Reed puts people first

Elizabeth JosephFor Lithon Foundation CEO Marsia Reed, the purpose is people.Reed has always believed in living an impactful life. Reed is a Jill of all trades and holds a B.Com degree which she obtained from the University of Stellenbosch. She was a stay at home mother for 13 years, while running her own wellness business. She then moved on and was employed as the purchasing officer for Rössing and Group 5.Reed has not only made waves in the corporate world, but also in the sport industry. She was the sport organiser at Pionierspark Primary School for a few years and also the development manager at Cricket Namibia. Reed is now the CEO of the Lithon Foundation for the Lithon Project Consultants. “My purpose in life is to make a lasting impact on the lives of people by motivating, listening, mentoring, connecting and guiding. Being involved in the Lithon Foundation opened a huge platform for me to do exactly that, but on a much larger scale. “Through networking, significant impact is also made possible with welfare organisations; we believe by adding value, increasing their influence in communities and impacting through excellence and integrity, but remaining focused on people,” Reed said. Triumphs and trialsThe ‘Sharing the Dream’ breakfast, which the foundation hosted every second week this year, has provided an incredible platform for organisations and individuals to share their stories, passion, activities and dreams with other organisations and businesspeople, according to Reed. “The sessions are extremely successful because we are all desperate to hear good stories that uplift us and revive the hope that people are inherently good and want to help those who are less fortunate. The foundation’s executing arm, Impact for Life, was launched in October. The purpose is to provide a platform for interaction and collaboration between like-minded people and organisations to impact and improve people’s lives,” Reed said. Some of the challenges Reed has faced include the country’s dire economic situation, which forced the Lithon Foundation to terminate all financial support to various organisations, with whom the foundation has had relationships for more than 10 years. “The foundation, through the sponsorship of Lithon Project Consultants carrying our administrative costs, and by the grace of God alone, has been able to continue the passion of the foundation, to bring God’s love and hope to communities, despite having no funds available,” she added.Reed says they have been able to remain focused on bringing God’s love and hope to communities, by steering Impact for Life to execute dreams and address problems and partnering with organisations like Loving Thy Neighbour.A day in the office“A great deal of the day goes into administration, planning and networking. I also value talking to individuals and organisations, sharing information and learning from each other. Meetings are important to align ideas and plan ahead and sometimes I get the time to visit an organisation to see the successes and challenges they are facing daily,” she says.The next step“In 2019, Impact for Life will be activated with various identified projects for purpose and think tanks, which have already been establish to address national problems in Namibia. Our focus will be to ensure the network of leaders are aligned and focused in addressing problems productively, and executing to success.With the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Lithon Foundation would like to present the first-ever Namibia Welfare Organisations Day, to promote cooperation and celebrate their achievements. “Following this event the foundation will assist the ministry to register all welfare organisations on the Loving Thy Neighbour platform, which will enable the ministry to have a clear understanding and insight of all activities and actions in the country.“Our focus will also be on creating a substantial fund to support national projects,” Reed added.Marsia Reed fact box:She has been married for 28 years.She has read the 66 books of the Bible this year. She loves rock music She loves camping with family and friends in nature.She has been to Sossusvlei 10 times.She enjoys CrossFit.

Reed puts people first

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Reed puts people first

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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