Starting Small, Growing Steady

FOR Jacky Kaputu, joining Gondwana Collection Namibia as an intern was the beginning of something she did not quite expect.

Six months later, she had not only completed her internship – she had become a permanent member of the team.

A tourism innovation and development student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Kaputu already had a strong interest in tourism, heritage and sustainability.

Before Gondwana, she volunteered at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) through the Second International Unesco Model World Heritage programme.

When she came across Gondwana’s internship opportunity while attending French classes at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre, something about the company’s values spoke to her.

“I wanted to be part of a company whose values align with my own sustainability morals and passion for responsible tourism,” she says.

From her very first day in reservations, Kaputu felt she had walked into more than just a workplace.

The team welcomed her, helped her find her feet and made her feel like she was part of something.

She quickly realised that at Gondwana, people really do look out for each other.

When one person needs help, someone is there to lend a hand – and that made all the difference as she found her way.

“One of the biggest things I learned is that Gondwana Collection is not just a place of employment – it is a family.”

Being part of that family also meant being given the space to learn.

Kaputu made mistakes, was corrected, tried again and kept going.

Little by little, she became more confident in herself and learned to speak up, take responsibility and not let a mistake hold her back.

Looking back, those small moments of learning became some of the biggest parts of her growth.

Today, she is proud to begin her tourism career with a company that values its people and believes in giving back to Namibia.

For Kaputa, the journey can be summed up in three words: Respect. Resilience. Family.

And she is only getting started.

Her next goal is to experience Namibia through Gondwana’s eyes – by travelling to every Gondwana property and discovering more of the country she hopes to build her career in.

Sometimes, an internship is simply an opportunity to gain experience.

For Kaputu, it became the place where her career began, her confidence grew, and she found a family along the way.

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