Jahresrückblick 2023

Geld - woher und wohin?  

Nun ist es Dezember und Zeit, Sie zu informieren, was wir mit dem von Ihnen anvertrauten Geld in Namibia bewirken konnten. Von Ihren Spenden und Hilfen konnten wir dieses Jahr wieder mit ca. 71 150 € unsere Projekte unterstützen. Für dieses Geld und das damit verbundene Vertrauen in unseren Verein bin ich Ihnen und euch sehr dankbar.

Meine Frau und ich als Vereinsvorsitzender waren dieses Jahr von August bis November für drei Monate in Namibia. Dabei konnten wir die Projekte mit den Personen vor Ort evaluieren, begleiten und weiterentwickeln. Einige Projekte konnten wir auch neu initiieren.

Für was haben wir dieses Geld verwendet? 

Nähere Ausführungen zu allen Punkten finden Sie auf unserer Homepage 

·   Die beiden Suppenküchen in Okombahe (ca. 12 100 €)

·   80 Schüler in den Schülerheimen (ca. 10 600 €)

·   Das Waisenhaus Hada-Huigo in Okombahe (ca. 19 100 €)

·    Unsere Ausbildunginitiative (ca. 11 600 €)

·    Start-Up Bäckerei in Okombahe (ca. 1 350 €)

·     Die zwei Kindergärten und die Toy-Library (ca. 3 850 €)

·    Unterstützung der Grundschule in Okombahe (ca. 2 900 €)

·    Weitere Projekte (ca. 9 000 €)

Ø der junge Freiwillige, der für 2 ½ Monate im Schülerheim in Okombahe Kinder in Mathematik und Englisch gefördert hat,

Ø die regelmäßige Unterstützung der Martin-Luther-High-School

Ø die unbürokratische Hilfe von bedürftigen Menschen und pädagogischen Instituten aus unserem Notfond und

Ø die Arbeit unserer Administratorin vor Ort

Und in Deutschland haben wir auch Gelder eingenommen

·        Im Sommer nahm das „Team Namibia“ beim STADTRADELN der Gemeinde Pfedelbach teil. 14 Sponsoren            finanzierten einen geradelten Kilometer m  it 1ct.

Ergebnis 3218€                                                                                                                                                                                                   weiterlesen

·       

€2,618.30 - Result of the Advent bazaar

The "Getting in the mood for Advent" on the first Sunday of Advent in Evangelical community center in Untersteinbach It was well attended. Under the direction of Elke Herterich, Renate Lösch, Dorothea Frank and Margret and Joachim Knoche More than 25 dedicated craftspeople, bakers, carvers, cooks, and helpers volunteered to make the day a great success for visitors. The doors were open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After the service, the priest blew his horn first.Osaunenchor performing Advent carols in the market square, Throughout the entire time, Namibian, locally produced sausages were grilled, along with mulled wine, punch, coffee and delicious cakes, and three times... "Stories told freely" for adults and children by Dorothea Frank A wide range of items were offered. Many things were sold, but many visitors also used the time to enjoy a leisurely coffee with friends.

Thanks to everyone who helped and donated most of the items. The proceeds were overwhelming. After deducting all expenses, €2,618.30 remained. This was then used to... Evangelical Church Parish of Untersteinbach and the Namibia Association for his projects €1,309.15 each transferred to her account. The purchase of the planned Soundproof ceiling in the community center and the Children, young people and adults in the projects in Namibia This will provide support.

Thanks again to all visitors and helpers who made this day a great success.

Our three-month time in Namibia (Part 3)

During those three months, we also got to know completely new sides of Okombahe.

A)Our projects in Okombahe

For a year, the Bakery start-up project Partially supported by your donations. Over the past year, it seems to have worked out sometimes, and sometimes it didn't.

In a conversation with the county administrator who initiated the youth bakery project, I asked him about his impressions of the past year: “It has two sides: It was good that it started and that fresh bread was baked more often in Okombahe, but the bakers lacked reliability and business acumen.” Many sacks of flour probably disappeared from the county office, there was no profit, and the expensive electricity kept running even when no baking was taking place. Now Yvonne, the pastor's very energetic wife, is ready to restart the project with two new people.

Over the past few days, I received more pictures from Yvonne, who proudly showed me the first homemade rolls and loaves of bread she had baked in Okombahe. Unfortunately, it's been a rollercoaster ride. As a result, I won't be involved in any further business projects in Okombahe unless there's a solid business plan and truly responsible individuals in place.

However, it is positive that the Infrastructure in Okombahe slowly expanding. Read more

Our three-month time in Namibia (Part 2)

Apart from the 12 people I wrote about in the first part, we have also continued to develop our other projects.

A) Our 80 supported students in the student dormitories

We visited them all again and tried to make some contact with them. Each of them received a small gift, they were able to talk about their daily lives, and I prayed for them. Unfortunately, the secondary school students, in particular, are doing very poorly academically. I suspect this is due to the work ethic of both students and teachers, as well as the two lost years due to the pandemic. But nobody talks about that. There's only complaining. We met with all our student representatives. Since we don't want to hire social workers, we can no longer focus on the very weak and unwilling students. Instead, we have to select the slightly better-performing students from the group of those in need, as well as those who want to be supported. The even weaker and unwilling students are a lost generation (with alcohol, drugs, and petty crime).

