Read more

Summer vacation in Namibia?!

Current notes from August 2nd


The hoped-for boost and easing of restrictions for tourism, on which one in three people directly depend, unfortunately only materialized to a limited extent: While all new arrivals to Namibia no longer need to quarantine, they must present a negative test result no more than 72 hours old upon entry. They are expected to stay at their first accommodation for seven days to be tested again. The repercussions of the formerly strict lockdown are now taking their toll. Hunger and high unemployment are alarming. The unemployed will likely require further food packages in the coming weeks, as well as support with hygiene measures. Thank you so much for your generous donations, which have enabled us to provide substantial assistance over the past few months.

(see notes from July 13) back


Read more
Notes from Namibia - 13-7-2020
Therefore, Namibian society must focus on itself for the time being. And perhaps that's a good thing!
In the meantime, the Namibia Support Association eV is trying to alleviate the greatest hardship among the local people with your extra donations and its own funds.
Over the weekend, we again arranged for the Evangelical Lutheran Church, through Pastor Andreas, Yvonne, and Augustinus, to distribute 60 large food packages to a large family in Okombahe and on the surrounding farms. These food packages will provide significant support for at least two weeks.
In addition, several women are making washable and reusable mouth and nose masks for €1 and thus have a small income.
Over the past three months, we were able to finance and distribute approximately €8,000 for 1,500 masks and about 200 large food packages in Omaruru, Okombahe, and the surrounding area. In addition, the three soup kitchens in Okombahe and Omaruru are also fully funded. We were also able to provide some financial support to pastors in need.
These food parcels are not sustainable, but hopefully they will make people realize they are not forgotten and give them the courage to take control of their own lives. After the pandemic, we will work with our contacts in Okombahe to consider which additional, sustainable food projects we can tackle together, such as community vegetable gardens, independent water projects, and vocational training initiatives. But this path will not be easy! back
Read more
Greetings from Okombahe to the kindergarten in Pfedelbach-Heuberg
Since the kindergartens in Namibia were still open in the period before the COVID-19-related closures, Margret and Joachim Knoche were able to deliver extra vitamins for each child and some new toys to the kindergarten directors. During a second visit during the COVID-19 closures, Joachim and Margret Knoche were able to give the teachers some newly purchased toys, puzzles, and educational posters. Everyone expressed their sincere gratitude and, along with many warm greetings, presented some handmade dolls for the Heuberg Kindergarten. The chairman will officially present these dolls during a visit to the kindergarten in the fall and will also show some new artwork.
The hope is that both kindergarten groups, the one in Pfedelbach and the one in Okombahe, will develop a mutual understanding through their contact. back

Read more from June 20, 2020 Hunger, hunger, hunger...

As everywhere in the world, the government faces a choice between two evils: unilaterally combating the spread of the virus with the threat of economic collapse, or restarting the economy by opening borders and accepting the spread of the virus. So far, the Namibian government has opted for the first alternative, but without a social safety net and without providing billions in aid to those in need.

Many of you supported our efforts with additional donations last month. Thanks to your €3500 in June, we were able to implement the following additional aid measures:
1) Since this month, Albertina and Yvonne have been able to spend more money shopping for their two soup kitchens in Okombahe.
2) In recent days, 60 large food packages (basic foodstuffs with additional fruit and vegetables) were distributed to needy households in Okombahe. Following an official ceremony, the local mayor, the district administrator, and the church community distributed the food packages. (approx. €1600)
3) In addition, four women were employed in Okombahe to produce 900 washable face masks themselves: 300 for the church community and 600 for the two schools in Okombahe. (€1000)
4) The approximately €500 you donated for the needy pastors in Namibia were transferred to an account of the regional church office for needy pastors of the ELCRN. Some pastors who work with us were given priority, but the church leadership also had the option of providing some support to other pastors who do not have contact with "wealthy" friends.

I am aware that all of this is just a drop in the ocean, and yet, those who received something may have the courage to look ahead and the strength to take care of themselves again when the opportunity arises. back

Continuation of Notes from Namibia, June 6, 2020
Walvis Bay back in Phase 1
Now that Namibians are free to move around the country again, the collapse of tourism is causing the greatest hardship. Only now is it becoming clear how many jobs depend on it and how much money it brought into the country and to the people. Yesterday, a friend from the popular resort town of Swakopmund described the situation to me in stark terms: "The town is dead! Large hotels are now laying off 75% of their staff after just three months and fear that things won't change much this year." Smaller guest farms and lodges in the countryside have closed for the coming months, as it's no longer worth employing staff for the few remaining domestic guests. In Phase 4 of the easing of restrictions – starting in early July – the external borders are also supposed to reopen for some (?) countries. We'll see what conditions this will be subject to. Whether foreign tourists will be allowed back into the country will depend on the bilateral talks and outcomes between the affected countries and Namibia.
The Namibia Support Association thanks everyone who donated, especially for those who have been plunged into extreme poverty and hunger by the strict lockdown. We are using these funds to try to alleviate the consequences of the coronavirus in Okombahe and Omaruru. This is not easy from a distance. Because the need is so great and we want to avoid another police intervention, we are currently working with many different groups in these communities, who together can determine who is most in need. By sharing the responsibility for distributing food, we hope to ensure that the poorest people truly receive the help they need. However, coordinating these efforts also requires more time and careful consideration. back

Continued Notes from Namibia, May 16, 2020
The pastor and his wife distributed these packages to the 35 needy households. What he hadn't anticipated, however, was the plight of the many other households that had been overlooked. When they heard about the relief effort, they came to the parish office hoping to receive something as well. The turnout was apparently so great that by evening they didn't know what else to do and could only send these hungry people home with the help of the police.
When I hear this and know how well many of us are doing, it deeply affects me.
Similar situations undoubtedly exist in aid efforts in many countries of the Global South. Numerous small aid organizations are trying to alleviate the greatest suffering in the affected countries. However, employment and income structures disrupted by the pandemic must be rebuilt by the individual states themselves. I only hope that wealthy nations will support these efforts with their laws and measures. Concepts such as Fairtrade products or the easing of trade barriers exist. We simply need to implement them! back
Continuation of Current notes, April 26, 2020
In the meantime, I contacted Simson Ochumub, the acting mayor of Okombahe, whom we met during our trip in March. He was to identify another 30 households particularly affected by the current situation and in need of food assistance for the next two weeks. The committee of the Namibia Support Association approved additional funds (approximately €700) for a small emergency aid program. With this money and my good connections with the grocery stores in Omaruru, I was able to arrange with the owner, Kai Griebel, to pack another 30 parcels of non-perishable and fresh food (approximately €23 per food parcel) by Friday morning. These were then picked up on Friday by the mayor's office, along with Albertina, Desiree, and Augustinus. Throughout Saturday, these 30 large parcels were carefully distributed to the selected households, with the help of Mona-Lisa, the secretary from the Okombahe district office. Families with children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and pregnant women were given special consideration.
Helping is good and worthwhile, but not always easy. Who should be helped? How can we minimize envy and resentment if not everyone receives something? Who selects the households that need it? These are difficult questions, and so it's good that Albertina received support from the mayor's office, the district office, and the elementary school. How often have I seen well-intentioned offers of help withheld because not everyone receives something and no one wants to take responsibility? From the photos sent, I can see how seriously the committee considered who needed something and how conscientiously the distribution was carried out. I received confirmation that all the food packages had been distributed by evening.
If it turns out that the need is greater than we currently understand, then we will have to act again. I am certain, that there are peoplethere will be people in Germany who will financially support us in this. back
Continuation of Current notes from Namibia, April 18, 2020
This week, the Namibian government distributed approximately €37 (N$750) in a €5.5 million aid package to nearly 150,000 people (roughly one in 20 inhabitants). The grants were intended primarily for small-scale street vendors who have lost all income since the lockdown. The money will allow them to purchase at least some maize flour, oil, sugar, and tea; perhaps even some soap and detergent. While it's only a drop in the ocean, the fact that the government is distributing funds to those in need across the board is remarkable and likely not a common occurrence in Africa.
And yet there are many groups of people whose salaries have completely collapsed and who now have nothing at all and must hope that their extended family will provide for them.
A particularly urgent plea for help reached us this week. In Namibia, the salaries of pastors in the various churches are not paid through taxes, but directly by the congregation, and church leadership receives funding through a percentage-based contribution from the congregations. Pastors earn their living through Sunday collections, baptisms, funerals, weddings, and confirmations. Now, in these times, church services and other religious rites are no longer taking place in Namibia, and therefore all church representatives have lost their income. I hope and pray that individual church members will recognize their personal responsibility towards their pastors and not abandon them. But even there, the concern for one's own well-being is no different than it is here.
If you feel moved to provide financial support to pastors in Namibia, please mark your next donation with "Grant for Pastors in Namibia". We will endeavor to distribute these funds to church leaders in need. back
Continuation of Current notes from Namibia, April 4, 2020
During the first two weeks of our stay, we had the opportunity to visit our various projects and discuss them with the local managers. In Namibia, schools were also closed in mid-March, and students were sent on an early holiday. The holidays, originally planned for late April/early May, were brought forward, and as of today, April 6th, 2020, regular classes are scheduled to resume on April 20th – even during the original holiday period. Yes, fear of the coronavirus has now firmly gripped Namibia as well. Extensive, warm greetings and hugs are no longer the norm; friends greet each other briefly with a bent elbow bump and smile at one another: "That's how we do it in times of Corona!"
Until the week after Easter, Namibia remained in lockdown, with serious consequences, especially for the poorer population: all soup kitchens for children and the elderly, as well as school meals for primary school children up to grade 7, were suspended. Tourism, a crucial pillar of the Namibian economy, came to a complete standstill, and all plans for the coming months were canceled or scrapped. Many low-skilled workers in the service sector lost their jobs and were sent home.
What I am particularly pleased about at the moment are two recent inquiries from donors who, especially in times of Corona, are concerned about the situation of the people in Namibia and would like to help in our projects.
Please, please, don't forget the people in poorer countries amidst your understandable concerns in Germany! There won't be any large government aid packages here to alleviate the worst hardship! In conversations, employers have repeatedly emphasized to me that they are continuing to pay their employees during these times and are not laying them off. That's good and gives hope! But there will also be many other hardships, where people are now increasingly dependent on soup kitchens and private initiatives. back