Annual Review 2023

Money - where from and where to?

Now it is December and time to inform you what we have been able to achieve in Namibia with the money you have entrusted us with. Thanks to your donations and help, we have been able to approx. 71 150 € our projects I am very grateful to you for this money and the trust you have placed in our association.

My wife and I as club chairman were this year from August to November for three months in Namibia. We were able to evaluate, support and further develop the projects with the people on site. We were also able to initiate some new projects.

What did we use this money for?

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2 618,30 € - Result of the Advent bazaar

The “Getting into the mood for Advent” on the 1st Advent in Evangelical Community Center in Untersteinbach was well attended. Under the direction of Elke Herterich, Renate Lösch, Dorothea Frank and Margret and Joachim Knoche More than 25 hardworking crafters, bakers, carvers, cooks and helpers agreed to make the day a great success for the visitors. The doors were open from 11am to 5pm.

After the service, the priest blew firstosaunenchor Advent songs on the market square, During the entire time, Namibian, regionally produced sausages were fried, mulled wine, punch, coffee and delicious cakes and three times “Stories freely told” for adults and children by Dorothea Frank Many things were sold, but many visitors also used the time to have a leisurely coffee with friends.

Thanks to everyone who helped and donated most of the things. The proceeds were overwhelming. After deducting all expenses, 2,618.30 € remained. Thus, the Evangelical Parish of Untersteinbach and the Namibia Association for his projects each 1 309,15€ transferred to your account. The purchase of the planned Soundproof ceiling in the community center and the Children, young people and adults in the projects in Namibia are supported by this.

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

Unsere dreimonatige Zeit in Namibia (Teil3)

In den drei Monaten haben wir auch ganz neue Seiten von Okombahe kennenlernen.

A)         Unsere Projekte in Okombahe

Ein Jahr lang wurde das Bäckerei-Start-Up-Projekt teilweise mit Ihren Spenden unterstützt. Im Laufe des letzten Jahres hat es wohl immer mal wieder geklappt, und dann auch wieder nicht.

In einem Gespräch mit dem Verwaltungsbeamten des Landratsamtes, der das Projekt der Jugendbäckerei ins Leben gerufen hat, habe ich ihn nach seinem Eindruck des letzten Jahres gefragt: „Es hat zwei Seiten: Es war gut, dass es angefangen wurde und in Okombahe öfter frisches Brot gebacken wurde, aber die Zuverlässigkeit und die wirtschaftliche Kompetenz der Bäcker war nicht gegeben.“ Wahrscheinlich sind viele Säcke Mehl vom Landratsamt verschwunden, ein Profit ist nicht vorhanden, der teure Strom läuft immer weiter, auch wenn nicht gebacken wird. Nun ist Yvonne, die sehr agile Frau des Pastors, bereit, das Projekt mit zwei neuen Leuten noch mal zu starten.

In den letzten Tagen habe ich wieder Bilder von Yvonne bekommen, die mir stolz die ersten selbergebackenen Brötchen und Brote in Okombahe zeigte. Es ist leider ein Auf-und-Ab. Als Resultat daraus werde ich mich auf ein wirtschaftliches Projekt in Okombahe nicht mehr einlassen, wenn es keinen soliden Wirtschaftsplan und keine wirklich verantwortlichen Personen gibt.

Positiv ist jedoch, dass sich die Infrastruktur in Okombahe langsam ausweitet.                weiterlesen

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 little something, they could talk about their everyday lives and I prayed for them. Unfortunately, the secondary school students in particular are doing very poorly at school. I suspect that this is due to the work ethic of both students and teachers and the two lost years of Corona. But nobody talks about it. They just complain. We met with all of those responsible for the students. Since we do not want to employ social workers, we can no longer look after the very weak and unwilling students, but have to select from the group of those in need the better ones and those who want to be supported. The even weaker and unwilling are a lost generation (with alcohol, drugs and petty crime).