However, some of the reasons for this also lie within the current Namibian school system: The numerous lengthy exams at the end of each semester and the many mock exams beforehand drastically reduce teaching time. Students often have to study alone because the teachers are busy marking papers and, "of course," cannot teach. These long periods without teachers in the classroom benefit a few highly motivated students, but most become lazy and stop doing anything at all. Overall, teachers in state schools need to be more present in their classrooms and prepare students for the demanding external exams in grades 9 and 11. Parents are also increasingly complaining about the many holidays and free weekends when the student dormitories are closed, forcing them to often travel long distances to pick up their children.

B) Our eight trainees

Read more

Our three-month time in Namibia (Part 1)

For my wife and me (Joachim Knoche), this time was very much characterized by the 12 people shaped by those who spent time with us in Namibia, one after the other.

With seven people We spent two to three weeks together at the beginning, getting to know the country and its people very well. We spent four days directly in Okombahe, learning about the projects and contributing to them. Many good conversations took place. Afterwards, we spent another week traveling around the country as tourists.

Shortly after came JanneA twenty-year-old volunteer, he spent two and a half months at the Okombahe student residence, where he helped approximately 60 primary school children with math daily and played with them a lot. He did his work very conscientiously, and many children made progress in arithmetic, logical thinking, and indoor and outdoor games.

At the end of September our sons Christoph and Sebastian She spent two weeks in her birth country. The experience of not having running water for three days was quite something. But the beautiful wildlife and other experiences in the country more than made up for it.

Then came Ruth and Jonathan, a young married couple from Hohenlohe who were on their honeymoon for three months and wanted to do something meaningful for four weeks at our school (MLH) and in Okombahe.

Read more



Post from Namibia (September 18, 2023)



In Swakopmund, my wife and I (Joachim Knoche) met all the trainees and learned how they were doing in their training and how they were managing in their daily lives. Most of them are studying at COSDEC, an accredited training institute offering one- to three-year apprenticeships.

I would like to introduce you to some of our trainees:

On the first afternoon we already met with Emil, who is now in his third and final year of training as an office administrator. We met him in a German café, and he was delighted to receive a proper slice of cake. He passed his first two years of training with flying colors, and his six-month internship at the city administration went so well that he could have continued directly into the program. However, he still has another six months of training ahead of him and must first pass his final exams. After that, he hopes to find a good job. If he finds a good position, he told me, he would also like to sponsor one or two people at the vocational school. That sounds promising, even if it will be several years before that happens.

The same training now Darleen She started this year. The couple who are sponsoring her training through the association gave us a used laptop, which they had the association set up with the necessary software for the equivalent of 17 euros. She was delighted: "Now I can finally practice touch typing on my own." She also comes from Okombahe, was supported by our association at the secondary school in Omaruru for the past few years, had never used a computer before, and now wants to do well in her training. Her slight speech impediment won't be a major obstacle for her in her future work. The teachers speak very highly of her, and she passed her first tests with flying colors. She immediately demonstrated her organizational skills: she notified all the other trainees to be there at the designated time.

Aluceus and Titus They are completing their two-year bricklaying apprenticeship this year and have received good grades so far, except for the math exam. (read more)

On Saturday, July 29th, from 10am to 5pm, The club presents itself again

on the Fair Mile in Schwäbisch Hall.

A warm invitation!

Come by and talk to us!

Please note the following dates:

African Vocals will give two concerts

African Vocals are a male a cappella group from the townships of Swakopmund in Namibia. In 2023, they will be touring Germany for the fourth time.

On Wednesday, July 5th, 7 pm

the group performs in Neuenstein Town Hall up and

at Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m. in the Catholic Lord's Prayer Church in Obersulm-Willsbach.

For the second time since 2019, the Namibia Support Association eV, Pfedelbach, will host the African Vocals and organize the concerts.

On July 5 invites Neuenstein Community School

and at July 6 the Paul-Distelbarth-Gymnasium with one.

Dienstag, 04. April 2023
  Haus der Katholischen Kirche
Wie wächst ein Kind im „neuen“ Staat Namibia
Joachim Knoche, Realschulkonrektor a. D. 10,00€

In Namibia, das auf Grund seiner Kolonialgeschichte eine besondere Beziehung zu Deutschland hat, sind trotz einer guten Infrastruktur und mittlerweile über 30 Jahren Unabhängigkeit Arbeitslosigkeit und Armut noch ein großes Thema; vor allem im ländlichen Bereich.

Joachim Knoche, Initiator des Vereins „Namibia Unterstützung e.V.“ hat in den 90iger Jahren 7 Jahre lang mit seiner Familie dort gelebt und als Lehrkraft in einem kirchlichen Internat auf dem Lande gearbeitet.

Am Beispiel von Okombahe, das ungefähr vier Autostunden nordwestlich von Windhoek im früheren südafrikanischen Damara-Homeland liegt und wohin sich Touristen nur selten verirren, zeigt er uns, wie die dort lebenden Kinder aufwachsen, welche Lebenschancen sie haben und wie der Verein versucht, diese Kinder heute und auch in Zukunft zu fördern.

Anmeldung unter K-23-1-1326, www.kbw-stuttgart.de

Katholisches Bildungswerk Stuttgart

Königstraße 7, 70173 Stuttgart

Tel. 0711 / 70 50 600

info@kbw-stuttgart.de