looking professional.” The training also taught her the importance of record-keeping, from attendance to finances, helping her strengthen the administrative side of the school.
As the firstborn, Lydia uses her income to support her parents and three younger siblings, two of whom are studying at university. She also employs five staff members across both school branches, creating opportunities for other young women in her community. Running the school has transformed her leadership: she now leads her kindergarten graduations and gives public speeches. “I used to be very shy,” she says. “But the training helped me trust myself. Now I can stand in front of people and lead.” Despite her achievements, Lydia sees this as only the beginning. Space limitations at her current location are her biggest challenge, but she is determined to grow. She dreams of owning a larger property where children can learn through play, with enough outdoor space and colourful learning materials.
Her long-term vision is even bigger: once she completes her diploma, she plans to buy land in northern Namibia and build a primary school with a boarding facility, an investment she hopes will support children from rural communities.
The EntreprenHER programme is an initiative of UN Women and De Beers Group in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. In Namibia, it is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare.