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 organization.

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?

Further details on all points can be found on our homepage

·The two soup kitchens in Okombahe (approx. €12,100)

·80 students in the student dormitories (approx. €10,600)

·The Hada-Huigo orphanage in Okombahe (approx. €19,100)

· Our training initiative (approx. €11,600)

· Start-up bakery in Okombahe (approx. €1,350)

·The two kindergartens and the toy library (approx. €3,850)

· Support for the primary school in Okombahe (approx. €2,900)

· Further projects (approx. €9,000)

Othe young volunteer who spent 2 ½ months at the Okombahe school hostel supporting children in mathematics and English,

Othe regular support of Martin Luther High School

Othe unbureaucratic help of needy people and educational institutes from our emergency fund and

Othe work of our local administrator

And in Germany we also raised money

· In the summer the “Team Namibia” at CITY CYCLING of the municipality of Pfedelbach. 14 sponsors financed one kilometer cycled it 1ct.

Result 3218€read more

·

2 618,30 € - Result of the Advent Bazaar

The “Getting into the mood for Advent” on the 1st Advent in Protestant 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 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 firstosaunenchor Advent songs on the market square, During the entire time, Namibian, regionally produced sausages were roasted, mulled wine, punch, coffee and delicious cakes and three times “Stories freely told” for adults and children by Dorothea Frank Many items were sold, but many visitors also took advantage of the time to enjoy a 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. Thus, the Evangelical Parish of Untersteinbach and the Namibia Association for his projects each 1,309.15€ transferred to their 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 stay 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 establish 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 performing very poorly in school. I suspect this is due to the work ethic of both students and teachers and the two lost years of COVID-19. But no one talks about it. All they do is complain. We have met with all of our students' responsible staff. Since we don't want to employ social workers, we can no longer care for the very weak and unwilling students. Instead, we have to select from the group of those in need those who are better off and those who want support. The even weaker and unwilling are a lost generation (with alcohol, drugs, and petty crime).

But some of the reasons for this also lie in the current Namibian school system: the many long exams at the end of each semester and the many mock exams beforehand reduce teaching time enormously. Students often have to study alone because the teachers are busy marking and "naturally" cannot teach. These long periods without a teacher in the classroom help a few highly motivated students progress, but most become lazy and do nothing at all. Overall, teachers in public 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 increasingly complaining 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

read more

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 (Joachim Knoche) and I met all the trainees and learned how they are doing in their training and what their daily lives are like. Most of them are studying at COSDEC, an accredited training institute for one- to three-year programs.

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 delighted 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. However, he still has 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 be happy to sponsor 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 Darleen 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 touch typing system on my own." She, too, is originally from Okombahe, has been supported by our association at the secondary school in Omaruru for the past 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 demonstrated 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. (read more)

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

on the Fair Mile in Schwäbisch Hall.

Warm invitation!

Come by and talk to us!

Please note the dates:

African Vocals give two concerts

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

On Wednesday, July 5, 7 p.m.

The group performs in the Neuenstein Town Hall on and

on 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.

On July 5 loads the Neuenstein Community School

and on July 6 the Paul Distelbarth High School with one.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023
House of the Catholic Church
How does a child grow up in the “new” state of Namibia
Joachim Knoche, former vice principal of a secondary school, €10.00

In Namibia, which has a special relationship with Germany due to its colonial history, unemployment and poverty are still a major issue, especially in rural areas, despite a good infrastructure and more than 30 years of independence.

Joachim Knoche, initiator of the association “Namibia Support eV” lived there with his family for seven years in the 1990s and worked as a teacher in a church boarding school in the countryside.

Using the example of Okombahe, which is located about four hours' drive northwest of Windhoek in the former South African Damara homeland and where tourists rarely stray, he shows us how the children living there grow up, what life chances they have and how the association tries to support these children now and in the future.

Registration under K-23-1-1326, www.kbw-stuttgart.de

Catholic Education Center Stuttgart

Königstraße 7, 70173 Stuttgart

Phone: 0711 / 70 50 600

info@kbw-stuttgart.de