Continuation of the 2023 annual review

The a cappella group African Vocals gave two concerts in Obersulm and Neuenstein and thrilled hundreds of listeners with their singing. Result 1619 €.

· Together with the Evangelical Church of Untersteinbach, a Advent bazaar a lot of sawing, crafting, cooking and baking. Result 1,309 €

· On the third Sunday of Advent we were again at the Öhringen Christmas Market, approx. 2000.-€ (The exact result was not yet known at the time of publication.)

· Also on Birthdays or family celebrations The Namibia Support Association received donations.

Thanks

You have all contributed to supporting these projects with your donations, your membership fees, your practical assistance in the association's activities throughout the year, and your prayers.

The needy children, but also the adults in Namibia are grateful and We on the committee of the Namibia Support Association would like to thank you very much.

With your help, we can continue these worthwhile projects in the coming year. Back

Continuation of our three-month stay in Namibia (Part 3)

However, it is positive that the Infrastructure in Okombahe is slowly expanding. There are already a few shops that sell not only a few non-perishable food items, but also small quantities of gasoline, cement, building materials, and cheap "Chinese" items such as toys, clothing, and household goods. My suggestion to the Settlement Office to set up a weekly market day in Okombahe was received favorably. On such a market day, anyone who makes or grows something in Okombahe could offer it for sale. This would encourage gardeners to grow vegetables, and seamstresses and artisans could make household items. As a result, money would be circulated in Okombahe, and the money would not just be taken to the nearby towns. We'll see if such a market day is set up next year.

For 10 years now, the Children's Church of the Evangelical Parish of Pfedelbach-Untersteinbach the children's church in Okombahe. This year, at the Christmas party, each of the 120 children in the church received a small gift bag filled with sweets from the children of Untersteinbach. Sometimes the money even covers a short trip.

For four years now, the Confirmands from Untersteinbach Money for the confirmation candidates in Okombahe. Parents must pay approximately €50 for a confirmation in Namibia. Since there is no church tax, the congregations and pastors survive on the income from church services and sacred ceremonies (baptisms, confirmations, weddings, funerals, and other offerings). On average, 10-15 needy confirmation candidates, who also attended children's services, were supported. On November 25, 10 confirmation candidates and their parents were again supported by the confirmation candidates in Untersteinbach.

Since the Corona period, a relaxed, non-binding, but very nice relationship has developed between both kindergartens in Pfedelbach-Heuberg to the two kindergartens in Okombahe. Songs, craft materials, and now also coloring books and plant collections were exchanged. All four kindergartens created the coloring book "Benni the Elephant" this year. The children were also able to touch some plants and bushes from the "foreign" country. It's wonderful when young children think outside the box and learn that children in "foreign" countries are similar to them.

I've already written about some of the other projects in the first part. It's good when we can be there for a longer period of time. This way, we get to know life better and can respond more effectively to requests. Overall, the two soup kitchens are doing quite well, although there are always more people needing food than we can provide. Project “50 loaves of bread for 50 hungry schoolchildren” in the morning is very useful and can now be expanded to 70 children through internal redeployment, but also with the help of another donor. The acute shortage of space in the Toy Library will hopefully be alleviated by the completion of the kindergarten renovation.

Diploma

Thank you for your interest in the people of Namibia.

My wife Margret and I have approx. 12,000km We didn't have any accidents, didn't experience any "bad" people or "bad" situations and felt wonderfully protected and looked after. back

Continuation of our three-month stay in Namibia (Part 2)

B)Our eight trainees

With the help of 1:1 sponsorships between you as a donor and young people in Namibia, we want to enable simple 2-3 year vocational training courses. The first three apprentices will graduate this year: two bricklayers and one office clerk. The two bricklayers have learned a great deal of practical skills and have already taken on their own jobs. Unfortunately, both failed their math exams and had to retake them before they were allowed to take the new exam. They are now working independently and are receiving help for their subsequent exams, if they take advantage of it. Emil also has to retake an exam but will hopefully find a job as an office clerk. Initial experiences have shown us that the standard of vocational training is higher than we previously thought. This means that next year we can only send a school dropout on a six-month apprenticeship without a demanding exam. If he performs well there, we will continue our studies.

C)Our branch in Namibia

Unfortunately, we've still not made much progress with registering our association in Namibia. It seems the only way forward is through the new seven-member association we founded the year before last, but which still hasn't been approved. So we (Margret, Magthe, and I) went back to see Ms. Gawanas, the social worker in Omaruru, and she made what felt like 50 phone calls trying to finally figure out why the registration was taking so long. Finally, she learned of a committee that wants to make changes to the statutes. The logo with the African face and the German expressions isn't allowed in Namibia. The name is also not allowed to contain Christian elements, as it's a general social organization, not a church one. The association members now have to consider how we deal with this.

