Bertha Fuentes’ mission of care at GIPF
After more than two decades of devoted service, Bertha Fuentes, a social services consultant at the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), has established a career characterised by honesty, empathy and a steadfast dedication to social justice.
Through research-based social work methods, she plays a crucial part in safeguarding the rights, dignity and well-being of members and their beneficiaries in her capacity as a social services consultant.
Equipped with credentials from the University of Namibia and a master's degree from the University of Pretoria, Fuentes has contributed to improving the provision of social services across the country.
Her research emphasises the importance of protecting members' financial stability through fair decisions that consider complex social realities.
Fuentes joined the fund in April 2003.
"There were particular difficulties when transitioning from statutory social work practice to a corporate setting," she says. "It necessitated coordinating social work principles and professional ethics with the fund's regulations and governance structure."
She explains that this transition improved her flexibility and broadened her understanding of the pension industry's policy-driven decision-making process.
Supporting members
Fuentes strikes a mix between advising engagement, cross-institutional collaboration and analytical studies in her day-to-day work.
She frequently handles delicate cases where widowed and orphaned beneficiaries face disadvantages due to cultural beliefs, misinformation or family dynamics, guided by frameworks such as the Child Care and Protection Act 3 of 2015.
"These realities consistently reinforce my determination to safeguard and enable dependents who are at risk," she says.
As a fervent supporter of cooperation in her capacity as a social services consultant, Fuentes collaborates extensively with key government ministries and traditional authorities to ensure that beneficiary investigations, benefit allocations and social support interventions are properly validated and ethically administered.
Holistic approach
Her work within the fund requires the careful integration of legislative compliance, governance frameworks and social work principles to safeguard vulnerable dependents.
She also helped launch the fund's psychosocial pre-retirement programme in Oshakati in 2004, an initiative designed to prepare members for retirement not only financially but also emotionally and socially, reinforcing the fund's holistic approach to member wellbeing.
Fairness and values-based leadership are the cornerstones of her ideology. "Aim to become a person of value instead of chasing success," she counsels. "When your journey is guided by integrity, purpose and ongoing self-improvement, success comes easily."
