First Annual General Meeting in the old schoolhouse Pfedelbach-Oberhöfen on 18.3.2013
Berichte 2013
Christmas in Okombahe
Christmas markets everywhere, mulled wine, packing parcels, preparations for Christmas, it's cold, dry or wet, .... The Advent and Christmas season is very atmospheric here in Germany.
The children and adults from the student residence in Okombahe were able to receive their Christmas present at the end of October. 76 new mattresses - bought in Windhoek and transported to Okombahe by truck - were enthusiastically received in the student residence. The children now sleep on real, soft foam mattresses. What a great feeling!
You have contributed to this with your donations, membership fees or visits to the beer village in Pfedelbach over the course of the year. The children are happy and we on the Namibia Support Association Committee would like to thank you very much.
Christmas markets everywhere, mulled wine, packing parcels, preparations for Christmas, it's cold, dry or wet, .... The Advent and Christmas season is very atmospheric here in Germany.
And what is it like in Okombahe?
Schools have been closed since the beginning of December for the long “summer holidays.” If people in Namibia are lucky, there will be a short rainy season, but the nights and especially the days will be hot.
Life in Okombahe is getting quieter, the children from the school hostel are going to visit relatives or parents on the remote farm or to the coast, where it is now warm in the summer. Those who have the opportunity use the time to visit - until the beginning of January, when life awakens again in the cities and schools.The children and adults from the student residence in Okombahe were able to receive their Christmas present at the end of October. 76 new mattresses - bought in Windhoek and transported to Okombahe by truck - were enthusiastically received in the student residence. The children now sleep on real, soft foam mattresses. What a great feeling!
You have contributed to this with your donations, membership fees or visits to the beer village in Pfedelbach over the course of the year. The children are happy and we on the Namibia Support Association Committee would like to thank you very much.
Lauwinja teaches street children
On our Namibia trip in August, the tour group also came to Opuwo. The pastor couple of the Black Lutheran Church, Salomon and Emely Tjakuapi, live there. Opuwo is in the northwest of the country and is the largest city in Kaokoland. The people of the Himba tribe still live very traditionally there.
However, many Himbas migrate from their original villages to the "big" city with great hopes and realize that their labor is not needed. Many proud Himbas now live in slum-like suburbs and become even more impoverished.
Tjakuapis are trying to help in this poverty. Kindergartens and small primary schools are to be set up in the original villages so that the population finds a reason to stay in their villages longer.
The Tjakuapis have also set up a small school for street children next to their rectory for several years. Lauwinja, an unemployed high school graduate from Ovamboland, teaches around 15 children the basics of writing and arithmetic. For her work, she receives free food and accommodation in the rectory and a monthly salary of around €40. We have seen with our own eyes that these children are ready to go to a proper school after 2-3 years.
On our Namibia trip in August, the tour group also came to Opuwo. The pastor couple of the Black Lutheran Church, Salomon and Emely Tjakuapi, live there. Opuwo is in the northwest of the country and is the largest city in Kaokoland. The people of the Himba tribe still live very traditionally there.
However, many Himbas migrate from their original villages to the "big" city with great hopes and realize that their labor is not needed. Many proud Himbas now live in slum-like suburbs and become even more impoverished.
Tjakuapis are trying to help in this poverty. Kindergartens and small primary schools are to be set up in the original villages so that the population finds a reason to stay in their villages longer.
The Tjakuapis have also set up a small school for street children next to their rectory for several years. Lauwinja, an unemployed high school graduate from Ovamboland, teaches around 15 children the basics of writing and arithmetic. For her work, she receives free food and accommodation in the rectory and a monthly salary of around €40. We have seen with our own eyes that these children are ready to go to a proper school after 2-3 years.
Unneeded trombone choir instruments?
This August, a small group of travelers from our support association spent three weeks in Namibia. We also visited Khorixas, a small town that most tourists only see as a gas station, supermarket or ATM.
We were invited by the local black Lutheran church community. Pastor Hendricks welcomed us with the local trombone choir. This consists of ten "instruments" and many people who can play or are currently learning to play three times a week. The ten players were very enthusiastic about it, and the mayor and district administrator of the Khorixas region also played along. I was particularly impressed by the 15 or so young people who also like to play, but were still beginners and sat in the background, allowing the better ones to go first. Some of the instruments are from 1960 and are therefore used a lot, but they still sound!
This August, a small group of travelers from our support association spent three weeks in Namibia. We also visited Khorixas, a small town that most tourists only see as a gas station, supermarket or ATM.
We were invited by the local black Lutheran church community. Pastor Hendricks welcomed us with the local trombone choir. This consists of ten "instruments" and many people who can play or are currently learning to play three times a week. The ten players were very enthusiastic about it, and the mayor and district administrator of the Khorixas region also played along. I was particularly impressed by the 15 or so young people who also like to play, but were still beginners and sat in the background, allowing the better ones to go first. Some of the instruments are from 1960 and are therefore used a lot, but they still sound!
Eine Tuba, das wäre ihr großer Wunsch, aber die ist etwas Besonderes. Den Instrumenten sieht man ihre häufige Benutzung an. In den Gottesdiensten, bei offiziellen Feiern und besonders bei Beerdigungen kommt der Posaunenchor zusammen.
In Khorixas ist der Posaunenchor aktive Jugendarbeit. Wenn die Jugendlichen dreimal die Woche gemeinsam üben sind sie weniger den Gefahren des Alkohols, der Langeweile und der Kriminalität ausgesetzt.