That's all for today. Next week there will be the third final part, in which I will also talk about the Relationships of Untersteinbach and Heuberg to Okombahe will report.

Thank you for your interest in the people of Namibia Back

Continuation: Our three-month stay in Namibia (Part 1)

They lived in our house. Many of their friends and relatives donated money to the association for their local work. With this money, and other association funds, we were able to accomplish many positive things in Okombahe during their time.

In the Kindergarten “Learn in Peace” iThe second room is now plastered and is being painted, and the kindergarten has also been given a veranda with sturdy shade protection. Albertina's Soup Kitchen was also plastered, painted and the kitchen renovated and connected to the sewer line. Yvonne's Soup Kitchen finally got chairs and tables, and the veranda was significantly expanded to provide seating. Additional money was used to purchase games for both kindergartens. The Community Kindergarten After a year of renovations in the town centre with the Toy Library, it will hopefully be completed by Christmas together with the district office.

Since the German teacher After leaving school at short notice, Ruth and I spent four weeks intensively studying German in grades 9 through 12 at Martin Luther High School. They also participated in several sports activities with the students and hosted two film evenings. It was wonderful to see how, as a young married couple, they engaged with the students at MLH and the people of Okombahe. For Margret and me, the Christian community with them at MLH was something special.

That’s it for today, next week there will be the second part (back)

Fortsetzung "Post aus Namibia vom 18. Sept. 2023

Titus hatte vor zwei Jahren gerade die Schule beendet und Aluceus war schon einige Jahre arbeitslos gewesen. Beide haben in der für sie fremden Umgebung in Swakopmund gezeigt, dass sie selbstständig leben und lernen können. Beide wollen nach dem Abschluss nach Okombahe zurück und sich dort Arbeit mit einer eigenen kleinen Firma suchen. Ich hoffe, dass das klappt, denn in Okombahe werden viele neue Steinhäuser gebaut und benötigt.

Jährlich benötigen wir ca. 800Euro für die Ausbildung und noch mal 1000Euro als Zuschuss für die Lebenshaltungskosten (ein kleines Zimmer, Verpflegung und sonstiges). Doch die monatlichen 85.-€ reichen nicht mehr aus. Auch in Namibia sind die Lebenshaltungskosten sehr gestiegen. Das einfache Zimmer aus Wellblech oder ein einfacher Holzverschlag kostet schon ca. 50.-€ Miete pro Monat. Für junge Männer ist der weite Weg (ca. eine Stunde Fußmarsch) morgens im Dunkeln und abends wieder zurück noch angemessen, aber für Christiaana finden wir es unverantwortlich.

Christiaana, eine junge alleinerziehende Mutter aus Omaruru, lebt wie Aluceus weit außerhalb der ehemals schwarzen Lokation, ohne Strom und Wasser auf dem Gelände. Ihr Kind lebt meistens während der Unterrichtszeiten bei ihrer Oma in Omaruru. Christiaana macht eine Ausbildung für das Gastgewerbe und den Tourismus. Da wir uns alle Unterkünfte der Auszubildenden angesehen haben, sehen wir ihre Lebensumstände sehr kritisch. So kann sie nicht ordentlich lernen. Sie soll nun ab Oktober 25.-€ pro Monat mehr bekommen und sich ein besseres Zimmer besorgen. Als wir ihr das sagten glänzten ihre Augen vor Dankbarkeit.

Emil, Darleen, Aluceus, Titus, Christiaana und die drei anderen - sogar beim Schreiben über diese Auszubildenden kommen mir dankbare Tränen über die großen Möglichkeiten, die so eine Ausbildung den jungen Namibiern bietet.

DANKE für alle, die sich letztes Jahr bereiterklärten, einen Auszubildenden für 2-3 Jahre zu finanzieren, entweder ganz mit 1800.-€ im Jahr, einen halben Ausbildungsplatz mit 900.-€ oder durch eine regelmäßige kleinere Spende.

Wer von Ihnen ist bereit mit einer (Teil-)Patenschaft einen neuen Auszubildenden für nächstes Jahr zu unterstützen? Ich sollte das bis Mitte Oktober wissen, denn dann endet die Bewerbungsfrist für das kommende Ausbildungsjahr. Danach führen meine Frau und ich zusammen mit Magthe, unserer namibischen Mitarbeiterin, die Interviews und die Auswahl für das kommende Jahr durch.    (zurück)