This article describes and evaluates a project that aims to include the indigenous knowledge and skills of the Nama people in rural schools in The Karas Region, Namibia. In the Traditional Life Skills Project (TLSP) parents and grandparents teach children some of the traditional life skills and knowledge of the Nama people in the schools in the afternoons. The paper points out that in successful communities the project makes an important contribution to the conservation of the Nama culture. Furthermore, it has the potential of reducing both drop-out rate and disciplinary problems in the schools. It also contributes economically to the local societies through sales of products which they manufacture. In some of the communities the project has not succeeded. The causes of success or failure are analysed using the concept ‘social capital’, and a central conclusion is that the level of social capital in a community is pivotal for the success of this project. The paper suggests that a closer integration of traditional life skills and entrepreneurial education could be beneficial for the economic sustainability of the project.