Da ich während der Reise erfuhr, dass wir eine großzügige Spende über 750€ eines Pfedelbacher Betriebes bekommen hatten, konnten wir die Posaunenarbeit mit zwei neuen Instrumenten, Notenständern, Lampen, Instrumentenöl und Choralbüchern spontan unterstützen.
In Khorixas ist der Posaunenchor aktive Jugendarbeit. Wenn die Jugendlichen dreimal die Woche gemeinsam üben sind sie weniger den Gefahren des Alkohols, der Langeweile und der Kriminalität ausgesetzt.
Da ich während der Reise erfuhr, dass wir eine großzügige Spende über 750€ eines Pfedelbacher Betriebes bekommen hatten, konnten wir die Posaunenarbeit mit zwei neuen Instrumenten, Notenständern, Lampen, Instrumentenöl und Choralbüchern spontan unterstützen.
Wir werden nächstes Jahr über Ostern die Gemeinde in Khorixas wieder besuchen. Dabei werden wir sehen, wie sich der Posaunenchor weiterentwickelt hat.Falls jemand von Ihnen nicht mehr benötigte Instrumente für die Jugendarbeit in Khorixas übrig hat können Sie sich gerne beim Verein.
Wir werden diese Instrumente dann im kommenden Frühjahr direkt mit nach Khorixas nehmen.
THANKS
They were with us at the Beer Village at the Namibia Support Association!
Have you drunk Windhoek Lager or Dju-Dju Beer or a Rock Shandy? Have you tried the delicious Namibian sausage “Boerewors” with homemade bread or the maize porridge “Miliepap” with spicy sauce?
If YES, you have supported the needy black population in Namibia. Thanks to you, we made a profit of around 700 euros. All of this profit, along with a few other donations, goes directly to Okombahe. There, 76 children in the school hostel are happy to have new mattresses, as most of them only sleep on the floor or on the iron grate.
Thank you for your food and drink!
They were with us at the Beer Village at the Namibia Support Association!
Have you drunk Windhoek Lager or Dju-Dju Beer or a Rock Shandy? Have you tried the delicious Namibian sausage “Boerewors” with homemade bread or the maize porridge “Miliepap” with spicy sauce?
If YES, you have supported the needy black population in Namibia. Thanks to you, we made a profit of around 700 euros. All of this profit, along with a few other donations, goes directly to Okombahe. There, 76 children in the school hostel are happy to have new mattresses, as most of them only sleep on the floor or on the iron grate.
Thank you for your food and drink!
Info afternoon in Untersteinbach, 14 April 2013
After the newly founded association had already introduced itself in Pfedelbach in January, it now also appeared before the public in Untersteinbach. The Untersteinbach brass band invited people to the Protestant community center and provided musical accompaniment for the event. The country of Namibia was first presented with a slide show. This allowed interested listeners to form their own opinion about this distant country in southwest Africa. The chairman of the association, Joachim Knoche, and his wife Margret, then reported on their experiences during their 8-year stay in Namibia and on numerous trips there.
By supporting the black population, especially sick, parentless children and young people with no job prospects, the association wants to alleviate the suffering of these people a little. To this end, very specific projects are planned, which will be examined in more detail during a three-week trip in August (participants can still register for this).
First information afternoon of the Namibia Association
from 27.1.2013
Around 50 interested people came to an information afternoon of the newly founded Namibia Support Association in the Protestant community center in Pfedelbach. A slide show first presented the country with its impressive landscapes, diverse animal life, individual tribes and, for us Germans, not always glorious history (Herero uprising). Stefan Jakob then sang three sensitive songs whose lyrics spoke of the hope for justice and gratitude. Interesting conversations took place over coffee and cake in a cozy atmosphere. Joachim Knoche (the chairman of the association) and his wife Margret then reported on their own experiences during their stay in Namibia from 1988 to 1996. Support is necessary because there is a lack of almost everything: food, clothing, childcare, school and medical equipment.
In the near future, the Namibia Support Association will be focusing more on helping the people in the town of Okombahe. This town is about a three-hour drive north-west of the capital Windhoek. There, a soup kitchen for small children, the student dormitory of the Black Lutheran Church, the health center, especially with the purchase of milk powder for HIV-infected nursing mothers and needy students at the Martin Luther High School are supported.
In addition, a Namibian aid organization for disadvantaged children, orphans and a private school in Windhoek for school dropouts are supported.
A 3-week trip to Namibia is planned for August to get to know the country and some of its sights, but also to take a look at the problems of the black and white population.
from 27.1.2013
Around 50 interested people came to an information afternoon of the newly founded Namibia Support Association in the Protestant community center in Pfedelbach. A slide show first presented the country with its impressive landscapes, diverse animal life, individual tribes and, for us Germans, not always glorious history (Herero uprising). Stefan Jakob then sang three sensitive songs whose lyrics spoke of the hope for justice and gratitude. Interesting conversations took place over coffee and cake in a cozy atmosphere. Joachim Knoche (the chairman of the association) and his wife Margret then reported on their own experiences during their stay in Namibia from 1988 to 1996. Support is necessary because there is a lack of almost everything: food, clothing, childcare, school and medical equipment.
In the near future, the Namibia Support Association will be focusing more on helping the people in the town of Okombahe. This town is about a three-hour drive north-west of the capital Windhoek. There, a soup kitchen for small children, the student dormitory of the Black Lutheran Church, the health center, especially with the purchase of milk powder for HIV-infected nursing mothers and needy students at the Martin Luther High School are supported.
In addition, a Namibian aid organization for disadvantaged children, orphans and a private school in Windhoek for school dropouts are supported.
A 3-week trip to Namibia is planned for August to get to know the country and some of its sights, but also to take a look at the problems of the black and white population.