But some of the reasons for this can also be found in the current Namibian school system: the many long exams at the end of each semester and the many mock exams before them reduce the teaching time enormously. Students often have to learn alone because the teachers are busy correcting and "naturally" cannot teach. These long periods without teachers in the classroom help a few highly motivated students to make progress, but most of them become lazy and do nothing at all. Overall, teachers in state schools probably need to be more present in their classes and prepare students for the demanding external exams in grades 9 and 11. Parents are also complaining more and more that there are so many holidays and free weekends when the student residences are closed and they often have to travel long distances to pick up their children.

B)Our eight trainees

Continue reading

Unsere dreimonatige Zeit in Namibia (Teil1)

Für meine Frau und mich (Joachim Knoche)  war diese Zeit sehr stark durch die 12 Menschen geprägt, die nacheinander die Zeit mit uns in Namibia verbrachten.

Mit sieben Personen waren wir am Anfang für 2-3 Wochen zusammen und sind dem Land und seinen Menschen sehr intensiv begegnet. Wir waren vier Tage direkt in Okombahe und haben die Projekte kennengelernt und uns darin eingebracht. Viele gute Gespräche konnten dabei geführt werden. Im Anschluss sind wir noch eine Woche touristisch durchs Land gefahren.

Kurz danach kam Janne, ein zwanzigjähriger Freiwilliger, für 2 ½ Monate. Er verbrachte diese Zeit im Schülerheim in Okombahe und förderte die ca. 60 Grundschulkinder täglich in Mathe und spielte mit ihnen viel. Er machte seine Arbeit sehr gewissenhaft und viele Kinder machten Fortschritte im Rechnen, im logischen Denken und bei den Spielen drinnen und draußen.

Ende September kamen unsere Söhne Christoph und Sebastian für zwei Wochen in ihr Geburtsland. Die Erfahrung, mal für drei Tage kein fließendes Wasser zu haben war schon besonders. Aber die schöne Tierwelt und andere Erfahrungen im Land glichen das wieder aus.

Danach kamen Ruth und Jonathan, ein junges Ehepaar aus Hohenlohe, das für drei Monate auf Hochzeitsreise war, und für vier Wochen an unserer Schule (MLH) und in Okombahe etwas Sinnvolles machen wollte.

                                                                                                        weiterlesen



Post from Namibia (18 Sept. 2023)



In Swakopmund, my wife and I (Joachim Knoche) met all the trainees and found out how they are doing in their training and what their everyday lives are like. Most of them are studying at COSDEC, an accredited training institute for one to three-year training courses.

I would like to introduce you to some trainees:

On the first afternoon we met with Emil, who is now in his third and final year of training as an office clerk. We met him in a German café and he was happy to have a real piece of cake. He has passed his two years of training so far with flying colors, and his six-month internship with the city administration went so well that he could have continued straight away. But he still has six months of training ahead of him and must first pass the final exams. After that, he hopes to find a good job. If he finds a good job - he told me - then he would also like to finance one or two people at the training school. That sounds good, even if it will be a few years before that happens.

The same training has now Darlene started this year. The couple, who are sponsoring her training through the association, gave us a used laptop, which she had the association set up with the necessary software for the equivalent of 17 euros. She was very happy about it: "Now I can finally practice the speed of the 10-finger system on my own." She also comes from Okombahe, was sponsored by our association at the secondary school in Omaruru for the last few years, has never sat in front of a computer before, and now wants to do well in her training. Her small speech impediment will not 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 showed her organizational skills: she notified all the other trainees to be there at the specified time.

Aluceus and Titus are finishing their two-year bricklayer training this year and have good grades so far, except for the math exam. (Continue reading)

At the Saturday, July 29, from 10am-5pm, the club presents itself again

on the Fair Mile in Schwäbisch Hall.

Cordial invitation!

Please note the dates:

African Vocals give two concerts

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

At the Wednesday, July 5, 7 p.m.

The group performs in the Neuenstein Town Hall on and

at the Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m. in the Catholic Our Father Church in Obersulm-Willsbach.

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

At the 5th July loads the Neuenstein Community School

and on July 6 the Paul-Distelbarth-Gymnasium with a.

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